Chapters 9,10, 13 Reflection

"The first thing writers need in their environment is time."

This is something that I really want to remember in my writing workshop in future years. I have seen too many times when writing time is left to like 15 minutes after a reading. This was the case in my Kindergarten class last semester. First off the students couldn't really write and then they were only given about 10 minutes to hone their skill. The things that I enjoyed most from chapter 9 was just all the talk of what students need to work during their writing workshop. And the things they need to be successful at writing are not necessarily the "tools" that we are taught like pre-writing etc. Most writers don't even use prewriting things like webs and brainstorms etc... because in general you are thinking of things to write and what to write all the time.

I really like the support that this textbook gives us as upcoming teachers. The way that Ray doesn't expect us to already have tons of experiences, but instead gives us a framework for what we can implement easily when we do have a classroom. For example I liked the way that it broke down what we need to know for the curriculum for our students into 5 different categories: strategies, techniques, questions, relationships, conventions. The category that I was drawn to the most was the relationships category where it explains ways to connect things. I feel like this is a skill that needs to be used a lot in a class because otherwise some students might not see the value in writing. However if you give them relationships between writing and other things then they may be more willing to see the importance.

What is a Writing Workshop?

I feel as though there are many teachers who host "writing workshops" in their classrooms without actually following set procedures or really having a philosophy about what they're doing. Katie Wood Ray is the opposite of that. She has thoroughly thought out her philosophy about teaching and especially writing workshop.

Some of her big ideas that I really liked were that writing workshop isn't a time where students sit silently at their desks and scratch away at a notebook doing prewriting, first draft, second draft, peer edit, final draft. Instead it can be a fun time where they can be creative, brainstorm with friends, be comfortable and most importantly write about what they're interested in in the way that works best for them.

This is the scene that I'm used to associating with writing. Lines of desks with students working diligently, quietly. This is also a scene that most students tend to hate. I think that whenever writing workshop becomes something tedious and boring students begin to not like writing at all and then they head down the road of thinking they are a "bad" writer.

The other big problem that I think teachers may have with writing workshop is that they don't believe they have enough time in the day to make room for a considerable amount of time where students can just work freely on writing. Katie Wood Ray says about this,

" There is no such thing as 'more time.' There is only time (no more or less) and we have to decide how we'll use what time there is."

In the same way teachers have to make room in their schedules for quality math and reading instruction the same needs to be said for writing.

I also really liked the metaphor Ray used to compare writer's workshop to lunchtime. I have 100% seen what she's talking about where students write for a little while, get done and then ask questions about what they should be doing now. It makes so much sense to me to relate to the students that writing time is like lunchtime. At lunch time you don't finish eating and then wonder what to do next. You finish eating and then you talk with your friends, you maybe get some ice cream, you relax. With writing time you should have the same idea. You work on your writing, if you finish early you can read over it again, you could consult with a peer, or you can go back and add some ice cream, in the form of more descriptive or beautiful words, but overall you take the WHOLE time for writing.

I'm very interested to read more of our texts and learn more about writing workshops. I can definitely see myself implementing these ideas in my own classroom some day!

New

New semester, new blog,

This is my final spring semester at UGA???!!! What? How is that true? For one of my classes that teaches about writing I am to create a blog where I can write down my ideas and other things such as that.

So I'll be posting later this week about some of the readings from my textbook...

For now I'll just say welcome to my education blog!