(Page 188) “Fact is, we struggle with coverage versus depth every day. We can tell ourselves we must get to it all for the standardized test, but if the kids don’t learn from a quick buzz-through, they still won’t do well on the test.”
I think the breadth over depth issue is one of the biggest problems we have to tackle. It always seems like more and more is added to what we’re expected to teach, and we don’t have time to get it all in. But are the kids really learning anything just because we can say we went over it? I once heard a presenter say, “Oftentimes when we cover the standards, we cover the standards.” He meant that we end up smothering what it is that we’re supposed to be doing—TEACHING the kids! I think the writing workshop concept can sound a bit intimidating to do in class, but Daniels et al did a pretty good job of breaking it down, so that it can be very doable. It definitely provides an atmosphere where students are supported in their writing and have the opportunity to get some feedback. If mastery is our goal, as we talked about when we read Wormelli, then doesn’t it seem obvious that something is going to have to give? I don’t think we’ll ever have enough time to effectively teach every single standard in our given subjects, but what we can do is teach effectively so that students can benefit from our instruction even after they leave our classrooms.
I think the breadth over depth issue is one of the biggest problems we have to tackle. It always seems like more and more is added to what we’re expected to teach, and we don’t have time to get it all in. But are the kids really learning anything just because we can say we went over it? I once heard a presenter say, “Oftentimes when we cover the standards, we cover the standards.” He meant that we end up smothering what it is that we’re supposed to be doing—TEACHING the kids! I think the writing workshop concept can sound a bit intimidating to do in class, but Daniels et al did a pretty good job of breaking it down, so that it can be very doable. It definitely provides an atmosphere where students are supported in their writing and have the opportunity to get some feedback. If mastery is our goal, as we talked about when we read Wormelli, then doesn’t it seem obvious that something is going to have to give? I don’t think we’ll ever have enough time to effectively teach every single standard in our given subjects, but what we can do is teach effectively so that students can benefit from our instruction even after they leave our classrooms.
I know you all are broken up that this is your final blog post for SCRI. I have thoroughly enjoyed working with y’all, and I hope you have enjoyed the study group just as much. As you reflect on the last year (or two or three), what do you think has been most beneficial to you in regards to being a part of our study group?
I came up with an idea this evening, and thought I’d throw it out there to y’all to see what you think. I promise my feelings won’t be hurt if you don’t like it or aren’t interested. Since I’m sure some of you will go through withdrawals not having to write a blog anymore (I’m sure they’ll be as bad as the ones for not having to complete SCRI surveys), is anyone interested in reading a professional book next year and just blogging about it? I was thinking perhaps we could do Gallagher’s new book or maybe one of the ones we looked at during the book pass. Obviously, school money is going to be tight, so everyone would have to purchase their own books, but I’d be happy to order them all and get a new blog going if you’re game. Granted I won’t be at Airport, but I would be happy to do it as a community service project. Let me know what you think.
14 comments:
The part of this chapter that struck a chord with me was on page 190 when the authors discussed the fact that the classroom teacher and library staff compiled the list of databases and websites, as well as the book truck of media center books and encyclopedias together. That is another way to describe the initial stages of collaboration! The classroom teacher and media specialist work together to enable the student to succeed (in this case write a research paper) to the best of his/her ability.
You all know I have been collaborating with classroom teachers and we are working diligently to increase the caliber of our nonfiction collection. I wanted to share a snapshot of a collaboration that has been occurring this spring. An English teacher has been bringing her students to the media center to conduct print and online research in-between reading chapters in Animal Farm. The students are CP students. I spoke with the teacher yesterday and asked what her impressions of the collaboration have been to date. She mentioned the students have read Monster and Speak so far this year, and that those novels were more easily taught without media center collaboration since they are contemporary fiction. She also mentioned she thought her students were able to read a more challenging novel, Animal Farm, more easily as a result to breaking up the chapters and having the students research speeches from history, symbols, leaders, etc. in the media center. This collaboration has been a great experience for me as well.
SCRI has been a rich and rewarding experience! The best part has been getting to know everyone in class, as well as the fabulous information Diane has shared. I am a two year veteran. The word jigsaw (as well as many more strategies and terms) will forever have a literacy meaning for me!
I must admit the most comforting part of this chapter, for me, was the closing when Daniels, Zemelman, and Steineke wrote: “But if you tend toward the risk averse, like many normal human beings, then don’t try to implement every element of workshop at once…It’s OK to build your workshop gradually and get the machine revved one part at a time.”
I definitely want to implement writing workshop in my classroom, but I know it’s something that will take work for me to feel comfortable enough diving into. However, I can take baby steps (just like Bob) and gradually work my classroom into a writing workshop atmosphere.
I agree wholeheartedly with the comment on the power of conferencing: “Conferencing is an art worth developing because it addresses students’ specific, individual needs, instead of neglecting them for whole-class instruction or consuming whole-class time on the problems of just a few kids. And conferencing is teaching that kids remember because of the individual attention in provides.” My students are working on an essay now. Last week I spent a good bit of class time conferencing with students about their writing and any questions they had. I actually found myself not addressing every mistake in the essay (yippie!), and I worked with them on the key problems they were encountering. I found that my students were extremely receptive to the few minutes I spent with them, and there’s no doubt that many of them learned more in that minute or two than in a twenty minute lecture I could give on my own.
Now on a more bitter note. I am sad this is over…really! I am grateful that I joined SCRI two years ago. I have learned from all of our readings and classes. The strategies we’ve learned in this class have been great to use in my classroom. They’re fun for the kids, and they really are learning through them. But I’ll have to say that the best thing about class is the support I’ve received over the past two years. I’ll miss each and every one of you. And, Diane, please don’t think I won’t e-mail you ALL of the time with my questions. You’ll remain my literacy coach…like it or not! I would love to participate in a book club/blog. I need to constantly learn and push myself to branch out as a teacher. I don’t want to get stuck in any ruts!
Content Area Writing: Chapter 8 and Final Thoughts
Deb Hightower said…….
In reading this chapter, I felt excited and somewhat overwhelmed. I would love to implement a writing workshop in my classroom. Ruth Anne, I felt like you while reading this and trying to take it all in. I agree with you that I too would have to take baby steps to build up to feeling comfortable enough to dive into the 9 foot swimming pool. I would have to go into the baby pool first, and build up gradually before plunging into the deep water. The authors though did not leave me drowning, they provided me swimming lessons where I could and would want to have a successful writing work shop environment. A big and main question that I needed answered the most, and where my biggest concern was in making sure I provided a conducive and successful workshop was found on page 198. How do I make sure students stay on task and get their work done while I’m conducting conferences? Will I lose control of what is happening with my other students in the class? This section was extremely important to me, because my students can become distracted and off task quickly. I agree that Teacher-Student conferences are a powerful way to support my students. Being a Special Education teacher with students having different abilities requiring individual help these conferences can be very important and beneficial for them. On page 201, in making sure that I keep the conferences short and reasonable, I would definitely have to take the author approach and use the egg timer to keep me on track.
Yes, Diane include me in next year, because taking these 2 classes the past 2 years has helped me tremendously, and has been invaluable. I have gained confidence and have pushed myself in a higher level. I would definitely be apart of the group because these classes has provided for me to go beyond the box and out of my comfort zone to become a much better teacher. It was always exciting after our Monday night class to be able to plan and implement lessons for my students. I have seen some of my students improve so much because of taking these opportunities back to my classroom. Last, but not least working with my colleagues was extremely important to me in helping to build relationships and getting to meet and learned from some talented teachers. Diane, I too will be bugging you and I will miss not having you in the building next year. Thank you for the great resources that I was able to get from you and for coming to my classes and working with my students. You will truly be missed, but I’m hoping I can get you to visit my class and maybe do a lesson with them whenever you feel that you need to have some stress sometime. (Smile)!
Of course I will not have the opportunity to try a writing workshop. And, no thanks, I would not like to borrow a class either. My plate is quite full and missing time only makes it worse. However, I can say that individual conferencing is a powerful tool. I do individual conferencing with students everyday. Through these conferences I learn a lot about students that I never would have if I hadn't taken the time to talk with them. It is amazing the affect it has on them taking the time to get to know them and showing them you care. I know it will be a lot of work but definitely something worth trying. The idea about making sticky notes and sticking it by the student's name as you did the conference is a good idea. However, I have to admit I would definitely have trouble going back and making better notes from the stickies. I would probably end up with all stickies.
Diane I have enjoyed the past two years. I have learned a lot. I think it is important as an administrator to keep up with the times and be able to offer strategies to your teachers when they need it. It has also been nice getting to know everyone better. I know it is hard at times being comfortable around an administrator. :) You can count me in for the book blog! :)
While writing workshops are a tall task, I think they are a great idea. Writing goals for each of the students are already part of special education. Of course, there are times where I will plan goals for students that I place on their IEP’s and forget to actually speak with the students about those goals. Having a writing workshop with goal sheets will be a great reminder for me and a way for my students to take on responsibility in their own writing. Often times my students know their writing is not perfect, but they lack the confidence to change what’s wrong on their own. If I teach those skills and make it a continual practice or a goal, eventually, I can get to that part they discuss in this chapter where rather than spending time in conference hunting for errors, I can be responding to requests for help.
Diane, the past two years have helped me tremendously. This class has been a wonderful confidence boost and aide for me as well as a great way to get to know staff seeing as I don’t often get out of my room during the day. I’d love to be a part of the book club next year too & I think it’s safe to say most of us will still be bugging you regardless of where you are next year. :O)
"We can tell ourseles we must get to it all for the standardized test, but if the kis don't learn from a quick buzz-through, they won't do well on the test anway." This statement has been my sort of mantra for the year. We adopted a new textbook for this year so that meant a new curriculum. I still had to "get through" all of the standards. I really love our new book, because it teaches science as inquiry--the way science should be taught in a perfect world. The problem was that I was trying to do all of the activities/labs and lost track of time. Now I am trying to decide what tocut since the EOCT is right around the corner. I have come to the conclusion that there is no possible way I can teach everything in the standards, but I do feel pretty confident about the material that I have convered this year.
With that said, I really have enjoyed SCRI. This was definitely a different (but good) experience for me professionally. I had never taken any type of literacy class before. Now I have a greater appreciation of what our English teachers do everyday, and I am able to support what they do in my classroom. Personally, I have really enjoyed getting to know everyone in study group. Sometimes, I feel trapped by the circle and can't find my way out.
I was first introduced to Writing Workshop when I participated in Midlands Writing Project ten years ago. I am a firm believer in workshop. Unfortunately, I don’t always practice what I preach. I have had a few good experiences with it when writing memoirs, because of the choice aspect involved in choosing the memory you want to write about. The one thing that I do consistently that is highlighted in writing workshop is conferencing with my students individually on their writing. There is no doubt that a short conference with an individual student is much more effective than a whole class lecture about editing. I have also used the concept of mini-lessons within my memoir unit. I always try to teach a mini-lesson on effective leads and incorporating figurative language.
Karen, I like your idea of using the writing goals and objectives from individual students’ IEPs to guide me as I conference. On the flip side, those conference notes would also help guide us when we write the next annual IEP as we look at what we want to include as the new goals and objectives.
Diane, I have thoroughly enjoyed my three years of participation with SCRI. I have learned so many new ideas to implement, and I have enjoyed trying many new things in my classes. The six-word memoir has been utilized a number of times, and I have developed a number of anticipation guides for novels. I also like the Journal to the Third Power. As I have developed my multi-genre project, I have used these different ideas in it.
Yes, I would love to read a professional book next year. Kelly Gallagher’s book would be a great choice. The geek that I am will probably buy it this summer and get started, but I can always reread in the fall.
Content-Area Writing
I am so angry for not thinking of creating a writing workshop in my classroom! While I was reading this chapter, I kept thinking, man, what a great idea! And then I even decided that had I had it, I would have it on Wednesdays and call it ‘Writing Workshop Wednesday”...I guess this gives me something new to implement next year and time to think about how I’d like to run the workshop. So, incase there is any confusion, I am all for the writing workshop.
Sometimes I take for granted that because I teach seniors they should automatically know how to write a well-developed paper. And while some do, there are still many who struggle. I have my students do a lot of writing everyday; but through the chaos of everyday life, I at times don’t give their writing the entire undivided attention it deserves. And I am also guilty of rushing over a grammar mini-lesson to ensure I cover all that needs attention that particular day, but it’s like the book says, “classroom workshop does take time, and it must be viewed as a trade-off...you may have to make room by letting go of something else.”
On a more final note, I thoroughly enjoyed my experience in SCRI this year and will not only miss the class and constantly learning some new way of presenting material, but I will also miss everyone in general...for those of you who don’t know, I have been assigned to another school next year and it breaks my heart to not be here at Airport anymore.
Y'all feel free--and please do--"bug" me next year! I definitely don't want to get out the education loop and not know what's going on! If YouTube works today, you'll see a video on why it's so important to keep up with the times.
Sarah--I know you'll be missed next year. Even though you won't be at Airport, you are welcome to join our blog to keep up with some professional reading and what's going on with everyone!
Sarah, I love how you mentioned Writing Workshop Wednesdays. I can't tell you how many times I've sat in class and thought, man, I could have used that... But, like you say, we have next year to try something new.
When we were reading the Gallagher chapter for last week and then again, as we were reading about writing workshops, it became very apparent to me how important it is that I make a way to have individual conferences with my students. In learning a foreign language, there are SO many things to keep in mind. Not only do you have to think whether or not you have the right word, but you're still getting used to conjugating verbs. Add to that gender of nouns and case and most high school students feel as hopeless as a man clinging to a plank at sea. The approach I'd been using up until now has been to make notes in the margins about the kind of mistakes in that particular line. So, if a student sees "S/V," s/he knows to look at the subjects and verbs and make sure they agree. However, I think I need to find a way to incorporate writing workshops at the very latest in German 2, where we focus on one or two main issues until they're better. And then move on to the next. (In German 1, all the mistakes are basically the same. Subject Verb agreement and Gender of nouns are just so difficult!)
I also really liked Niki Antonakos' approach to student conferences on p. 194. "In these conferences, she does not instruct students on what to fix or how - that's their job. Instead she asks lots of questions: etc" I tried a similar approach with a student this morning and I was amazed at how perceptive he was. Rather than me saying, "ok, we have a word issue here. What needs to be changed?" I asked him what he thought was wrong with the sentence. And he picked up on it right away. All in all, I think I tend to sell students short.
I know I'm just parrotting what others have said before me, but I have thoroughly enjoyed taking part in these classes over the past two years. The strategies have all been helpful and I've attempted things I wouldn't have dared on my own. But I also really appreciate the opportunity to get to know and learn from each of you. I loved that our group had such a mix of experience and expertise. To be able to come and say, "have any of you had a situation like...," was so very helpful to me. And to hear how each of you manage your classrooms or teach different skills... Let's just say, my classroom is a very different place than it was two years ago.
To that end, I would love to take part in a book club/blog thing. That was one of the biggest surprises for me - how much I enjoy book clubs. (I used to laugh at people in book clubs. Ha, joke's on me.)
Content Area Writing
Chapter 8
Blog #13
Like Ruth Anne, I felt some comfort with the last paragraph of the chapter stating that it is ok to begin with baby steps. The writing workshop is exciting but terrifying at the same time. Most of us are stressed enough to “cover” our standards (a word that I have stopped using but seemed appropriate here) without adding something that we may not feel entirely comfortable doing. Like Diane stated, this is very doable. I was also terrified at the thought of book clubs but now I am quite comfortable with having book clubs in my classes and have tried to pull in books that go along with the standards.
I think my favorite part of the idea of the writing workshop is conferencing with students. “Conferencing is an art worth developing because it addresses students’ specific, individual needs, instead of neglecting them for whole class instruction…” page 199.
One of the tenets of the freshmen program is the opportunity to build relationships with students. I think that conferencing with students and having time to teach something vital to that individual student is so valuable. I am glad that the authors also addressed the problem of what other students should be doing…this was something that I thought of as a possible problem for me.
For me, the SCRI classes have been some of the best professional development that I have ever been in. I have become a literacy and writing teacher of social studies! I love the opportunity to promote literacy in my class. The strategies that I have in my arsenal are invaluable! I have come to appreciate the tough job of our English teachers and welcome the chance to help in my small way. I feel that I have grown as a reader and writer. I have even come to love young adult fiction (Twilight, anyone!). The relationships that have developed over the last 3 years are equally wonderful. I feel that I have a whole legion of collaborators on my side. Diane, I would love the chance to read Gallagher’s new book! Sign me up!
Content Area Writing Chapter Eight
I’m so glad I read Diane’s posting before I began writing this post because now I don’t have to be sad at the thought that this is my last blog ever. Diane, I would definitely be interested in reading Gallagher’s new book and blogging about it. There are many reasons why I am sad to see SCRI come to an end; losing the professional dialogue is one of them. A book club with blogging would be a great way to keep the dialogue going. Who knows? Maybe we could all meet for dinner a few times throughout the year for “professional dialogue” as well.
As for chapter eight in CAW, since it looks like I will most likely be teaching English next year, I read this chapter with renewed interest (not that if I were still teaching Strategies for Success the topic of writing workshop wouldn’t matter). I know that the best time to address issues in student writing is as they write, not after they write and turn in the final draft. I hope to be able to use writing workshop effectively in my classroom next year, wherever that classroom may be!
As for my final reflections on SCRI, I am proud to say I am a three-year participant who has enjoyed this experience more than any other during my 11 years of teaching. Meeting on a regular basis with people who desire to improve their craft has been invaluable. As Christy put it, my arsenal is full! Knowing that, regardless of what team I teach on or what subject I teach, there are colleagues I can rely on for ideas and feedback makes me realize how much teachers who isolate themselves from their coworkers are missing out on. Diane, you have done an excellent job of showing us strategies for reading and writing to use across subject areas. We are all much better equipped to facilitate the learning of our students because of what we’ve learned from you in class. You will be greatly missed!!
I love how this chapter breaks down Writing Workshops. I think that there are definitely some techniques that I can take away from this chapter and use when I try to implement Writing Workshops. Two things that I especially liked was the “worksheets” that broke down the compiling of the research, and I liked that the there were also things that you could have the students work on should they finish work while either waiting for a writing conference or just finished the day’s work in general.
I have REALLY enjoyed the SCRI class the last two years. The professional readings have really helped me to grow into my first two years of teaching. I have implemented many of the activities introduced in class. I absolutely would love to participate in a professional reading blog next year. Diane, I wish you all the best. We will surely be at a loss next year without you!
I too agree that this chapter was a bit overwhelming! I think writing workshop is something that would be awesome to implement in the classroom but it really would be something that took a great deal of time and was something that really would have to be done in baby steps. It may take more time and patience to actually implement than desired, but the outcome would be great. In regards to Karens statement of using the writing goals and objectives from IEP’s to guide conferences. Well, that is exactly what should be done with them! IEP’s are the blueprint that should guide all we do with SPED kids and using it when you conference is an awesome idea. Not only would it keep us aware of what they are supposed to e doing but would also help students to understand what an IEP really is and how they can meet the goals on it.
Well, I am glad that class is over.. not because of the class itself but because of all that has gone on with me over the past semester. I honestly don’t feel like I could possibly do another thing this semester until my life calms down a bit and becomes a little more routine. I hate that sometimes it took a back burner and I didn’t get everything finished and posted by class, but coming to class was always a learning experience and I value what I have learned a great deal. Although I am not currently in the classroom, I have learned a great deal that I will be able to use in different ways and will keep me current on the best strategies in case I do ever go back into the classroom. Thank you for all your hard work and all your help over the past 3 years!
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