Why I Write
The act of putting the pen to the paper encourages pause for thought, this in turn makes us think more deeply about life, which helps us regain our equilibrium – Norbet Platt
Writing helps me make meaning of my experiences. Writing is how I represent and express myself. Making connections between my past, present, and future is the end result. Whether I am writing an essay, in my diary, texting a friend, or emailing my teachers, I am constantly developing my literacy skills. The various strategies I use stem from communication.
When students are learning to express meaning using writing and representing tools, teachers scaffold writing development through a range of activities. Modeled writing, and interactive/shared writing are two examples we have done in class, that I have found very engaging. Giving the students the opportunity to engage in choice writing enhances their depth and diversity when expressing their ideas and expressions as, “the ultimate goal is for students to make the strategies their own, and [for them] to know how, when, and why to apply them” (IRP, 26). Getting students interested and engaged opens the door for an infinite number of possibilities. “With good teaching…kids who are going to become interested and excited become interested and excited” (Atwell, 83).
The article, Fostering Meaningful Middle School Literacy Learning: Investigating Beliefs and Practices, by Cynthia H. Brock and Fenice B. Boyd, discusses two teachers underlying beliefs about language, literacy, and learning. The teacher that immediately stood out to me was Mrs. Baird. She loves to learn, and sees herself as a lifelong learner. There were many strong connections between this article and the IRP, especially on engagement of the student.
She knows that “literacy learning best occurs when students are engaged in meaningful activities that have authentic
purposes” (Beach et al.,
2010, p. 15). Mrs. Baird’s strategies through journaling, unsent letters, poetry and narratives I find extremely effective. I would even consider coupling them with more 21st Century learning strategies such as comic strip creations or real time skype chats with students on the other side of the world. The IRPs support this development through the following PLO:
• C1 write meaningful personal texts that explore ideas and information to experiment, express self, make connections, reflect and respond, remember and recall.
There are several more PLOs with the notion of creativity and exploration.
Mrs. Baird also has her students participate in a Book Club, which typically includes “whole-group community share; time for reading, writing, and discussing in small peer-led groups; and closing whole-group community share”, (Voices from the Middle, 2011,pg.14). This relates to the notion of guided writing; “a small group of students with a common need is brought together for a mini-lesson, and the students are supported as needed. They then practice the strategies in the group setting or independently”, (IRP,2006).
The other strategy used by Mrs. Baird is “Modelling, [which] is generally done with the whole class or a group. The teacher thinks aloud (writes aloud) while composing. As the teacher thinks aloud he/she is making the writing process more obvious to the students” (IRP, 2006). Mrs. Baird asks her young adolescents to write daily by implementing writing workshops in her classroom. “The major components of writing workshop in Mrs. Baird’s classroom include daily read-alouds (whereby Mrs. Baird reads literature to model the kinds of writing she is teaching her students), mini-lessons (either small- or whole-group—depending on her students’ writing needs—where she models writing skills and strategies her students can use in their own writing), daily individual writing time, and sharing time (Tompkins, 2008)”, (Voices from the Middle, 2011,pg.14).
Activities such as peer editing and proofreading have always helped me develop my writing, getting a new perspective from other students is a great support system. It is important to teach students the relevance writing and representing hold in their lives. “One-to-one and small-group conferences allow the teacher to monitor students’ levels of independence and provide intervention where needed”, (IRP,2006).
The teacher must set (often with the students) the expectations re: behaviors, work habits, etc. If the teacher sticks to the 'plan' and prepares lessons that are relevant and meaningful, with lots of student participation, the management challenges will be reduced, and often eliminated, making for a great learning and teaching environment. Mrs. Baird also believes
that “students will be more
motivated to learn when
that which they are asked
to learn has relevance to
their lives”, (Voices from the Middle, 2011,pg.17). Writing and representing are significant components in the English IRP, 30-45% for the Middle Years grades. Allowing students to engage in choice writing is a strategy that I see as a very effective one that will help them move forward in their literacy development, communication, and greater understandings.
References:
Atwell, N. (1998). in the middle : New understandings about writing, reading, and learning. second edition. Portmouth, NH: Heinmann.
British Columbia Ministry of Education. (2006). English Language arts K to 7: Integrated Resource Package. Victoria, BC.
Brock,C.H. and Boyd,F.B. "Fostering Meaningful Middle School Literacy Learning: Investigating Beliefs and Practices”. Voices from the Middle, Volume 19 Number 1, September 2011.
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