Class+Discussion+Facilitation


 * My Class Discussion Facilitation #1 **

 Shannon Carey - Feb 8, 2012 12:23 AM

In my own middle school and high school experience, I never encountered a Writing Conference like Moher's. We were given a format and told to write story's, research papers, and poetry. We only turned in our final draft and a final grade was given. I determined that I was a good writer because I usually received an "A" or "B" on my assignments.
 * Moher says, "The purpose of the conference is not to praise or judge the quality of the writing but rather to encourage students to pursue ideas, feelings, or merely a sense of things which they may not yet have thought out or been able to express, but which may emerge into language between us." (p32). **
 * Describe your writing experience. How did your experience influence your decision to label yourself as a writer or a non-writer? Was there a turning point that may have changed your view of yourself? **


 * Responses: **

 Sara Cozzens - Feb 12, 2012 12:54 PM I wish I could remember when I thought I was a writer. For some reason I elected to enroll in "Creative Writing" in ninth grade and wouldn't have done so if I didn't feel drawn to the subject. But in trying to remember what happened in middle school prior that would have led me to that decision... I'm blank. This is a wild stab, but perhaps it was long, poetic notes exchanged between me and my eight grade boyfriend over a period of nine months. Sounds silly now, but for nine months of our relationship, writing notes was our primary source of communication and the foundation that built our romance. (Remember, we're talking 1984-85 so __there was no internet, no cell phones, no text messaging, no IMing, etc.! Imagine__.) //Notes wrapped up in the shape of a football and exchanged quickly before the bus pulled away was all we had.// My boyfriend was the creative type... he loved the "deeper" music of the time (think "Rush" vs. The Go-Go's) and often quoted pages of lyrics in the notes he wrote to me. This may have triggered my own creative side in a juvenile attempt to be as smart and inventful as my older boyfriend. By the next year in high school I was keeping a notebook of mushy, gushy love letters that never were sent, and poetry and song lyrics that I see now were my therapy for the suffering I endured in our fallen relationship... though I was only 15 years old, it was my first cut... which is still, no doubt, the deepest. By senior year in high school, I was thrilled to elect Advanced Composition as my English class and I've been enjoying writing ever since. My father was a writer, so I believe much of my love of writing is innate--and also therapeutic just as his was.

 Kateryna Tarasenko - Feb 12, 2012 8:48 PM I’ve never considered myself a writer before. Since I was in middle school, I always had a hard time completing writing assignments. I thought writing was a gift, a trait you have to be born with. I hated writing assignments. Every time I had to write an essay or a composition, I put it on hold till the last minute. I involved my whole family in editing my writing, because I was so critical to myself. Teachers didn’t help either; they had standard essay format, standard approach, and standard grading. It didn’t get easier when I had to start writing essays in English, I felt it was even more complicated, as I struggled so much with two of my native languages, Russian and Ukrainian. My struggle continued all the way till graduation from high school. I think the turning point for me was when I came to the first class of this course. I actually realized that you don’t have to be born with a talent to be a writer. We are all writers. For the first time in my life I didn’t feel the burden of writing. I actually really enjoy the freewrites. This week I wrote my first two poems, //Lost Friendship// and //Where I am from//, and I was surprised with myself, because I never thought I’d be able to write a poem, never. I let my thought free on the paper, and it felt so good. I really hope that by the end of this course I’ll be able to be confident in my writing, and lose my fear of writing forever, so I can set an example as a teacher of writing.

 Robert Early - Feb 10, 2012 1:53 PM I know I’m going to sound radical here, but I truly think creative writing should be first taught in schools before traditional formal writing. I’ll defend my point, but to answer your question, I only recently (within the past five years) began to see myself as a writer. Never once during high school did I pride myself in having the ability to write nor was I ever excited about putting my ideas down on paper. Looking back on my experiences in high school, I now realize I never actually wrote anything that didn’t receive a grade. This really saddens me. But does it surprise me? No. Nobody I knew wrote for pleasure, and none of my teachers showed too much personal interest in writing. Producing a five-paragraph essay was a chore I had to get out of the way before the real fun began. I only started to truly enjoy writing during my screenwriting classes in college. Before this time, I never really analyzed the world around me or noticed the nuances that make it such a lush, interesting place. These classes ignited a spark that allowed me to tell stories I didn’t even know were in me. As a result of this inner awakening of the “muse” so to speak, I became an even stronger essay writer because I learned how to incorporate my personal voice into these works. I absolutely agree with Moher’s writing conference strategy, and the quote you referenced perfectly represents her ideas. If we focus on creative writing with students, then the ability to write academic work will naturally fall into place. The way we teach writing now—formal essays first and then creative writing second, if you’re lucky—is like trying to teach a baby to run first and crawl second. This might be a loose analogy, but I think it’s applicable. The skills learned in creative writing—voice, tone, analysis, vocabulary, emotional control, organization, logical reasoning, etc.—are the same exact skills students need to write essays. The thing that creative writing has going for it is its innate ability to connect with the writer’s and reader’s emotions, thus increasing interest and motivation. Building confidence is crucial in writing, and creative writing is a much better method of strengthening a new writer’s confidence in his or her abilities than is formal writing. It might take work to implement methods like writing conferences and workshops into schools, but I can guarantee it is well worth the fight for everyone.

<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 16px;"> Shannon Carey - Feb 8, 2012 12:05 AM <span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 16px;">Terry Moher mentions her feeling "...vulnerable (and to some extent I still do) to the administrative demands to identify exactly what I am going to teach, what I am going to do, and what my students will know." (p.27). <span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 16px;">In the age of test taking, what are some ways we can use the writing conference Moher describes while still meeting the demands of administration?
 * <span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 21.33px;">My Class Discussion Facilitation #2 **

<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 16px;"> Rebecca Weaver - Feb 11, 2012 8:45 PM <span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 16px;">There are a few ideas that come to mind when thinking about how to balance the administrative demands on students with regard to writing while instilling a love and desire to learn to write over and above test taking purposes.The first idea is to write then teach. We've talked and practiced freewriting extensively in this class and Moher talks about it as well. I think this is a great way to really see where the students are at and through giving them the freedom to get their thoughts on paper without judgement and critique it can be a great stepping stone for diving into the curriculum and teaching them the skills and basics they need to know to be good writers. We also talked in class about how just writing and writing and writing some more is so helpful in the learning process. Doing it leads to learning it. I also liked the way Moher allowed students the opportunity to make their own decision about their reading & writing, choices of writing topics and genres and different forms of evaluation. She even allowed her students to explore different formats of writing such as journaling, letter writing, lists and questions if they were not yet ready to write a formal essay. Giving them this freedom and space to learn and understand more about their writing is an excellent way to draw students in and help them to grow in their personal writing while enjoying the process at the same time. The conference aspect of Moher's teaching is then the key way that she can not only assist her students in refining their writitng but presents teachable moments that will help them succeed in the administrative aspect of their learning as well.
 * <span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 16px;">Responses: **

<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 16px;"> Kristy Bugg - Feb 13, 2012 12:36 AMTerry Moher describes her thoughts after a teacher asked her for a list of the questions she used in her conferences. She shares with us her innate wisdom in that each conference will be unique, as will be our students abilites and needs. There is no "one size fits all solution," or dare I say, in the classroom of a teacher whose best interest is in the success of his/her students something of this importance can not be generalized it needs to be tailor made for individual students. I was truly impressed with the way she handled the situation with Mark. She tells us that Mark was a student who "simply didn't do assignments." Her dedication to this student allowed her to see hope in him as she gradually eased him into the process with patience and understanding. When mark finally arrived he did so on his own through her gentle nudging and guidance. We don't hear the complete end of the story, but we know he was headed in the direction to complete an assignment. This falls into the same thing we are told over and over and over again by our very wise professors. As teachers we will need to be flexible, unfortunately administration does not have to be flexible; therefore, we should have a plan for every plan. Every conference that provides us with ideas and alternative solutions is a start, but we also need to look to trusted colleagues at times for advice. Our best bet is to be informed and aware of any changes in requirements. We need to be familiar with standards as well as the expectations of the administration.We should set up our students for success by having good back up plans and various ways of evaluating our students. Again, keeping in mind the student as individual is crucuial when we approach our asssignments.

<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 16px;"> Jessica Johnson - Feb 13, 2012 9:52 AMThis is an area that really worries me. I don't want to teach to the test. I don't want to give worksheets because I need to make sure my students have enough of the right knowledge to pass the test. But what I think I've learned already is that writing workshops and giving the students free choice in choosing their own reading and writing will be so much more effective because the students will truly learn and improve their writing and it will be natural when they take the test.Moher does a great job of showing future teachers how we can use writing conferences to find out where our students are and help guide them in the right direction to improve their understanding of writing concepts. Through those conferences, we will be able to see where our students stand, and can use this information to update the administration on where our students are in the classroom. And it's better to give the students choices because they will be more inclined to do the assignment, and will be more open to working on revisions and improving themselves as writers.