Article Reflection –
If someone were to examine the instructional materials and student work from your classroom, what assumptions would they make about your theory of writing? (Would they be right?)
As a traveling teacher, they wouldn’t find much for posters and such. Although in a perfect world I’d like to have materials based on the process of what could happen in writing. I imagine this would be a space where students could see where they are along the process and what they could be doing next. I was thinking of elementary schools I had growing up and if they worked with “penmanship” or with writing. I think a lot of my experiences were penmanship (maybe this is because my handwriting is quite bad). I would be interested in hearing if that is still the case in the elementary schools.
I think if people looked at my student work they would put me somewhere between process and the perfect product. Often times my students do not have time to go back and write, but their latest drafts still include comments from me.
What surprised and interested you about what Hawkins and Razali found?
- The idea of penmanship as a worthy thing. Although the millennial in me might just be so use to text when something needs to “look nice.”
- The focus on driving students penmanship to be “good” and then to look at individual pieces of the penmanship that needs focus.
- The lack of literary focus.
- Still a heavy focus on modeling from penmanship to process and I wonder if that’s why there’s still such a heavy emphasis on modeling in the teaching realm.
- Each section seems to be ending toward a move toward authentic writing and using that authenticity to teach through.
- Higher level writing skills – How often am I asking my students to do this?
- Specific history is interested that it seemed very pieced
What aspects of (school based) writing are absent from a history of writing that views it as a technical skill, a question for a perfect product, and a process?
Argumentative – Ethos, Pathos, Logos, Poetry, creative writing, creative process, peer review – Participate in the world (real audience)
