Monday, June 23, 2008
Mother Tongue!
After the discussion today on Elbow and the Mother Tongue I understand the difference between writing to learn and writing to communicate. However, I still fill apprehensive about when and when not to worry about conventions in the early grade levels. I can imagine one of my students writing on a topic and the paper will be one mass of words not making any sense to them or any one they share it with. I am going to really work hard on my thoughts and practices concerning this topic!
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5 comments:
I have tried to work really hard to separate conventions and content when I assess student writing. I continually need to work on this because I feel the urge to correct the mistakes so I can understand the thought process. The discussion about writing to learn and writing to communicate really helped me focus, but it is still going to be a process for me. Hopefully these next few weeks will help me get over it.
Those are my thoughts as well. I am wondering if parents and others will wonder if I'm doing my job to the best of my ability if I'm not teaching capital, periods, etc.
sometimes, jayne, i just make sure there is no pen or pencil anywhere near me. sit on my hands if i have to.
I can't help but to put these ideas into an art context for my classroom. My students would be so apprehensive about trying to make art if the product had to meet certain criteria and they would be judged on innate artistic ability, ie. finished product. This is counterproductive and exactly the opposite of the way I engage kids in the artistic process. I emphasize process, not product, and my philosophy I try to share with them is that there is no wrong way to make art. This frees them up to try, even the most hesitant student will find enough comfort to begin a project. This is the visual equivalent to writing and what we are discussing in class..
Just getting started is often stressful. By allowing students to write their original draft in their own dialect seems to free up some of the ties that bind our original thoughts.After awhile, words just start to flow. I like the statement that Elbow had made about "It (writing) must be as comfortable as an old shoe." Getting things down on paper, despite dialect, is all a part of the "breaking in" process.
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