At the age of three, I could identify all of my letters and was able to write the alphabet in order. By the time I was in kindergarten, I was writing "my stories" on everything from the patio floor to my little skinny legs. I have the photo to prove what a mess that was. My mother used Lava soap to scrub the pen marks off my skin. That long-suffering woman installed a chalkboard in the hallway outside my bedroom, so I would leave her orange and green papered walls alone (it was the 70's).
I told my 5th grade teacher that I wanted to be an accomplished writer. She suggested that I practice my cursive writing every night. I have gorgeous handwriting, but I highly suspect she misunderstood. In 6th grade, I forced my classmates to listen to me recite original poems, stories, and reports. I LOVED writing reports! I wrote an in-depth report about reincarnation that nobody in my classroom, including my teacher, seemed to appreciate. I had a blast in high school performing with my BFFs in our four-woman comedy sketch troupe. College was an amazing place where professors always asked for a "paper." Ah, The Paper! I wish you could have seen Dr. Boley's face when I turned in my 3 inch thick thematic unit on World War II inspired literature. Then something terribly sad happened around the dawn of the new century. I call it The Dark Ages: Part Two. You may know it as No Child Left Behind. It was a time when individuality and originality were sealed in a catacomb and covered with dirt and stones. During those dark times, I felt that the art of original, inspired writing began its final labored gasps of breath. I especially felt it when I heard other teachers tell parents that they didn't focus too much on writing because "writing is not that important after all." Or when a former administrator told me that I should really consider teaching art instead of writing because "kids don't like to write; it's too boring. Kids need more fun. Writing is not fun." Or when a colleague shared that he "didn't teach grammar because that's what spell check was for." I felt crushed and demoralized. Until, I dove into the research for this study. Honestly, I didn't have to dive too deep before I saw the little pearls of wisdom scattered all over, hidden in plain sight. From your research paper, reflect on what you have learned from your research: How well did it answer your research question? The most significantly edifying information I discovered through my research was that there are a lot of people like me who strongly believe that writing is still extremely relevant in this new century. These whippersnapper heiroglyphic emojis have not obliterated good old fashioned writing. I'm talking about the people in high places, like the National Assessment Governing Board (NAGB), the Institute of Educational Sciences (IES), and the U.S. Department of Education. They take writing and word processing so seriously that they have created algorithms within their exams, like the NAEP Writing Assessment, that scores not only the content, mechanics and conventions of a student's composition, but it also measures how a student utilizes the various word processing tools available within the exam. Because the US DOE recognized that writing is still very viable, the Common Core Standards were developed with higher objectives in writing in hopes that American students would be able to compete at an international level. The California Assessment of Student Performance and Progress (CAASPP) was designed specifically to test students' ability to communicate in writing. What further research is suggested? What do results indicate about changes to the instruction and learning process? I feel that my research does not end with this specific research study. I am truly enjoying the entire research process. There is something very gratifying in obtaining knowledge. However, this is a subject that has been a life-long passion of mine. It won't end here. My driving question revolves around using technology to engage students in the writing process. Now, I want to know how I can expand that idea. I want to create writing projects that engage ALL students. I'm very excited about Challenge-based Learning. I'm certain that incorporating CBL in authentic, valuable writing assignments will motivate students to produce higher quality work. My instruction has already changed because of this master's degree program. My students are using Google Docs and Google Classroom daily. Most of them communicate with me via email, which I encourage tremendously. It is an authentic opportunity to write. Kid who would otherwise say absolutely nothing in class will email me questions about their grades and possible ways to raise their scores. This is wonderful because they are taking ownership of their education! Back in the 1970s and 80s when I was a youngling, writing those poems, plays, reports and papers was extremely important and tremendously fun for me. My hope is that my students will be able to accurately express their ideas and communicate their knowledge in well-written, well-organized, and yes, entertaining compositions. I want them to enjoy the writing process as an incredible opportunity to grow intellectually. I want them to feel confident and secure when they write because what they have to say is important and should be shared.
1 Comment
|
Tess Giner
This is my 25th year as a public school teacher. I've taught every grade between Kindergarten and 12th grade. I hope to encourage my students to love writing and reading as much as I do. Archives
July 2019
Categories |