Literacy, Week 9, Can You Be a Teacher Without Grading?

As kids when we played School, everyone wanted to be the teacher, no one the student. Being the teacher meant you got to boss everyone and grade their work. Now I read that "eighty percent of students' writing needn't be graded" (Routman, pg. 252). And Peter Elbow tells us in Ranking, Evaluating, and Liking: Sorting Out Three Forms of Judgment that he as a teacher has a much better time reading his students' work when he is not evaluating it (pg. 199). I'm not sure that the kids on my block would have agreed so many years ago. However, both authors make strong valid points against grading every piece of student writing.

Elbow talks about having "evaluation-free zones." These are ten minute, nonstop freewrites. The essential components of freewriting are 1) that they be private and 2) that they be nonstop writing. The student is thus free to explore and take risks without the concern that this writing could affect their grade. This compares with Routman that "kids need lots of time to practice, experiment, and just plain mess around without worrying about a grade" (p. 252).

Elbow also talks about "uncoupling" students from the need to be graded, the need to know "how am I doing, did I do okay?" (pg. 197). I was the type of student who thrived on getting good grades. In fact recently, I couldn't wait to receive my grade for the ELP assignment. I had worked hard and wanted confirmation that the professor also thought that I had worked hard. Elbow speaks about getting students to focus on his comments, which leads to better writing, away from grades, which do not (pg. 196). In reflection, I now see that the professor's comments accurately expressed my success on the assignment, without the need for the grade.

Elbow also mentioned giving course grades based on overall performance in the class such as "ability to meet deadlines," "effort," "improvement," and "skill in giving feedback to others" (pg.195). I found that interesting as we have just completed a process in which we gave and received feedback on our Literacy Vignette. In reality, I do not believe that I was able to give constructive feedback to the members in my group. I think that in order to do so, one must be a confident writer. Furthermore, it is very difficult for me to offer what might be construed as critical or negative. So, I understand now, this is a skill I need to develop.

Non Literacy Blog, Math Lesson

Last week my cohort partner and I taught a math lesson each to our 3rd grade Dyad class. The topic was Geometry. Yvonne went first on Monday. Her lesson was about the Line of Symmetry and Congruent Shapes. My lesson was on Tuesday and followed up with Diagonals and the shapes that Diagonals create. The lesson did not go well.

To begin with, on Monday, Yvonne had to spend more time on the introductory section -what should have been review - than she thought. She, therefore, was not able to get through all of her lesson. However, the students did seem to understand the concept of line of symmetry and congruency. On Tuesday, my lesson, which was right out of the textbook, began with labeling shapes and line segments. Then I was supposed to discuss the shapes that the diagonal created; i.e. a diagonal through a square is a line of symmetry and forms two identical triangles. The diagonal through a rectangle, however, is not a line of symmetry even though it forms two congruent triangles. As I was getting to this discussion, the teacher told me to send the kids to their desks to start on the worksheet; I was running out of time. Needless-to-say, the kids didn't understand the worksheet.

Just before the students' lunchtime, the teacher told me to go over the worksheet with them. I started to draw the shapes on the whiteboard in order to visually show them the outcome of the diagonals but the teacher told me there was not enough time, instead just talk about it. It was very frustrating for me.

I realized that I would never have taught this lesson this way. For her lesson Yvonne had brought large construction paper shapes, that she used to show how the line of symmetry is created. She and I discussed how each student should have their own in order to manipulate the shapes and to see for themselves. (The math curriculum had provided a sheet of shapes for each student to cut out and use. These were not effective as they were too tiny and, in some cases, not accurately cut out.) Furthermore, I would have broken the lesson up in to mini-lessons. Of course, I also realize that this comes from the hindsight - the experience of experiencing -the lesson as it went the first time.

For her part the teacher rearranged her lesson plans. She had brought in a math video that covered geometry. The kids watched it during their lunchtime. Furthermore, instead of doing cursive writing in the afternoon, we worked on the math homework sheet together. And, for Yvonne and me, she pulled up the GLE's from OSPI to show us that what we covered in those two days is really just introductory. The students are not expected to know this information until 5th grade. I had not forever ruined their math career by this one bad lesson.

Non Literacy Blog, Math Video

This is a video that my son's teacher showed in 7th grade math. The kids loved it. Of course, she had a smart board on which to show it.

Literacy, Week 8, Conferencing with Students

As you read Writing Essentials chapter 9, think about the main ideas in the chapter and how they relate both to Six Traits and to your field placement experiences. Identify a specific point or quote from the chapter to consider.

Writing lessons for me were as Vicki Spandel explains in Creating Writers; they consisted of the assigning of writing with due dates, minimum lengths and conventions, followed by the collection and correction of this writing. The writing process was never modeled for me and therefore I do not feel confident with the process.

Regie Routman, in Writing Essentials has given concrete ideas and suggestions for modeling the process. In chapter 9 this entails holding conferences, from informal roving conferences to formal one-on-one meetings. Routman explains what these conferences look like as well as sound like. On page 225, she explains the necessity of giving an overall response first. Starting with "the whole sends the message that writing is about communicating to a reader," (p. 225). She uses a wonderful example about a man writing a valentine card for his wife. The first thing the wife says would not be "I really like how you used the word beautiful instead of good." She would first comment on how touched she is, how the card made her feel. Teachers, too, should first let our student writers know how their writing made us feel.

I also appreciated Routman's expectations for editing. Before the editing conference, students are expected to edit or peer edit their work, to the best of their ability. If the student brings their writing to the conference with several mistakes intact - mistakes that Routman knows the student is capable of correcting - she sends them back to complete the editing on their own saying, "don't take my time until you have done absolutely everything you can do," (p. 231). My cooperative teacher (3rd grade) has an editing sheet that each student must complete. It begins with self-editing, then peer editing. This form must be completed before the student is allowed to present the piece to the teacher for final editing.

Finally, Routman says that "independence is the goal of all excellent teaching," (p. 236). This is the underlying principle that I hope will be the cornerstone of my teaching.

Literacy, Week 7, Bird by Bird

Share a quote from Lamott (include page number) and your response.

A recurring theme in Anne Lamott's book, Bird by Bird, that resonates with me, is how what a writer starts with is more than likely not what s/he will end up with. In the chapter on Plot Treatment, she writes about the envisioned climax as a sort of "temporary destination." "So, you write toward this scene, but when you get there, you see that . . . it no longer works" (pg. 85). Lamott says something similar in her chapter titled Plot. She states that "the climax of your story will probably reveal itself to you slowly and over time" (pg. 61). Perhaps my favorite quote so far comes from the chapter called Polaroids. Lamott says that "Writing a first draft is very much like watching a Polaroid develop. You can't . . . know exactly what the picture is going to look like until it has finished developing " (pg. 39).

Lamott appears to be saying that a story, like a life, develops and changes over time. Don't presume to know someone's story, or your own, until it has had time to present itself to you. What I have taken from this is that as I get to know someone, even myself, I need to always be aware that the story - the life itself - is always developing, hopefully into the person, it was meant to be.

Non-Literacy Blog, Observed

Last week I was observed by my Field Instructor. It was my first observation. The lesson was one that I wrote as an extension to the Read Aloud of The Ant and The Elephant, by Bill Peet. As a requirement for our Professional Seminar class, I was also filmed.

I was able to quickly tune both the field instructor and the camera out of my thoughts. So, I can't blame them for my many mistakes.

The lesson started with a brief re-introduction to the book. During the Read Aloud, I had neglected to tell the students who wrote the book. This was a nice opportunity to rectify that omission. I then wrote the words ant and elephant on the board. I told the students that I saw something interesting about these two words and wondered if they saw it, too. I was expecting this to take some time and was prepared for my next clue, "you must be observant in order to see this" while writing the new word on the board. However, a student instantly raised her hand and announced that elephant has the letters ant in it. So I quickly modified my clue to tell this student that she was very observant to see what I was talking about.

As a whole group we brainstormed words that have the letter sequence of ant in them. I thought that this, too, would take some time and I had a long list of my own words in case the students couldn't come up with any. Instead, they began listing words that I hadn't even thought of, including Santa. Next, I had planned that we would work together to come up with a sentence using two or three of these words. And, once again, I expected us to struggle somewhat. Instantly a hand went up. A student said, " The giant was chanting in the pantry." Pleasantly surprised, I wrote this sentence on the board. The students then partnered with their neighbor to come up with a sentence. I didn't expect them all to want to share. Instead, I found every student's hand in the air, wanting to tell their sentence, especially once the sentences became really silly, such as "The giant ant ate Santa's pants." There were a lot of sentences with ants in pants.

Finally, it was time for desk work. I had distributed a sheet of writing paper at each student's spot. The students were to return to their seats to write and illustrate their own sentence. In the process of explaining these directions, I said something that made them think they had been dismissed. But in my mind I hadn't yet done so. The result was that students were returning to their desk with me giving the directions to their backs. I know that I should have halted the exodus, but I instead let them get back to their seats and then asked for their attention in order to explain the purpose of the paper waiting at their desk.

And, at that point, I was done. My lesson was officially over and I was expecting the field instructor to motion me into the hall where we would go over his notes. Instead, he continued to observe and take more notes. I was hoping that my master teacher would take over, but she continued to work quietly at her desk. I was still in charge, but I desperately wanted not to be. It was, of course, a very good experience to have to work the follow-up to the lesson. What to do with students who finish early? What to do with those who can't get started?

The students seemed to enjoy writing their sentences, once they realized that silly was okay. The highlight for me was watching one student who always dawdles before getting to seat work and is easily distracted. This student set right to the task of writing his sentence and illustrating it. He seemed engaged and to genuinely enjoy what he was doing, something I had not seen in his previous writing assignments. I like to think that maybe, in my inexperienced way, I helped this one child at this one small moment realize that writing can be fun.

Non-Literacy Blog, Being a Returning Student

For years I thought about getting my teacher's certificate. When my oldest child - who is now 20 - was in first grade, I spoke with a friend, a teacher herself, about different teaching programs. At that time, however, I was pregnant with my third child and knew that I wouldn't pursue this degree in the near future. Over the years I continued to look into the different programs in the area and to talk to different people, teachers and principals alike, always looking for the opportunity. Finally - my 50th birthday on the very near horizon - I attended an information session at the University of Washington, Bothell campus.

By this time my middle child was a sophomore in high school. More importantly, he had his driver's license. He would graduate in two years. This gave me a brief corridor of time in which I would have an extra driver in the household while I returned to school. With a husband who travels frequently for work, my middle son would be able to drive his younger brother to his many activities and they would be able to pick up dinner on the evenings that I wasn't home. This was the plan. So, in the Fall of 2008 I began UWB's K-8 Teacher Certification Program.

It had been over 20 years since I had been a student and the prospect was a daunting one. Not only were my study skills rusty, my exposure to technology in the classroom was non-existent. I often found our course assignments overwhelming. However, I couldn't complain about it. I assumed that my difficulties were due to my age and I refused to let my age be a hindrance in this. My children helped me with the tech assingments, something that was very enjoyable for me, and somehow I survived the first four quarters.

But now it's Fall of the second year. We are student teaching two days per week. On top of that we are taking five classes this quarter. (Last year the program was only one to two classes per term.) Keeping track of the assignments of each has not been easy. One instructor uses a paper syllabus; changes were made to it early in the quarter. Another professor's syllabus is on Blackboard, an online education site, with links to the assignments and expectations. A third has posted her syllabus on a wiki, not to be confused with our co-hort wiki that we created last winter and where several, but not all, of our assignments are posted. On this new wiki we can find links to expectations and explanations of different assignments. This was all very confusing.

Once again I refused to voice a complaint, thinking that it is just me. I'm older and slower (although I prefer the word methodical) plus the personal responsibilities of having a senior in high school and a son in 8th grade, a big year for each of them. I was genuinely surprised to realize that my other co-hort members were struggling just as much as I am. Most were just as confused.

My first step was to bring all the assignments for each class to one place, a master planner for the Fall. This took hours just trying to track down the information from the myriad of places where it was posted and to check it for errors. I had no sooner sent it out to the cohort, than we received an e-mail from a 4th instructor, posting our readings for the quarter, something that had not been a part of her original syllabus. After all that diligent work, my planner lasted 5 minutes before being outdated.

Someone suggested posting the planner on our cohort wiki, an action that would count as an assignment for tech class. This should have been an easy thing to do. I was told that "copy and paste" doesn't work on the wiki so I set out to type the planner anew on a new wiki page. The tab button doesn't work on wiki either. So, in trying to create a Wednesday and Thursday column, I had to use the space bar. It was very time consuming to type a line under Wednesday, then s p a c e b a r my way across the page to the Thursday side to type another line. Once I started it, however, I was determined to complete it, so line by slow line, I typed in our expectations for this term. Then I hit save. For some reason the wiki doesn't like columns. It bunched everything together. Of course, I couldn't leave it like that. So, instead of two columns, I created another page and slowly copied out the Thursday assignments to post to the new page.

After all of this, I still have the assignments to tackle.