I know a lot about why to incorporate a writing workshop based paradigm into my class, and I even tried it out last year; it was a raving success, and I didn't even do it that well. But I really, really want to know how I can incorporate authentic writing experiences while still creating the learning opportunities that my college students NEED, i.e. learning how to write analytical essays, creating excellent thesis statements, supporting ideas with textual evidence, etc.
Where does the writing workshop make space for that without the structure generally provided by me??
What I have learned so far is that I love love love the writing and the prompts and the freedom to try something new without being formally evaluated or knowing that my work will be ripped apart. I know now that I need to write along with my students, not using the time for administrivia and grading.
I need to look for ways to incorporate the awesome authentic writing we've been doing with the academic writing instruction that I'm required to teach them. Yes, that's exactly what I need to do. Thanks for this opportunity to clear out my brain and figure that one out.
A virtual classroom to extend the thinking and learning from our 2013 Summer Institute.
"I even tried it out last year; it was a raving success, and I didn't even do it that well."
ReplyDeleteI think there's a lot of potential mileage in unpacking this statement. Before going to outside resources it might be helpful to reflect on your own experiences. What made this a "raving success"? Where were the moments of awesome? What specifically did you do to contribute to that success?
Conversely, why dod you feel you didn't do it well? What do you want to improve in your own approach? Focusing here first will help you pick out the ideas from outside resources that will best fit into your practice.