Sunday, November 21, 2010
Supporting Confident Writers
I just finished reading chapter 9 in Writing Essentials. So much of what Routman says about supporting young writers resonated with me. I respond much more readily to constructive criticism when positive remarks about my work have been made - along with any suggestions for improving my writing. For instance, I spent two years in a row attending college classes. I had to write several papers for each class every quarter. I received good grades on all of my papers and hardly ever received any constructive feedback. Naturally, I thought my writing was just fine. However, during my last quarter I had to write a 15-page paper for my senior seminar. I worked very hard on it, making sure I had covered all the items mentioned on the rubric. I was completely deflated after receiving the first draft back from my instructor. He did not have a single positive thing to say. All 15 pages were covered with things he thought I should do differently. I was so overwhelmed I didn't even know where to start. For the first time in my college career I emailed my paper (along with the rubric) to the writing center for help.
While waiting for a response from the writing center I began to tackle the points my instructor wanted me to focus on. I got bogged down in "fixing" my paper, and by the time I addressed half of his points it no longer felt like my paper. I resented the entire process. For the first time ever, I felt like giving up.
The first comment the writing center employee responded with was how strong she thought my paper was. She then proceeded to give me a few suggestions, which were very minor and easy to work on (none of which matched any my instructor had given me). I ended up cutting so much of the paper out, and using so many of my instructor's "suggestions," that I felt like I was writing his paper. I didn’t feel good about turning in my final copy. Even though I ended up with a decent grade, I did not feel good about the paper at all.
I NEVER want my students to feel like their work is not "good enough." I never want them to feel like I don't like what they have written. I completely agree with Routman when she instructs us to “focus on the writer above everything else…put the reader first…[and] remember that the writer is exposed” (pg. 223). Routman says that if a student leaves a writer’s conference deflated and discouraged then the teacher has failed (pg. 223). This is one area I plan on succeeding in.
It is important to keep the balance between scaffolding our student’s learning in a way that is sensitive to their feelings, while at the same time handing over the reins to them so that they can grow in their learning and manage their own editing, etc. In regards to maintaining the balance, Routman remarks, "content is personal; editing is not” (pg. 234). It is nice to know that I will have Writing Essentials to refer to before beginning writer’s conferences with my future students.
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I agree with you 100%. I think some of the biggest mistakes teachers’ make when they are teaching students to write is when the teacher focuses on grammar, punctuation, and neatness. When teachers do not allow students to write about things they feel passionate about it is difficult as Routman says to get students to love to write.
ReplyDeleteWhen I returned to college I had to take a pre-college English class. I remember how incredibly nervous I was about taking an English class. The idea of writing was so scary for me. After I completed that first English class where I had to do many of my papers over again I went onto my first college level English class. My professor followed Routman's advice about teaching writing almost to the t. He completely supported the writer in his classroom. He scheduled private conference sessions for students to bring their papers in for constructive feedback. He didn’t talk about punctuation and grammar he said that is the last thing you do. He worked on transitions and helped students develop ideas. He used writing groups in his classroom and everyone participated in a fish bowl exercise. I developed so much confidence as a writer in his classroom I actually believed I could write for the first time in my life.
I guess many people had similar experiences. I once had an instructor too who would be more concerned about grammer and punctuation. For every paper I turned in for his English class, I was always be nervous on how he would grade me by my grammer skills. I felt like he didn't really understood me and my writing well. Like Amy, I hope my students would not feel that their work is not "good enough." I hope that I will know my students well and help them develop as a writer rather than just judging them by their writing skills.
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