Writing to Learn
I’ve been following the discussions between James Farmer, Greg, and Will on student publishing and privacy. I really like using weblogs in education, particularly in the area of writing across content areas. I like to think of helping students learn to use writing as a means of clarifying their thinking. I like to think of it as a place for them to be heard and a place on the web to raise the bar on student writing, put a little fun into the process, and help students feel the joy of seeing their writing improve.
Now I have just worked with elementary students so their reactions may be different but somehow I think not, at least not on this one level. The level I am talking about is when students realize that their work will be judged by someone else. It is one thing to have nice comments and suggestions - who doesn’t like that? But what if someone says your writing is not good and needs improvement. This can be a very intimidating thing for children. I experienced this with my elementary group at the beginning of our collaboration with Will’s journalism students.
A bundle of mixed emotions really described them. They wanted to hear from the older students on how they were doing with their writing but after seeing the long news reports the high school students had written, they were on an emotional shutdown. They were very nervous and afraid and were quite sure that they could never measure up. These students taught me a lot and gave me a golden opportunity to talk with them about the purpose of a collaborative effort between students for the purpose of helping them improve their writing. These students were having an opportunity to work on real-life writing skills that could be so worthwhile in just about any area of their life! I think this is a perfect area for two teachers to work together with both groups. The skill of giving constructive comments while reviewing a draft someone has written is not easy, but oh what a great skill to teach our students. We must teach those critiquing how to make suggestions that provide solutions. (Guess what, they’re learning, too!) Plus, teaching our students to receive these constructive suggestions, learn how to think about the suggestions, decide if you agree or disagree is something that will be of value to them for a lifetime. Letting them know that they can disagree and having the dialogue with your group is an essential part of the process. The key is to communicate with your students about the process, make sure they are OK, and then give them the support they need as they continue on their writing/learning journey. I don’t view this as an area where you grade students, this is the learning journey where they are getting the practice they need to become better writers. It’s like having suggestions and help from many, rather than a few. All of it is right there in one place for you to think about to improve your writing.
All this said, I am so glad this discussion is going on as there is much to think about. It is imperative that we communicate with parents and let them know what the process is so they can be a part of it, or at least understand the process.
I know there is a lot more to think about in the area of student publishing on the web. I am still thinking and I know it’s not so simple as all this but I do think we are on the edge of some major thinking shifts in our teaching and how to use weblogs in the most sound educational form to truly make a difference with students. Now more than ever we teachers need to listen to our students as we tread in these new writing spaces. If students are a part of the dialogue from the beginning, I can’t help but think that the students very own writing will help supply some very good answers.
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