You all blew me away with the quality work you did on your 9/11 Memorials in just a short amount of time. It was easy for me to do this engagement with adults. The real test for me came today as I went into Ms. Zion's US History and Global Studies classes. I am happy to report that...IT WORKED! The kids became engrossed with information in the magazines, books, and newspapers. Go by her room and take a look at their memorials. The kids did a beautiful job. I hope you don't mind that I used your posters as models.
Take some more time to think about Cambourne's Conditions for Learning and tell me what you are thinking about in terms of ways you are setting up those conditions for your students (for administrators for your teachers).
After reading "Running with the Literacy Stampede," how are you feeling about the amount of writing we ask our students to do? What about the "writing wrongs"? Do they apply to our district/school? Did reading chapter one cause you to think differently?
Is there anything else you'd like to address concerning our reading or discussions in class?
My apologies for the USC registration date change. Thank you all for getting that taken care of two days early. We are all registered, and USC will let us know if there are any problems.
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17 comments:
As I read "Running with the Literacy Stampede," I was very shocked by some of the statistics. UCLA turned down over 7,000 students who had a 4.0 of higher? And a weekday edition of NY Times has more information than a 17th c. Brit would learn in a lifetime? Now the blogosphere doubling every six months I can understand... : )
But this really is information that we should be sharing with our students. I really believe that some of these statistics could shed some light on literacy education for them. I know that I have used the Grammar Income Test, a gramamr test which jokingly proposes that the number of correct responses corresponds directly to a specific salary range, with my students before and found that their attention was at the least very peaked. Gallagher is right; they do not care about the grade in my class (well, at least most of them do not care), but they do care about making lots of money in the future.
I also found some particular areas that I know I need to start looking at more closely in my own classroom. However, I am not sure how. I know that I need to teach my students to write a clear thesis statement and better introductions (once we master the complete sentence), but I feel at a loss as to how to teach such concepts in a way that will actually be relevant to the students and remain locked in their brains for a period of time exceeding the length of my class. I know they have learned these concepts before; why are they not sticking, and what can I do to help? AKA I am completely guilty of the no. 2 writing wrong; although, I have been working at it. One thing I certainly have not considered which I am glad that the chapter pointed out is timed writing instruction. I have been so focused on process over product that I have neglected the fact that standardized tests are looking for a timed response.
And last I want to share that my students are currently working on writing children's books about animal origin myths. They have been doing various forms of editing, and I have been greatly surprised as to how much the students can help one another when it comes to content. Gallagher's findings mimic mine in that they are not the best for noting grammatic errors, but they certainly are very helpful with content issues.
Okay, and I lied. But one last piece of information that really stuck out for me was the statement that Gallagher makes to her students before an essay: "You will struggle when you write the next essay...but that struggle will pale in comparison to the struggle you face if you leave this school unable to read and write well. That will be a lifelong struggle." I couldn't have said it better, and I think my next step will be saying it.
"Like Maria, I was impressed by the statistics and the reasons that writing is important. I think the facts that will "grab" my students are the percentages of employers that use writing for both hiring and promoting employees. The Top Ten Writing Wrongs provided food for thought. I do intend to purchase the books in Appendix 1 over a period of time so that I can learn more from Graves (et alia).
Nancy and Maria,
I will try to get stats for SC for us to look at during study group time next week.
Paula
Chapter 1 Running With the Literacy Stampede
Just last week Mr. Blashka brought me a survey from the National Center for Education Statistics which asked if our school has “formal literacy standards?” I quickly answered “yes” until I read the next question which asked, “who teaches this school’s information literacy curriculum?” I stopped dead in my tracks because I didn’t think there should have been a choice of answers. To me it is obvious that the curriculum is taught by both the library professional AND classroom teachers. I never gave it a second thought that information literacy could be taught any other way. By the way the answer choices were library professional staff only, classroom teachers only, or both. Our students will not survive the literacy stampede without teachers and media professionals collaborating.
How could you have only the teacher teaching the curriculum or only the media specialist teaching the curriculum? Independent reading, reading aloud in class, writing essays, creating poems, making up story lines, writing and analyzing text or word problems, conducting research on computers, practicing language skills in the lab, all of these are information literacy tasks, aren’t they? These thing are taught across the curriculum, I AM SURE! My answer will remain “yes, this school has formal literacy standards, and yes, the standards are taught by both the teachers and the media professional staff.”
The answer to the scenario in Chapter 1 of our text says to survive the literacy stampede elevate our reading and writing abilities. The top ten writing wrongs in secondary schools hit the nail on the head. If we right those wrongs, I believe that our students will survive the literacy stampede. The statistics were truly depressing. I am going to make a bulletin board the reading and writing reasons very soon so that they can be shared with the student body. Hey class, we might even be able to make the writing reasons on pages 16-18 into a contest! Let’s talk about it!
In AP U.S. I think I teach writing as much as I do American history, however in my government/economics CP class, I struggle getting the students to write. It takes so much time and energy working through the writing that the content falls behind. It is a precarious balance trying to justify spending days--yes days--on writing when the standards do not address NOR measure writing. Sure there are process standards, etc, but we know that the end of course assessment is multiple choice. Why spend a lot of time on a skill that the state won't test? I work a lot with writing in AP because the assessment will be 50% writing. Now that we are a standard-driven, aka test-driven, education system, why should any content area teacher teach writing if the assessment will not be essay? This is a scary question because we all know we NEED to teach writing, but because the student's writing skills are so poor, we don't have the time. I know that writing will help the students work through the content, but it takes a great deal of time, work, and committment on the part of me and my students to commit to "meaningful" writing.
I liked the information provided in "Running with the Literacy Stampede." Our global society certainly is running at a stampede pace with all of the new information that is available online everyday. Good writing skills are becoming requirements for good jobs. After reading this chapter, I reflected on the efforts that I make to encourage writing in French class. Students seem to do better in reading after they have practiced the language using their writing skills. This chapter mentioned ineffective grammar instruction as a writing wrong. This issue is a source of debate in the World Language methods classes. Some methods call for "grammar free" instruction and others call for highly structured grammar lessons. In teaching writing, I give grammar instruction because I believe it is beneficial to students. Obstacles that students face, when trying to write in the target language, are that they want to translate the statement exactly as it appears in their native language. Instead, they must use the language that they already know. Trying to build their confidence in their own writing is another important point that the author makes.
Much of this chapter rings true for me in my classes. A little over a week ago, we finished our first major writing assignment—taken through three drafts. And here’s what I found, echoing Gallagher’s findings: students who initially received good grades did not see the need to revise; students did not understand why we worked intensely on each section of the assignment and across three drafts; many students did not complete the revisions as directed; and students failed to apply their notes and our class practice to their writing. I was especially surprised with my college prep class because they openly complained and rebelled the loudest. So, at the least, this chapter serves as encouragement in my teaching efforts and proof that these kinds of student responses are not new news anywhere in the U.S.
Regarding peer response and teacher work load, I found that students responded to their peers’ papers with comments similar to those I would have made. I like Gallagher’s term “learned helplessness” for students who rely solely on the teacher for writing help (12). Not only for the sake of our sanity but for the sake of their independence and development should we teach students to meaningfully respond to the writing of others. How else will they learn to self-monitor and possess control of their own writing (and learning)?
Gallagher makes a strong point in differentiating assigning writing from teaching writing. I find that students need opportunities to write but also need instruction in responding to prompts and questions. I’m amazed that students can answer a three question prompt in two sentences, or that they respond to one part of a prompt and ignore the second half, or that I ask for a summary and they write what they like about the story. That’s not acceptable and is a sure-fire way to NOT succeed; and students should understand this. I find the need for writing instruction in even the smallest of writing directives, not just major essays or state-mandated timed writings.
As I read “Running with the Literacy Stampede,” I recalled an article in Time that came out in 2006 called “Dropout Nation.” According to statistics offered in this article, the national high-school dropout rate is roughly 30 percent. If that percentage is accurate, then one in every three students who start high school this year will dropout before graduation. I thought of this because if the work world is becoming increasingly competitive for those with high-school diplomas and even college degrees, then those who dropout stand almost no chance. Gallagher refers to these dropout rates in his opening chapter, and I believe such numbers indicate that teachers are engaging students in work they feel is inauthentic and therefore irrelevant. Also, teachers are failing to communicate to students the “intrinsic value” not only of writing but also of learning in general.
As a writing teacher, I feel I do a fair job of addressing most of Gallagher’s six pillars: I encourage them to keep a writer’s notebook; I give them class time to write in it at least four times a week, if not every day; I give them an opportunity to share and discuss their work; I give them time to read what interests them; and I try to give them as much choice as I can when it comes to their writing assignments, though doing so is easier in elective courses such as Advanced Writing and Creative Writing than in core English classes. The one pillar I consistently struggle with is delivering timely and meaningful feedback. Part of this problem stems from my tendency to want to write too much on their papers, yet I feel the need to do so because many of my most effective writing teachers wrote extensive comments on my papers. Whether those comments were positive or negative, their length proved to me that my instructors and professors had read my work closely and had seriously considered my ideas. I want to create that same experience for my students. Unfortunately, I have far less time to comment on papers than did my college instructors, who taught only three hours a day on average. I hope that reading Gallagher’s advice will help me provide more timely and focused feedback without feeling as if I am selling short my students.
Also, I struggle with motivating my students, particularly the ones who have difficulty with writing and reading. It seems as if they enjoy class only when you have a fun activity—some sort of game—but making such activities relevant to every topic of study is impossible. I want my students to want to be in my class and to want to learn. Unfortunately I find myself dreading the classes that contain mostly struggling students because I feel as if I am exerting far more energy than they are. It’s like spending all day trying to move a boulder only to find at sundown that you’ve shoved it forward only an inch or two. Perhaps one problem is that we have too many classes composed of mostly struggling students. It’s one thing for a teacher to raise standards, but if all the students in the class purposefully play dumb to avoid work, then you’re high standards are meaningless. Students need to see a number of classmates working to reach new heights in order for them to even begin to feel motivated to do likewise.
Finally, I am somewhat sympathetic to teachers in other content areas. It seems to have become the fashion for the ELA crowd to expect all teachers to share their load, yet when do math teachers have a chance to pass some of their work along to English teachers? I understand the reasoning behind this trend; I understand that standardized exams contain a growing number of reading selections that fall outside the traditional realm of ELA. But I can see this trend in education toward cross-curricular teaching of writing and reading causing discontent among teachers in other content areas, especially teachers who lack the confidence in their own writing necessary to teach the craft effectively. In our district, we seem to be avoiding much of the problem by having literacy coaches who can assist all teachers. Yet do all districts have such people? And what will happen when the grant money runs out?
"Running W/...Stampede"
Stats--not the language I speak (especially when printed so little!)...So I glossed over that and got to the writing rights and wrongs and writing reasons.
A lot of what is in the chapter is familiar from other professional books--keep writing, teach--not just assign, timed writings should be included also...
I think I can get on board with all of this--it's just trying to fit it all in during a semester course!
I am working on the 'students do more, teachers do less' bit, but it's a hard balance, I think, when trying to teach (show) errors and good points and not grade everything and trying to get lots of writing in, but also balance it with revisions and skills... so much, so much, so much!
Is wrong writing teaching better than no writing?
Like many of you, I was also amazed by the statistics brought forth in “Running with the Literacy Stampede”. It is unbelievable the amount of useless information that I can seem to remember, but I have the hardest time remembering really vital information sometimes. I think the same is true for adolescents as well. They can remember cell phone numbers for 30 friends but can’t remember to do their homework or show up for detention. This goes back to the author’s comment about “work” being a dirty four letter words to students now days. I’m not sure how, but someway we have to instill a better work ethic in the majority of our students.
This is directly addressed in the “Top Ten Writing Wrongs in Secondary Schools”. The students who tend to have the worst work ethic are the lowest achieving students. As pointed our in #3 of the top ten list, below-grade-level writers are asked to write less than others instead of more. It’s almost like we know they either won’t do the assignment or won’t try so why bother. But these are exactly the students who need to be pushed and given higher expectations. They usually aren’t held accountable at home so they figure no one will hold them accountable at school. This just leads to a circle of failure that follows them into adulthood. If we can hold them to a higher standard then maybe a few will rise up to it. The second point in the top ten list that supports my statement of low work ethic is #9 teachers are doing too much of the work and students are not doing enough of the work. I know this is true not only for the classroom teacher but for myself as well. I will spend 15 minutes talking with a student over some problem they are having in a class and hand them their referral copy thinking maybe I made some progress only to see the student walk out my door, crumple up the referral, and throw it in the trash. I definitely feel that most educators are giving everything they have to their students, while students feel entitled to grades and don’t have to work for them. A lot of this can be directly traced to the parents who no longer are disciplinarians at home but their child’s best friend who blindly supports them no matter the situation. This is one area where society needs to revert to the past, where students were children and treated as such, while the teachers were the adults in the classroom who were supported by the parents. Here ends my ranting, GregB
It becomes very evident early in the reading of Chapter 1 of Teaching Adolescent Writers that the author, Kelly Gallagher, is well qualified to speak on the subject given her experiences and her in-depth statistical findings. The Bull/ Information Stampede analogy was well received. It is very easy in the world in general, but in education, specifically to become overwhelmed by the information/data/ strategies/methodologies coming at you from every direction.
The Top 10 Wrongs set up the meat of this chapter in teaching writing. Of the ten, I particularly agreed with more timed writing experiences were needed and that teacher assessment strategies needed be reviewed. The Six Pillars of Writing Success continued to address the ‘wrongs’. These pillars should be imbedded into any departmental and/or school writing strategies. As I review these six pillars and think about BCHS, I can see great parallels, but also room for improvement in each area.
The thought that stuck with me at the end of the chapter was the author’s point that teaching students how to write is certainly an important goal, but when you can teach them why to write you have a chance to teach that student a true lifelong skill.
Wow, what an eye-opening chapter. The statistics are startling and real. As I read the text, I thought about how it actually affected my students and me. I am going to focus on number 9…Teachers are doing too much of the work. Students are not doing enough work.
I really do agree with this. I am the “worlds-worst” at returning papers; however, I think that if I felt they truly would use what was returned it would make the activity a lot more worthwhile. As we mentioned the first day, many students are in it for the grade. They will quickly look at the grade, but completely disregard the suggestions.
The student who wore the t-shirt… “They say hard work never killed anybody…but why take a chance?” rings so true for so many of our students. They want to do just enough to get what they want/need. If they would realize the value of hard-work; I think they would be far better off.
I also feel as though number 10 holds a lot of truth. Many teachers, including myself, are not equipped with when, how, and what to assess when it comes to writing. Going along with this, we often struggle with little knowledge of state writing standards (though Paula and this class as certainly helped me).
With all this said, I can honestly say that I am incorporating more reading and writing into my classes, but there is still a lot of room for more.
I'm definitely looking forward to our discussion Monday and following about teaching writing. The Writing Reasons that the author outlines will be useful as I encourage my English Language Learners (ELL's). Many of them never wrote much in their native language, so writing, as Donald Davis says, becomes a second language. This blog will probably ramble, but I've decided that one thing that makes writing so hard for all of us is that writing itself is a commitment – it's out there for all the world to see, and I have to know that I've probably made a mistake somewhere and that makes me very uncomfortable. If writing this blog makes me, an English teacher, uncomfortable, think about what writing does to our students! (I've already revised these few sentences several times!)
I must admit that I'm guilty of assigning more writing than teaching it, but what I'm often striving for is simply a well-constructed sentence! This is what makes me believe absolutely in the power of reading to provide sentence constructions that students actually acquire and can use themselves. I often feel that I'm putting words in a student's mouth (or on paper!) because it takes so long for ELL's to acquire the vocabulary they need to write clearly about anything.
At least one thing Gallagher said that doesn't apply to our ESOL classroom at B-C is a lack of a classroom library. I've spent a lot of time and effort to be sure that all levels of our students have access to books they can read. We have books on tape, graphic novels, Current Events magazines, and many fiction and non-fiction trade books. A new shipment (thanks to our BC Foundation grant) just came in last week, and more are on the way. A new interactive software package which includes some wonderful writing components was just introduced to the ESOL teachers last week. I'm very excited about having some extra “outside” help with these students' writing!
Since writing is hard, we can hardly expect teaching writing to be a walk in the park. There is no silver bullet, but we can and will keep working on it!
Nancy R
After reading Gallagher’s “Top Ten Writing Wrongs in Secondary Schools,” I kept in mind the attempts I’ve made to provide guided writing practice for my students. Last week, my students wrote a “Letter to the Editor.” After I read their letters, I felt a little overwhelmed. The content was there, I could decipher what they were saying—which made me excited and hopeful! Their points ranged from first amendment rights to their awareness and distress over the war in Iraq. However, a lot of basic grammar mistakes existed throughout their letters. Sometimes I feel that I am responsible for teaching my students 10 years worth of missed English classes. One of the best ways I’ve found to wade through is with writing conferences. I make a two-seat center in the back of the room. Each student comes to me when he/she is ready and we discuss what he/she needs to focus on. Some need to focus on contractions, others punctuation, and still others sentence structure. Highlight a problem, discuss a solution…and keep moving!
BC DIVA'S post
Sunday, September 23, 2007
It almost makes me scared to write for fear of failure,especially with all you English Teachers reading. I am over that so here I go!!!
I really am not shocked by the statistics, but terrified of the outcome. When you ask students to get out a sheet of paper and something to write with....You hear the groans and agony,even the students who write well, will ask the question,"How long does it have to be?"
I think that students fight the write because: 1. It's Work 2. It's Permanent 3. It can be criticized. That is what makes it so personal.
I am writing down my thoughts not copying notes or someone elses work.
I probably highlighted more in these 23 pages than any other assignments ( even last years).
I will be sharing this information with all of my classes but especially my Teacher Cadets. They need to know the challenges that face them . WHOA-I truly believe that slow down or better yet Stop the Stampede. I start out by having my students write a thank-you note to someone.
The art of letter writing is lost. We have to start somewhere,so see I overcame my fear.
Posted by BCDIVA at Sunday, September 23, 2007
SADIE'S Post
Monday, September 24, 2007
I thought the scene set up at the beginning of the chapter was outstanding. It is amazing how many students don't see the importance of reading and writing. I was sadden by the low percentage of students who were scoring at proficient but I am not surprised. In my reading/writing workshop I am have a group of students who are fighting me tooth and nail when it comes to their writing. When I ask them to tell me what a modifier is they can't. Shockingly they can tell me the score of last nights football game or who was kicked off the latest reality TV show. Sometimes the importance of education isn't realized until it is to late. Maybe someday a solution will be developed but it will be a struggle against technology and what students find more interesting.
Posted by sadie at Monday, September 24, 2007
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