Crafting Writers Chapters 10, 11, 12 and Wohlwend Article

  

             In chapter 10 Elizabeth Hale focuses on teaching the conference. Relating this chapter to how my own conferences might go, I can predict a couple of things. I think as a teacher it will be important to know a lot of specific crafts. I think it will be difficult to be on the ball with finding the strengths in everyone’s writing. I want to make sure what I am pointing out is actually something useful to the child not just some vague in order to move onto something to improve. I am worried that I will not be able to relate their strengths to the “next step.”

          I really like the idea of having the student say the strengths back to me after the conference. I have noticed that while working with children they often pretend like they know what I am talking about. When I come back to check on their work they have not used the specific skill that I taught. I think this is one way to ensure the student understand the skill, or if they need more explanation. I love the wording she uses when teaching a child something new. I know I will use the phrase, “one thing I think you are ready for as a writer is….” This is a very positive way of giving them different strategies to try.

          I also like the idea of keeping a record of our conferences. I think it is important for the child to be included on the record keeping as well. The reason for this is because as a child when a teacher was writing about me I got nervous. However, if a child is part of the process,(perhaps recording their strengths) they will understand that keeping notes is nothing threatening.

          In chapter 11 Hale brings up some good points about group conferences and management. She brings up the point that during the day teachers may be pressed for time. In this case it may be a good idea to bring a group of students together that are struggling with the same topic. After the conference it is important to still have the children say the teaching point back. One idea I have is for them to each write the teaching point down and then say it. This will ensure that it is their own thinking and they are not just repeating what someone else said. In the primary grades these conferences may be more about the set up of writing (spacing, periods) and as they get older more focused on craft skills.

         It is important to have a layout in the room that supports the group conferencing and teaching on mini lessons. It may be good to get them out of their desks and away from distraction. It is also important to start off the year showing children what will happen in conferences and letting them practice.

        Hale brings up a good point about giving children an intermission during writing time. A big distraction for children is when they are off task. This uses up valuable time during writing time. If you let children know that they will have a chance to chat then they will be more willing to write for a certain amount of time.  It is also important that they find comfortable spots around the room to write.

     In chapter 12 Hale talks about assessment. A great way to assess a students writing is by using a rubric. It is important to use a new rubric for each new unit of study. I think it will be important for me to look at other rubrics that were created in the past for ideas on how to word and what to include in a writing rubric.

   I think it will be important for the student to understand the rubric. This will ensure that I use “student friendly wording”. I am still a little unsure of the point system that should be assigned to each section of the rubric and how much a piece of writing should be worth.

          Karen E. Wohlwends article, “Dilemmas and Discourses of Learning to Write: Assessment as a Contested Site, makes some good points about the struggles teachers face with trying to keep children up with standards. At the end of the article she makes a very good point about how hard it is to point out certain child’s strengths when they have to be labeled as “at risk.” For teachers it is tough when they are trying to get all of their students to meet the goals of the elementary education system. I found it sad when she talks about Jamal and how he was shunned at the writing table. One reason for this shunning was because he had to physically leave the classroom to work on special skills. The kids that would not allow him to participate in game where phonetic proficiency were needed because he did not have this skill.

        I also found it disturbing that a test determines if you are up to par with your teaching. There were specific skills that the students needed to be able to complete in order to move up in grade level. Just because a student held a pencil a certain way stopped her from meeting criteria. Overall, I think it should be the teacher’s decision to whether a student can move on. However, I do agree that opinions can vary from teacher to teacher and some requirements are needed. It can be a struggle for teachers to allow students to experiment and learn at their own pace when they have the high demand of meeting certain standards.