When observing my CT's classroom, I have noticed a few different ways writing is implemented. The main focus has been writing after reading. The teacher and students will take turns reading from a novel and then write in their journal about how they think the character felt. Sometime the teacher asks them to write as if they were actually the character. Other times they are asked to write what they think will happen next. These are not graded on spelling or structure, it is based on completion.
After teaching my lesson and evaluating the writing I believe the students will greatly benefit from self or peer editing. Many of the students had very insightful writing but struggled with grammatical errors. I think it is somewhat dangerous if the students write repeatedly and do not get corrected. I think if the student or a peer helped correct the writing it would be more meaningful then a teacher just simply making red corrections on the page. I will definitely keep this in mind when I am teaching writing in the future. How is everyone else seeing writing? Do you think peer editing is a good idea or do you think it might cause students to be reluctant to let someone else evaluate their writing?
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2 comments:
Sarah, I agree with you that editing, especially peer editing can be very rewarding for the students and the teacher as long as it is done carefully. I have a memory from 3rd grade when I had to edit a writing sample from one of my peers and I had no idea of how to even begin. I think that if the teacher guides students with a few examples of how to edit and gives the students a detailed rubric then this practice can be very successful.
I think you bring up a lot of great questions Sarah. I am struggling with how to teach grammar and show students how to improve their writing without discouraging students from expressing their ideas. Does the teacher just want the students to express their ideas after reading during this lesson and then focus on writing skills at a different time? Does the class have a seperate time when the focus is on writing skills and not just responding and connecting to a text? I think both, having time to make connections and time to work on their writing skills, are essential elements of a classroom. If your teacher does have writing in different contexts I think it is a great idea. Our last class on Tuesday really made me think about how important it is to give students opportunities for both types of writing. I think it is a great idea to give students time to just express what they are thinking and enjoy writing their ideas, and then work on the technical aspects of writing at a later time. I agree with Nicki also in that peer editing could be a great idea. I think students need a lot of scaffolding before understanding how to peer edit and to do it in a constructive way though. I see peer editing in my classroom and some students find it helpful while others refuse to work with their partner. Peer editing is a great idea yet I think it requires a lot of teacher planning to make it beneficial and successful for all students.
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