Reading/Writing Blog Entry #6

Dear Dr. Jones,

I am thoroughly enjoying this written expression class! This course is very different from any class I have ever taken throughout my college career. I appreciate that this course allows me as a student to have the freedom to write openly about how I feel about specific topics relating to the world of education but also about my own experiences as I become a more developed writer. I love the concept of having writing conference groups. I find it very beneficial to have peers that I trust critiquing my work and giving me useful feedback on ways to improve my writing. These blogs provide me with the time to reflect on what I am reading and take note of any particular takeaways I want to remember to enhance my own writing development. The blogs also provide me with diverse ways to help my students become empowered writers.

I have never had the opportunity to really dissect all of the different genres. This class digs deeper on what it entails to write successfully in a number of genres. My favorite part of this class so far is the genre pieces project. It is amazing that I am given the opportunity to write about a topic that is actually important to me. I can’t recall a time where I have been able to write about something I am extremely passionate about since high school. Being able to take on different perspectives for this assignment truly has allowed me to see my chosen topic from multiple viewpoints. Lastly, I like that this class is providing me with tools specifically related to digital writing. Especially in today’s society, technology plays such a crucial role in a student’s learning process. It is beneficial to see the appropriate ways to integrate these online tools to enhance a student’s school experiences.

Throughout this course, I am learning more about my writing habits of mind. My metacognitive abilities have developed and strengthen throughout this course. Because of these blogs, I am able to reflect on my own thinking, more specifically how I have changed as a writer. I have also developed new rhetorical knowledge during this course. Now, I have more of an awareness on the purpose of my writing. While I am prewriting, I take the time to think about who my audience is and plan the context accordingly. I am also experiencing what it is like to compose in a number of different environments (Council of Writing Program Administrators, National Council of Teachers of English, & National Writing Project, 2011). Through the works of Hicks (2013) I am becoming more knowledgeable about what it takes to successfully create digital texts whether that be through web-based texts or online presentations. I have cultivated a number of skills and strategies that will allow myself to better explain to my students what makes an online text reliable or not. For example, the power of integrating hyperlinks within online texts that are not distracting but can provide readers with appropriate background information (p. 52). Another helpful example would be the tips provided on all the ways to make an online presentation ‘sticky’ or exciting for all viewers (p. 62).

All of the instructional strategies Tompkins (2019) offers throughout her chapters are noteworthy. Specifically, I found the revising and editing centers in chapter 1 to be engaging and innovative activities. These centers can hold students accountable for improving their writing within their own terms. I plan to add many of these given strategies or techniques to my strategy toolbox to use for future reading or writing lessons.

Sincerely,

Denise Holmes

References

Council of Writing Program Administrators, National Council of Teachers of English, & National Writing Project. (2011). Framework for success in postsecondary writing.Retrieved from http://wpacouncil.org/framework/

Hicks, T. (2013).  Crafting digital writing. Portsmouth, NH: Heinemann.

Tompkins, G. E.  (2019).  Teaching writing:  Balancing process and product (7^th ed.).Upper Saddle River, NJ:  Merrill.

Reading/Writing Blog Entry #5

Writer’s Craft is a difficult concept for me to wrap my head around even as an adult learner. There are so many aspects that need to be considered when composing a piece. In chapter 4, Tompkins does an excellent job of laying out the foundations and individual steps writers need to take into account when one is composing a successful written text. As a writer, there are some steps that I often overlook because I assume I have already mastered that trait. For example, I am very confident when it comes to implementing my own personal voice within my pieces. Even in more formal or research based writing, I find myself incorporating my own opinions on the research and experimental findings I have read about. My voice seems to be with me in all stages of the writing process. Even when I am revising, I try to look for ways to alter my writing to have it’s own unique style.

Another trait that I feel I am close to mastery in would be my idea development. Luckily for me, I rarely struggle to come up with ideas to write about. I really enjoy being able to play around with my writing using different genres. Sometimes, I use a trial and error process within the prewriting/drafting stage to see what genre would make the most sense for my audience depending on the given assignment. Often times, I come up with way too much to write about which can lead my ideas to become scattered and unorganized. This is why I find myself struggling within the traits of organization and conventions because I am so concerned with getting all of my ideas down that I fall short in other dimensions of writing mechanics.

I know how difficult it can be for myself to learn and improve within each of the 6+1 traits of writing. That is why I think it is crucial that when I am teaching writer’s workshop that I am explicitly modeling for my students how to develop and grow within each of these traits. I think it is beneficial to have students learn these traits at early grades then they can continue improving and building upon those writing skills as they increase in grade level. I appreciate that Tompkins (2019) took the time in chapter 4 to provide her readers with mentor texts that would work in various grade levels but also hit on specific trait skills. Students learn so much about writing from the stories they heard and as a result they enjoy adapting specific traits to fit their own stories. Another aspect I found beneficial from this chapter was the instructional overview that Tompkins (2019) provided for each grade level. Because I do not know what grade I will ultimately end up teaching, this overview allows me to see what is developmentally appropriate for a student’s writer’s craft at each level.

Before reading chapter 4, I did not know much about the procedures I could use to assess writer’s craft. I loved the idea that Tompkins (2019) presented about the checklists as a way for students to monitor their own crafts (p. 93).These checklists are awesome because they provide students with the exact skills to look for within their texts. I think it would also serve as a powerful tool for peer reviews because students would be provided with direct feedback to give based upon what was missing from the checklist. Philippakos (2017) discusses the importance of providing students with specific goals that can guide their revision efforts when it comes to peer reviewing (p. 20). These checklists allow students to practice evaluating their peer by using given prompts but also allows them to identify areas for improvement which leads to the beginning stages of goal setting process.

References

Philippakos, Z.A. (2017).  Giving feedback:  Preparing students for peer review and self-evaluation.  The Reading Teacher, 71(1), 13-22. DOI: 10.1102/trtr.1568

Tompkins, G. E.  (2019).  Teaching writing: Balancing process and product (7^th ed.).Upper  Saddle River, NJ:  Merrill.