STRATEGIES USED BY THE WRITER TO COMMUNICATE WITH HIS OR HER AUDIENCE
Sensory data (sensory details description)-for e.g. "The paint on the wall has cracks and there is a perennial smell of hamburgers permeating the air."
Adjectives-for e.g "......the place (noun) looks a little squalid (adjective)..." and "....a haze (adjective) of aromas (noun).
Descriptive sequence (spatial-order description)-for e.g. "When entering the door at Lou's....seems to consist of a maze of rooms. Thefirst room, through the door, is the main part of the restaurant.There is another, rarely used dining room,off to the right."
Figurative Language for e.g.(personification)-for e.g."The old juke box reigning in the corner is brought to life "
Comparison and Contrast-for e.g."...I experienced another trip through time' s door;it was as if nothing had changed, nothing except, the amount of gray in her hair." and "... Some of the old men had passed on; they have since been replaced by ..."young 'uns" ..."
Informal language (colloquialisms) and level of language formality is casual-"She ....often...with the strongest East Tennessee accent "It don't matter how porea body is..."' and the "doins of them young'uns..."
THE WRITER"S PURPOSE AND HOW THIS IS ACHIEVED IN THE ESSAY
The writer's purpose is to highlight the historical and social importance of "Lou's " to its generations of patrons since 1954. This is evident in the phrases "...proud of her 'A' rating and prominently displays it."; "...added during the oil well boom of the seventies"; "the old juke box...starts blasting tunes that cover at least
twenty years of change in musical tastes and " ..."the restaurant begins it's shift as the town's social center."."The writer takes the reader on a
journey through time and space as he or she enters this nostalgic cafe.This is
evident in the phrase "It seemed as if we had opened the door to decades."The description of the writer's personal
experiences of dining at Lou's: a walk through"the maze of rooms" at Lou's, to have a meal there at various
seating arrangements,to play music on "the old juke box", to over hear conversations of the "busybodies or gossips"and to experience the hospitality of
"Lou" appeals primarily to the sense of sight and less
frequently sound and smell. The use of descriptive adjectives create paintings
or photographs in my mind of people young and old who walk in , sit, play
music, gossip, dine and then leave at premeditated hours of the day or night.
For example, "Even though the news branch
never stops,...it is replaced by young people, heralding the evening" Furthermore, I could put a face to many of
the townsfolk from the 'old men', the 'young 'uns', "the women's information league' and so
forth. The cafe atmosphere is casual and the use of colloquialism and contractions
reflects that. Such an example is "It don't matter how pore a body is."
6 TRAITS WRITING RUBRIC TO EVALUATE THE DESCRIPTIVE ESSAY "LOU'S PLACE"
4- Excellent
3-Very Good
2-Satisfactory
1-Needs Improvement
Ideas
-paints a picture for the reader
-well focused on the topic
-clear ideas are well supported with interesting and
vivid detail
-creates some clear images
for the reader
-focused on the topic
-ideas are well
supported with details
-sometimes strays
from the topic
-ideas are not well
developed
-more details are
needed
-poorly focused on
the topic
-ideas are unclear
-few details are
given
Organization
-well focused on the topic
-logical organization
-excellent transition
-easy to follow
-generally
focused on the topic
-some lapses in
organization
-some transitions
-usually easy to
follow
-somewhat focused on the topic
-poor organization
-few transitions
-difficult to follow
-not focused on the
topic
-no clear
organization
-no transitions
-difficult or impossible
to follow
Word Choice
-precise, vivid and
interesting word choices
-variety of word
choices
-fairly precise, interesting and somewhat varied word choices
-wording could be more specific
-vague, mundane word
choices
-wording is sometimes
repetitive
-more descriptive
words are needed
-very limited word
choices
-wording is bland and
not descriptive
Sentence Fluency
-uses complete sentences
-varying sentence structure and lengths
-uses complete
sentences
-generally simple
sentence structures
-occasional sentence
fragment or run-on sentence
-sentence structure
is used repeatedly
-sentences are
difficult to understand
Conventions
-proper grammar usage
-correct spelling
-correct punctuation
-correct capitalization
-few errors of
grammar and usage
-most correct
spelling, punctuation and capitalization
-errors in grammar,
usage and spelling sometimes makes understanding difficult
-some errors in
punctuation and capitalization
-frequent errors in
grammar, usage, spelling, capitalization and punctuation make understanding
difficult or impossible
A discourse is a a mode of communication that determines what is said and how it is said. The type of discourse that is used will determine how a conversation between the writer and the reader will proceed. The four basic modes of discourse (also known as rhetorical modes) are narration, description, exposition and argument.
Renowned educator, James Kinneavy's two videos posted below provide insight into how modes of discourse can used for expression in the real world and the rationale for the use of each of the four basic modes of discourse in writing. Kinneavy also explains that more than one mode of discourse can be present in a literary piece.
As Kinneavy stated, the knowledge of the differences between the different modes of discourse can assist the writer in making sound decisions about composing an effective piece of writing that suits the intended purpose and caters to the needs of the audience among other considerations. The following table distinguishes the characteristics of narration, description, exposition and argument as pertains to purpose, audience, content, style, voice and organization.
NARRATION
DESCRIPTION
EXPOSITION
ARGUMENT
PURPOSE
*Tells a story or narrates an event or series of events.
*Re-creates, invents or visually presents a person, place, event or action so that the reader can create a mental picture of that being described (take a photograph in time and space).
*Explains and analyzes information for the reader by presenting an idea, relevant evidence and appropriate discussion.
*Proves the validity of an idea or point of view by expressing sound reasoning, discussion and arguments that thoroughly convince the reader.
AUDIENCE
*Presents an event or series of events to the reader that is so powerful that the reader can imagine physically being there at the scene when the action unfolds
* Provides the readers with insight into how the writer perceives the world through using all or some of the five senses: sight, taste, touch, smell and sound
*Invites the reader
to engage with the sensual experiences provided by the writer.
*It involves clarification of ideas, analyzing of situations, defining of pertinent terms, giving instructions and following process to better the reader's understanding of the subject/topic.
*Moves the reader to form or change an opinion or point of view.
*Persuasive writing is a type of argument that urges the reader to take some form of action i.e. to take a stance
CONTENT
*Concerned with relating who, what ,where and when rather than explaining why something has happened.
For e.g.
Who was shot?
Where was he shot?
When was he shot?
What type of firearm did the shooter use?
*Concerned with what happened throughout the course of time and space by using sensory appeals to the reader.
For e.g. On Christmas Eve last year, his coal-blackened hands smeared my newly white-washed picket fence as he attempted to break a fall.
*Concerned with explaining all of the five Ws:
-who
-what
-where
-when
-why
For e.g.
Who uses this brand of lipstick?
What are the shades available?
When will more shades for women of colour be available for sale?
Where can I purchase this brand of lipstick?
Why do the manufacturers sell the lipstick to only high end retailers?
*Concerned with explaining why.
* Moves the reader to change or modify their opinion or point of view.
*It is also involves moving the reader to make informed decisions or to take a stance that will lead to some sort of action.
For e.g.
Organic foods reduce the human body's risk for obesity, high blood pressure and inflammatory diseases (Grow Well Farmers Association, 2012)
STYLE
*Tone-Examples include:gloomy, happy, reflective.
The reader may experience a roller-coaster ride as various elements of the story are revealed during reading or listening.
However, tone of the narrative leaves a lasting feeling in the reader when the story has concluded.
*Type of prose:artistic
*Devices employed include: action or dynamic verbs; dialogue; point of view of narrator, first person narrator and this person narrator.
Story conventions:setting,
characters, plot, climax and resolution.
*Tone-Examples
include: sarcastic, humorous,
grim. The reader may get these impressions of the piece because of the writer's focus on being purposefully unique and authentic "showing rather than telling"-achieved by paying close attention to sensory details that paint vivid pictures.
*Type of prose: artistic
*Devices employed include: adjectives, literary devices such as metaphors and similes words, expressions and phrases that appeal to the 5 senses and descriptive sequence: follow a logical path as in point A to B on a map or an impressionistic style which is like a camera taking random snapshots which may be done to reinforce themes that span a literary piece.
*Tone-Examples include: emotional, all-knowing,restrained.The
reader may get these impressions of the piece because the writer focuses on informing and explaining the subject in a way that he or she deems fit for the reader to understand.
*Type of prose:
technical/scientific
*Devices employed include: analysis;classification;
definition;illustration;
cause and effect;
comparison and contrast and analogy
*Tone-Examples include restrained, hostile, pompous,sincere.The
reader may get these impressions of the writer's rigid adherence to logic and factual evidence.
*Type of prose: technical/scientific
(argument)
and artistic (persuasive)
*Argumentative
devices employed include: evidence; facts; authoritative opinion; personal experience and refutation of the counterargument.
*Persuasive devices employed include: repetition, rhetorical questions and emotional appeals.
VOICE
*Voice-The writer generally writes in the first person “I" and the third person
“he, she, or it”. *The writer's voice will reflect personal or fictitious experiences as revealed in the story. *Examples
may include: high energy, active, innocent, funny and superfluous
*Voice-Reflects the writer's stage in a romance, embrace or attachment to words, phrases and expressions that evoke sensory details and that can create vivid mental pictures in the reader's mind. *Examples
may include: confessional, poetic, and idiomatic.
*Voice-It is engaging and reflective of the writer's underlying commitment to bettering the level of understanding of the reader about a particular topic. *Examples may include: discursive, rambling sententious, verbose and
vague.
*Voice-The writer writes in the
impersonal third person “he, she, it” and hasa strong and definite position. *Unyielding
enthusiasm spans the argument from the introduction to the conclusion in an
attempt tothoroughly convince the
reader of the position or to take a stance. *The voice should never be casual.
* Examples may include:
grandiloquent,
serious and concerned
ORGANIZATION
*Time is the organizational principle of narration. It is temporal in nature meaning that the flow of thoughts and ideas follow a sequential pattern.
*Description uses a spatial organization structure. The writer spatially hovers over things, events and people and freezes them in time in order to give a seemingly uninhibited description of them from various angles. This can enable the creation of a "flamboyant painting" or "vivid snapshot" in the reader's mind.
*Exposition uses a multiplicity of structural arrangements. This is based primarily on logic: definition, clarification, illustration, cause and effect, comparison and contrast,anecdotes and sometimes analogy.The choice of the most appropriate organisational techniques will improve the effectiveness of the piece of writing in explaining the content to the reader.
*Argument should be structured in a way that makes sense to the reader.
*According to Simmons-McDonald (1997), argument has a set of claims( at least two) one of which is the major claim or conclusion, while the other claim(s) are the grounds which support the conclusion. Both short and long arguments reflect these basic structural arguments
*The Toulmin method of logic is a common and precise method of organization of argument (The Owl at Purdue, 2012)
The following are its constituent parts:
Claim- The overall thesis the writer will argue for.
Data- Evidence gathered to support the claim.
Warrant- (the bridge): Explanation of why or how the data supports the claim, the underlying assumption that connects your data to your claim.
Backing (foundation)-Additional logic or reasoning that may be necessary to support the warrant.
Counterclaim-A claim that negates or disagrees with the thesis/claim.
Rebuttal- Evidence that negates or disagrees with the counterclaim.
This classroom provides some insight into my intentions to teach writing in the secondary classroom.
From this picture a few important words and phrases come to mind:
1.SOCIAL INTERACTION
In my English classroom students will collaborate to perform engaging (fun and interesting for students' cognitive level and life experiences), meaningful, purposeful and relevant tasks
I will endeavor tocreate a sense of classroom community where everyone's contribution matters and there is respect and understanding of differences (language, culture, cognitive and physical disabilities).It's not about being wrong or right, shy or embarrassed. Its about being motivated to believe in yourself and in others that they can do better with additional support from more knowledgeable others in the classroom.
What I wish is for students to ride on a journey together and after they have left my class be more aware, motivated and competent in composing writing in various genres. Thus, knowledge and application of the writing process will be a focal point in creating my "community of composers". Inevitably students' collaboration in five of the language artsi.e. talking, listening, reading, viewing, visually representing will be used as platforms for both independent and shared writing.
I have never taught English but I recall my first experience teaching Social Studies at a secondary school (for Reading and Writing Across the Curriculum) when students questioned me, "Miss why are you rearranging the furniture?" I quickly explained to the students that for the purposes of the class they would be working in groups and I would not alter my lesson plan to facilitate their wanting to work independently. I modeled the activity (completion of anticipation guide before and after shared reading and discourse), provided guided practice and let the students continue working in small groups without intervention for the remainder of the time allocated for the task. The students were then provided with immediate feedback not only for successful completion of the anticipation guide and reading comprehension questions but for building upon their level of confidence as the teaching of the lesson progressed, their willingness to support others who were struggling and enthusiasm for active participation.
2. CONSTRUCTIVISM
The curriculum dictates what students should learn but constructivist learning theory addresses how students should learn. In assuming the role of a constructivist teacher, I shall act as a facilitator and guide in the teaching-learning process and blends the whatwith the how. Hence,
I WILL KEEP IN MIND THAT I SHOULD NOT TELL A STUDENT WHERE TO GO ON THEIR WRITING JOURNEY BUT HOW TO FIND THEIR WAY.
The following video contains 3 important principles of constructivist teaching that I will make a conscious effort to apply in the English classroom: (1) students' level of readiness to learn (2)the spiral curriculum (3) ability to go beyond background knowledge or what has been taught.
In practice constructivist English classrooms:
Value students' prior knowledge
Adhere to teaching concepts within context-not abstractly. For e.g. Grammar is best taught using a piece of literature which can relate to the list of grammatical conventions.
Value collaboration and in particular cooperative learning strategies
Monitor student progress using multiple types of performance based assessments
Blend content knowledge with process for e.g. The techniques of persuasive, descriptive, narrative and expository writing are examined at various stages of the writing process.
3. INVENTORY OF STUDENTS INTERESTS, LIKES AND
DISLIKES
Informal classroom observation, anecdotal records, interest inventory surveys and interviews (student, peers, other teachers, parents) are tools which can provide me with insight into what students like to and do not like to do and how they learn best. I can use this when planning lessons to make informed decisions about appropriate teaching strategies which will impact positively on the community of diverse learners in the classroom
I am not acquainted with the interest inventory survey however it is something worth trying . Furthermore, I do not intend to use internet samples without prior modification.
4. THE NEED TO EMBRACE DIGITAL TECHNOLOGY AND NEW LITERACIES
I am a digital immigrant who made a conscious effort to better my skills in the use of digital technology not only for academic purposes at Teacher's Training College but for aesthetic and functional purposes outside of the school environment.
This video clip explains why digital immigrants like myself need to adhere to the prescribed curriculum and take a balanced approach to the use of technology in the classroom-TRADITIONAL MEDIA for e.g chalkboard+ DIGITAL TECHNOLOGY for e.g. laptop and NEW LITERACY for e.g power point presentation - to cater to divergent learning needs of digital natives.
New literacies practices that secondary school students may engage in outside of the classroom include:
Instant messaging
Subscribing to virtual social networks for e.g Facebook and Twitter
Click on the link below for a sample of a new literacies questionnaire that is recommended for teachers to discover students attitude towards digital technology, new literacies and online media so that they may make informed decisions when planning student-centered lessons for a technologically savvy community of learners.
5. THE RECOMMENDED ENGLISH TEXTBOOK MAY BE INADEQUATE IN TEACHING SOME WRITING GENRE AND FORMS OF WRITING
Q. Why is exposure to different writing genres and forms of writing important for students who are learning to write?
A. Collerson (1988) in his book, "Writing for Life", summed up genre well
We can think of genre as a social process i.e. as a particular set of activities or a way of doing something [...]these activities are carried out for some purpose. This is true of any genre; it is a social process which has a purpose-some goal that people are working towards. It also has a recognizable structure or pattern. Finally, a genre is something that arises within a particular culture; it is a product of the culture.
The purpose of the writing, the intended audience and the topic together influence the choice of genre.
Therefore, as a reflective practitioner, I am aware that some forms of writing are better suited to capturing the "big ideas" that are associated with specific genres. For e.g A persuasive essay can capture a lot more of the persuasive techniques than a persuasive dialogue can.
If you examine the table below, it is evident that expository texts and procedural texts are connected because they both explain to and inform the audience about a specific topic. They also have descriptive elements. Therefore, as a teacher I should endeavour to teach students to make connections between text so that they are aware that one piece of writing can lend itself to divergent types of text.
Lastly, I will teach students that writing strategies achieve their purpose effectively when used with specific types of text for e.g Concept mapping has universal appeal-it works with all types of text BUT a T-Chart is often used to compare and contrast and so it is better suited to expository, persuasive and transactional types of text.
Here is a table of writing genres and the forms of writing that best capture them:
a genre of writing that informs,
describes, or explains with text types that include: autobiography,
biography, descriptive, essay, experiment, informational report, and media
article
a
genre of writing that entertains or tells a story with text types that
include: adventure, fairy tale, fantasy, historical fiction, mystery,
personal narrative, realistic fiction, and science fiction
a genre of writing that attempts to
convince readers to embrace a particular point of view with text types that
include: advertisement, editorial, persuasive essay, political cartoon,
pro/con, and review
a genre of writing that serves as a
communication of ideas and information between individuals with text types
that include: business letter, friendly email, friendly letter, interview,
invitation, postcard, speeches, and weblog entry
Other elements that I would like to incorporate into my teaching of writing repertoire are as follows:
6.ENSURE THAT STUDENTS COMPOSE WRITING IN MULTIPLE GENRES AND ADHERE TO THE WRITING PROCESS
Based on the latter I know some of what applies to teaching writing in diverse genres soI will attempt to provide opportunities and stimuli for students to practice writing in the various genres at school and at home. It is important for me to do this to gauge a student's true writing potential. The writing process will be introduced to students and shall remain a significant part of students growth in writing ability with my added support.
7. ALIGNMENT OF THE TYPES OF WRITING STUDENTS DO AT HOME WITH WHAT IS DONE IN CLASS
I am aware that students write not only for academic purposes but for aesthetic and functional purposes. The forms of writing as well as genres students engage in away from the classroom can enable me to use samples of students work to teach them writing conventions and effective writing strategies that can better their craft. I can also get students more engaged in editing and revising for self as well as for their peers. Students can also collaborate in publishing their writing as a whole class or small groups on class blogs for e.g a digital collection of short stories or poems and they may publish a class newsletter which includes comic strips, poems, short stories, letter to the editor, advertisements and so forth.
I compiled a list of some of the forms of writing that students may engage in outside of the class:
The second link is about creating a story board in Word which I am willing to try since I am a writer for aesthetic purposes. I will then teach my students how they too can do it because it facilitates practicing the writing process. Click on the link http://www.microsoft.com/education/enus/teachers/guides/Pages/digital_storytelling.aspx followed by the pdf file " Storyboarding: Creating a storyboard in Word"
8.TEACH STUDENTS TO ASSESS THEIR OWN WRITING AND THAT OF THEIR PEERS
In a previous blog post I mentioned that I was on a road to nowhere with regard to improving my writing abilities in an academic environment. In the 80's, 90's and early 2000's competition was fostered among classmates and so peer assessment would not fit into that learning environment. However, with today's self and peer assessment as an integral part of formative assessment. My students will be taught to assess how writing can be made better. In order to do so there must be a balance of both negative and positive criticism as well as awareness of what makes a good piece of writing in a specific genre. To achieve this I will provide all students with checklists and rubrics to self-assess and peer-assess.
9. STUDENTS FUNCTIONAL FORMS OF WRITING FOR THEIR FUTURES AS YOUNG ADULTS ENTERING THE WORKFORCE
business e-mail
curriculum vitae (CV)
job cover letter
memorandum
I will use a socio-constructivist approach to teach Form 5 students these 4 essential forms of business communication which are key for survival in the business world. This was taught to me by a substitute teacher and I am thankful to this day that I never had to go begging any family member or friend to write a job cover letter or CV for me. Now with the advent of technology there are templates available for job cover letters and CV's for students to follow and for teachers to provide guidance on components specific to job requirements, education level, job and voluntary experience. Students can collaborate with each other and share the different document styles available and decide for themselves whichever they feel more comfortable using. Thereafter students will endeavour to create their own samples to be modified when applying for a job and to communicate with colleagues within the workplace. Authentic materials such as web and newspaper advertisements will be used, in addition to writing strategies such as RAFT.
10. ACCEPTANCE OF THE SOCIO-CULTURAL DIVERSITY OF ENGLISH LANGUAGE LEARNERS WHICH INCLUDES STUDENTS WITH BILINGUAL ABILITIES
I am aware that I am primarily
a visual (learn well by visuals), auditory (learn well by listening) and field
independent learner (exhibit autonomy in the learning process) but there are
other learning styles in the classroom including the kinesthetic (learn by
performance) and field-dependent (exhibit dependency on others for learning) in
the classroom. Therefore, I need to be aware that my own learning styles and
cultural assumptions can influence how I teach students and the expectations I
have of students. For example I have a positive
attitude toward the majority of St.Lucian students' L1 (St.Lucian Creole English) and I see the relevance of its use as a platform to better students competence in writing in the L2 (St Lucian Standard
English). Therefore, I would like to teach students how they can incorporate the
use of Creole English in creative writing to add flavor to it within certain
contexts that the Standard English cannot achieve. The Caribbean
Examinations Council (CXC) has given this the thumbs up so why continue to subject
students to alienation from their mother tongue.
In addition, it is my mandate that as I gain more experience teaching writing that a more inclusive teaching style will grow on me and become second nature. I intend to use diverse writing samples or stimuli for e.g. advertisements, newspaper or magazine clips, comic strips, recipes, video, song, games and simulations to teach writing conventions, techniques and process that reflect different cultures, life experiences, genders, sexual orientations among other sociocultural differences. This will occur in the context of lectures, group work, discussion, cooperative learning and so forth.
11. PROVIDE OPPORTUNITIES FOR STUDENT-TEACHER
CONFERENCING
We discussed teacher-student conferences in ENG 204 and ENG 205 and I had first-hand experience engaging in them for COM 101/201 and ENG 203. However, I could not conceptualize how to go about conferencing effectively with secondary school students.Nevertheless, I know it is a teaching strategy that I would like to implement in my future teaching career and so I decided to watch a video of the strategy in action in an authentic classroom setting. It is being used with primary school students but the principles are the same and it enabled me to reflect on my own writing experiences and that of many current students in secondary schools. I have come to the conclusion that a lack of one-one- attention, encouragement , self assessment and immediate feedback from a more knowledgeable other is why so many secondary school students get lost on their writing journeys.Have fun watching and learning from the video!!!!
12. PROVIDE TIMELY FEEDBACK
+ results in
Without effective feedback students would not learn -remembering
that learning is a permanent change in one’s behavior- the result is that they
may repeat mistakes over and over again. It is best practice to provide
students with feedback no more than one day after a test or homework assignment
has been turned in this has the potential to increase the window of opportunity
for learning and can close the gap between current and desired performance.
That information can be used to help set achievable learning objectives for the
teaching and re-teaching of specific aspects of writing.
Examples of places
where timely feedback can occur:
-the whole classroom environment
-writer’s workshop
-peer tutoring session
-peer review
-teacher- student conference
-class blog on for e.g. Blogger
- Google Docs
This video highlights the importance of feedback on the "big ideas" during a peer review. If students fail to practice what they learnt when peer review was modeled by teacher the first few times , then apparently both the writer and peer reviewer are misinformed or confused about the editing and revising stages of the writing process. Notice in the video the peer reviewer has no checklist to use as a guide and affirmation that specific criteria have been met.
Criterion-referenced feedback provides the right kind of
feedback to improve student understanding of the writing process. Peer feedback on the class blog in
particular prompts students to read each others’ writing from a critical
perspective and to think about how to phrase feedback so that it is
constructive. For the students to be able to use the blog properly I need to set ground rules and to teach them how to do so through modeling, guided practice and thereafter independent practice (gradual release of responsibility model). Blogging is an important skill to teach students because the blog is capable of improving the standard of writing students produce because of immediacy of feedback. The blogger writes and publishes (posts), the audience provides feedback (comments), the blogger revises and edits the post and thereafter the blogger posts a second draft. Blogger on Google makes it easy to ignore boundaries of time and space as face to face communication for writer’s conferences are no longer necessary-students can collaborate in a virtual “hang out”. In the “hang out” students can edit and revise each others’ writing through speech and text by using the webcam and chat facilities.
Furthermore, teaching students self-assessment techniques encourage students to generate their own feedback. Rubrics and the aforesaid checklists monitor student progress toward achieving learning objectives, clarify learning objectives and provide helpful criteria for achieving success in writing in a specific genre.
13.FIND INNOVATIVE WAYS TO MOTIVATE STUDENTS TO WANT TO IMPROVE THEIR WRITING SKILLS
Writer's block, procrastination, frustration and boredom are some of the problems students encounter in a writing class. I have always been an above average writer and so I could not come up with a plan subject to modification of how I would deal with a class of unmotivated writers. I read a blog on the first link below and watched a video "Fun Writing Activities for Middle School" on the second link and then tied it all up into a bundle with what I already knew from my educational psychology courses.
INTRINSIC MOTIVATION MAY BE HARDER TO ACQUIRE BUT THE FUTURE REWARDS ARE LONG LASTING AND LIFE CHANGING. THE STUDENT'S WRITING JOURNEY STARTED WITH THE STUDENT AND WILL END WITH THE STUDENT. THE TEACHER'S JOB IS ONLY TO PROVIDE THE MOST APPROPRIATE STIMULI, ENCOURAGEMENT, PROVIDE GUIDANCE AND CONTENT KNOWLEDGE AMONG OTHER THINGS.
EXTRINSIC MOTIVATION IS EASY TO ACQUIRE DUE TO THE PROMISE OF AN IMMEDIATE REWARD. SADLY MOTIVATION QUICKLY FADES AS THE REWARDS BECOME ORDINARY RATHER THAN EXTRAORDINARY.AT WORST, THE STUDENT NO LONGER WANTS TO MAKE THE NECESSARY STRIDES IN ORDER TO WALK THE LONG MILE, ON THE JOURNEY TOWARD BECOMING A BETTER WRITER.
THUS, FOSTERING INTRINSIC MOTIVATION IN STUDENTS TO ENABLE THEM TO DEVELOP ATTAINABLE WRITING GOALS IS THE WAY TO GO!!!!!
It is important for future English teachers like myself to be aware of my English students' interests, hobbies,talents interpersonal skills, language ability etc. This knowledge is best acquired through informal interviews with students' themselves, the students' peers, other teachers and immediate family.The aforesaid interest inventory is a useful instrument to accomplish this. This enables me to make a diagnostic assessment of the student in relation to writing ability and I can then proceed to formulate an individualized plan for the respective students. In planning there is need to make use of differentiated learning strategies for e.g. cooperative learning, group work, discovery-based learning etc.
Noteworthily, students need stimuli for writing as well as the opportunity to develop critical perspectives of the world around them. For this reason, teachers need to periodically take students on field trips that can inspire them to write in various genres. These field trips may include: industrial plants, art and craft exhibitions, historical buildings, parks, walks through small towns and villages, natural attractions and so forth. The biggest hurdle to cross is getting the principal and then the parents to agree to have the students leave the school compound. It is in students' best interest to get the first hand experience rather than a second hand experience relayed through reports or reflections by other students.However, once the benefits exceed the costs and your negotiation skills are in tip-top shape then convincing the principal and parents should not be hard to do.
However, beside physically taking students outside of the classroom for stimuli for writing there is also need to bring students' life outside the classroom in. Unlike the former,the latter is a more feasible approach to teaching writing within an authentic context. Hence, students' writing can be inspired in the following ways:
1.Teen magazines e.g. Yo in the local Voice newspaper
2.Clean song lyrics from various genres
They can be used to inspire students to write about issues that affect them or people in their social circles.
3.Travel magazines of places they have visited or would like to visit
They can inspire students to look toward the future or reflect on the past when they write.
4. News clips from other subject areas like Social Studies, Physics, Geography, Biology
They can appeal to students' future aspirations , allow students to make global comparisons of living experiences in different countries and encourage students to gain a deeper understanding and appreciation for life as we know it.
5. Some students participate in the performing arts such as ballet, modern dance, karate, drama and calypso.
They are stimuli for students to engage in writing plays, skits, newsletter articles and radio programmes about an upcoming production.
6. Some students have a national hero, favourite sports person or musical entertainer.
Posters, newspaper articles, online video clips, photographs, autographs can be used to inspire students' to write an autobiography of the aforesaid personalities. This can also be used for summary writing or writing reflections.
7. Samples of students own' writing which exemplify techniques in various genres of writing accompanied by editing, revising and proofreading checklists can help students become more interested in and willing to work at the writing process. However, in order for this to work the gradual release of responsibility model must be practiced (teacher models the writing activity, students receive guided practice and this is followed by students working independently when they have reached the required threshold)
It must be emphasized that the teachers ' role in fostering intrinsic motivation should carry through at all times in the classroom. This can be exhibited by the following:
Exhibiting enthusiasm when questions start pouring in to foster students' metacognition, as well as clarification of misconceptions and misunderstandings. This can help students' who are off task to get back on again with a renewed determination to succeed at the task at hand.
Furthermore, whether it be through dialogue or comments it is important for the English teacher to make the students feel that he or she values their work. This gives some students an additional boost of confidence that is needed for them to improve or to continue producing good work.
Watch this video for more insight into the teacher's role in intrinsically motivating students to want to write:
Additionally, to help students make giant steps on their writing paths, it is useful for English teachers to facilitate the writer's workshop model in their classrooms. The writer's workshop model fosters collaboration between small groups of writers. These writers may have similar interests, hobbies, talents, language abilities etc. So too, these groups of writers provide guidance to each other and offer each other both positive and negative feedback before, during and after the writing process. This can be a source of intrinsic motivation for students to want to write both inside and outside of the classroom.
Yet another approach to inspire students to write from within is discovery based learning. Discovery based learning in English can help students to solve problems and answer questions in their writing. Also, when students engage in discovery based learning which includes inquiry based learning, they can become more focused toward striving towards achieving their writing goals. Discovery based learning also incorporates the project-based approach to learning and therefore small group projects that can expand the knowledge and experiences of the whole class are generally used. Furthermore, when this approach involves research, the topics and hypotheses can be negotiated by students and teachers. Discovery based learning can include the following: social networking with writers across the world via webcam and chat facilities to ask and respond to questions, gain insight and share critical perspectives; getting students involved in the community for e.g. visiting pre-schools or home for the elderly to read stories at an appropriate cognitive level, interviewing students on the school compound to get data to write a report and the list goes on. This is a hands on approach to learning which focuses on using prior knowledge and experiences to create products of writing. Through this is very student-centered approach to learning, students can become more aware of what they can do well on their own in writing and what they cannot do. The video below provides useful insight into the inquiry-based approach to teaching:
Taking the aforementioned into consideration, the formerly unmotivated student who has become intrinsically motivated to write for aesthetic and efferent purposes can now also write within context. For this writer, writing to achieve self satisfaction and to embrace life experiences outside of the classroom will become increasingly important as growth in the writing process develops over time. This video demonstrates just that:
14. ROTE LEARNING IS NOT WELCOME IN MY CLASSES
It is either you know or do not know. I will never encourage students to cram nor will I overload them with so much content that they feel that they must cram to keep up with instruction. As one of the solutions to the problem the students and I will work on expanding "big ideas" that the whole class has generated during instruction and small or large groups during seat work. For e.g. Preparing a thematic unit for the first two chapters in a literature text where students work on elements of the story by constructing Venn diagrams or T-charts for similarities and differences between characters and Cornell Notes to establish theme and character relationships found in the chapter. The possibilities are many but should be adapted to suit the community of learners.
15. BE A REFLECTIVE PRACTITIONER
I will enter the teaching profession as a qualified, novice teacher. Therefore I need to seek advice from and work with others in the profession both locally and globally to improve on knowledge and skills in teaching of writing.
For e.g I will not discard failed teaching strategies for writing but assess what went wrong which prevented the learning objectives from being achieved, modify the lesson plan and work on successful implementation to that same or another group at a later date.
This can be achieved through one or more of the following methods:
English teacher forums/blogs/wikis
English podcasts
English journals
English textbooks/e-books
Informal interview with practicing English teachers
Attending English teacher conferences
Engage in face-to-face problem solving activities with English teacher colleagues
16. WRITING TO LEARN STRATEGIES MUST MATCH
THE SET LEARNING OUTCOMES FOR THE SPECIFIC
GROUP OF STUDENTS IN MY VARIOUS CLASSES
A learning log
For e.g RAFT (Role, Audience, Format,Topic) and learning logs can achieve both lower order and higher order learning objectives.
Whoa! This is a long list. Thanks to my lecturer for providing me with an opportunity to really think about my execution for teaching practice.This has been a cathartic experience because I have attempted to clarify lots of misunderstandings and misconceptions that I never took the time out to do-admittedly before I did ENG 204 I did not know how to connect my understanding from the other ENG's and EDCL to plan a student-centered English lesson. This list helped me to put teaching goals into perspective by considering what I know now as best practice and my experiences of having been taught English. I can safely say that I will never teach English the way I was taught at secondary school-in a vacuum. It is my business to be aware that students don't enter the English class on a level playing field and I need to build upon their individual life experiences and weave that into the products of writing they produce.
