Burning Question Research

Shannon O’Loughlin Seven Valleys Writing Project
7/16/2012 Summer Institute

Burning Question Research Paper

My burning question - How can I incorporate more student choice in assignments (play and “fun” writing vs. rote assignments)  This is tricky for me, but I know I can do it.  Before, I kind of figured kids had to be able to write about anything given them by an adult, because that was a necessary skill.  I still somewhat think this, but now I think that kids will get way more out of an assignment or writing in general if they are kind of in charge of what they write about.  I always like doing that myself, although I can also write about almost anything I’m given, including an assigned topic.  But I think becoming a better writer is achieved through writing more, all the time, and the easiest way to facilitate this with learners is by engaging them, giving them a voice in what they do. The scholastic voice can and will develop over time.  Along the way, in “fun” writing, kids can cite quotes, develop their thesis - and it will be ok.  Isn’t that what educators are into these days?  And it makes sense.  In a way, I think this course has opened up a world for me that I had only begun to tap into, and I am excited to do more of this in my classroom.  Reading a chapter book?  What about giving the kids a writing prompt where they pick the quote or idea from the chapter that meant the most to them, and then expanding on it for 7 to 10 minutes?  I like the idea of a prompt that has kids compare the motivations of different characters - what drives them, and why.  I have a lot to learn about crafting these kinds of assignments, but I think I’m on the right path.  Everyone is more excited when he or she is  thinking for themselves.

From my own personal experience, I still remember being in high school and being able to write about my favorite quote from Macbeth - “Thy crown dost sear mine eyeballs!” and then creating an illustration for it.  I remember writing as a character from William Golding’s “Lord of the Flies”.  I remember thinking I enjoyed writing in the style of an author because it was fun, and something I hadn’t experienced before.

This brings me to what I believe to be a very important question: What do I need to do to get more ideas on how to give kids voice within a relatively set curriculum?  I am considering giving the students two in class reading days a week, and three writing days a week.  How this will work, I don’t know, but it’s worth exploring.  When we are reading a novel as a class, what if two chapters/day were expected to be read in the book, for two days, and anything over and above that was great?  Kids could do the reading in class, or if they wanted, they could do it outside of class.  (My theory is that if kids are reading between 20 - 30 minutes a day, then that’s great)!  The other days, they could do 15 minutes of reading at home.  Perhaps grades at the end of the quarter would have to look different than they did with a more rote style I have previously used, but that is ok.

The issue of student writing brings up a different topic: Is there a difference between writing to learn and learning to write?  The difference between writing to learn and learning to write shouldn’t really exist, but it sometimes does.  If you are learning to write, you are exploring and developing yourself as a writer, honing your skills.  If you are writing to learn, you are using your writing as a tool, a way of “going deeper” with a topic.  You are flushing your piece out, going more in depth.  I believe these two styles are interconnected.

When you are learning to write, you get better over time.  You start off one way and end up another.  Your writing gets more interesting with feedback from people and peers.  You develop your voice as a writer.  

When you are writing to learn, you are taking a topic and running with it.  You control the direction you go, or how far down that path you walk through your writing.

Ideas about what to do for Writing to Learn

The most important idea I have heard in our class discussion was to come up with the meaningful stuff that I would want to do if I were a student, and then DO this with kids.  It will fit into the curriculum in its own way.  Come up with the assignment, then do it.  Tailor things to fit into the school year, and have an idea at the beginning of what I want kids to come away with.  If I have that goal in mind, and my assignments support this, things will fall into place.  

So far, my research has largely taken place through reflection after the different writing exercises we’ve done - mostly it’s been in the form of - “Wow, I’d really like my classroom to look more like this!” (Meaning what our Seven Valleys Writing class looks like.  So, I must confess, I don’t necessarily know if this counts as research.  I ordered several books from Amazon full of mini lessons that I am told are amazing, and I definitely plan on using these this year and in the future.  My research seems more to be a diverging river, in that it flows constantly, is on a new path towards the sea.  All writing leads there, but this will be a new way of doing things in the classroom.  I don’t really like the word “research”, because it implies a stuffy, musty book.  However, I think the other kind of research is more the process of learning and putting it into words, fully assimilating the idea as a learner.  

I can give great quotes or ideas that support where I am, and how my view of writing is changing.  I have new ideas from this class and because of this, and I hope that counts.  I feel this course has immensely helped, and I don’t think I will fully understand how until a later date.  Sometimes life changing moments don’t sink in until later, and the lesson you’re supposed to learn emerges over time.  Like anything else, research and life are a process, a journey.  My research has taught me that there is more than one way of doing something and getting to the destination.  As long as students are writing and I am too, I am doing something right, no pun intended.  In the end, that is most important as an English teacher who wants kids to improve and succeed.  My hope is that some of the prompts we have done in class and some of the prompts I will use from the books I ordered will open doors for kids who didn’t previously like writing, or thought they weren’t good at it.  If someone works hard and gets a “C”, that is more meaningful to me than a kid who easily gets an “A”.  I have always thought that, even though I am almost always an A student myself.  I want kids to enjoy writing, and be great at it, or at least enough so to pass high school and be able to do well in college.  So my research into giving students more of an independent voice in their writing continues ...