I like the idea of writing workshops. I remember doing one in a class as a freshman in college and that was my first introduction into this idea. I really enjoyed the experience although the teacher did not have us talk a lot. She had us exchange papers and we spent most of the time scribbling notes on the paper. There was also a strong emphasis on grammar and mechanics. This would have been more beneficial if we had focused on content and discussed with our partners for a majority of the time. We also read silently (unlike this class where we read aloud). I think it would have been stronger if we had read them aloud too because it’s true that you hear better than you read. Anyway, I think it is a shame that my first experience with this kind of workshop did not happen until college. I think that it would have been fun and enriching for me to have had it during high school (or even junior high). I would like to create writing workshops in my classroom.
The section that dealt with the idea that weak writers believe a variety of myths made me feel awkward. I learned that you cannot begin a sentence with a coordinating conjunction and you cannot end a sentence with a preposition. I always adhere to these rules in my writing for school assignments. I thought these were a rule. I feel confused. If students had structured their sentences this way for a formal assignment, I would have thought they were wrong. Do these rules not exist? Do all teachers know this? What if I tell my students that it is okay and they do it in another class and get points taken off? I want to know everyone else’s view on this. I hope I am not the only one who believed these myths.
I like the addition of pausing and reading to the process model. I have never seen these acts labeled as stages before. However, they are very important and I think that everyone does them without even realizing it. (At least I know that I did). I can’t imagine writing something and not completing these steps. If students do not know that they should do this, it should be encouraged and explained.
It is true that when I had to write outlines in high school the structural details got in the way of the content. I probably spent more time trying to format the damn thing then I spent examining the order of the material. I will emphasize content over structure in my own classroom.
I would have hated the idea of the “talk-write” in high school. I have always been more reserved and did not like public speaking. (Ironic, huh?) I also like to organize my ideas and thoughts and sometimes this takes a while. The idea of spending 20 minutes to prepare a speech would have overwhelmed me. It sounds like a good idea, but I wonder how effective it would be for students like me in the classroom.
I like the idea of grading students’ papers and giving students with a grade of C or lower an opportunity to rewrite the paper one more time. I think this encourages students to revise one more time and see their paper more polished. It gives them a second chance to improve on their writing. I will implement this idea into my own classroom.