As Lamott says, you can sit and write pages and pages and come back to it and only use 2 paragraphs. When I did this I would think that I was wasting my time, that I was simply a terrible writer that could not come up with any kind of good material. I now know that I am simply going through the proper steps of a great writer. Now, instead of stopping after the first drafts and think that I simply don't have what it takes, I know I can continue on in my writing process. Just like Dory from Finding Nemo I will, just keep writing, just keep writing, until I get it right.
I see a direct correlation with this to teaching. I have seen several times in my work with 4th grade students, the disappointment of not getting something right. This has been in the form of a writing assignment, that has grammatical errors or is not as detailed as you might expect. The goal is to get the students to a place where they realize that to get the "wrong" answer is not wrong. In this instance it is OK for them to make mistakes, to not have that perfect paper when they are done. Because in fact they are not done. In fact they should feel that their first draft should have errors, or not be exactly what it is they want. To understand that this is part of the process is something that I feel is very important in getting across to your students. The effort here is to let the students know that the paper is a work in process. It will not be perfect at first, but this is simply part of the writing process.
Seeing disappointment in 4th graders is a tough thing to witness! Are the disappointed students only the ones that are perfectionists or are they majority of the class? I can see the perfectionists having difficulty with just writing and not caring about the conventions of writing or spelling. If it is the whole class, though, that is experiencing this problem, then there may be some way that the teacher can adjust to let them know that it's ok. We have read about teachers modeling writing, so do you think that having the teacher write an error filled first draft will show the students that it's ok to make these errors? Plus, doing so can provide the teacher an opportunity to model the editing and revising steps in the overall writing process.
ReplyDeleteIt's hard, I think, to get kids to accept that errors are part of the writing process when so much pressure is put on them to "do well" and pass tests. One of our cohort members told me a story about parent-teacher conferences at her school. The teacher was describing drafts to a parent and outlining how the kids shouldn't initially be concerned with correcting errors, that they should get their ideas down. The errors would be attended to, but later in the process. Meanwhile, the parent was correcting all of the child's errors and chiding her. The parent wasn't hearing anything the teacher was saying about drafts.
ReplyDeleteWith that in mind, have you been thinking of strategies you could use to encourage kids to start out less focused on specifics (spelling, grammar) and more concerned with ideas? Jenny, in her comment, asks about teachers modeling errors. My master teacher intentionally (and sometimes unintentionally ;)) models errors when writing on the document camera for writer's workshop. At first, I wasn't too keen on this idea, but now I see it has merit. It helps kids to see you as an imperfect being and also helps them realize that mistakes happen and aren't catastrophic. Of course, some of our kids still agonize over errors. I'm curious to hear any ideas you have.
"The effort here is to let the students know that the paper is a work in process. It will not be perfect at first, but this is simply part of the writing process."
ReplyDeleteThis was one of the most valuable lessons I received this quarter not only in my personal writing but in my teaching of writing as well. I too have historically had a hard time "just writing" and putting my thoughts down on paper without concern for getting it right the first time. I have been working on adjusting this tendency so I don't pass it onto my students. I think the message here comes down to some of what we learned in previous quarters; ultimately what we value and how we work will inevitably be revealed in our work with our students and potentially passed onto them. I see now how important it is to establish good writing habits for myself so I can serve my students better.