Memo #1

Memo #1 Which instructional methods work to instill confidence in students and thereby motivate them to write for an audience of their peers? I intend to ask students about specific writing they have done during the year, to glean an understanding of which methods resulted in responses they could feel confident about. These methods I’m searching for would have motivated them to write when others would see and hear their work, and would include peer editing, self editing, anonymous read-arounds, read-alouds, and more. I intend to unpack their views, asking questions in a style which requires some description in their responses, avoiding a simple yes or no answer. I believe this line of questioning will lead me to an understanding of which specific writing instructional methods used contribute to a consistent volume of written work that is read aloud and/or read by others. I came to this topic through a path which started in my coursework at RIC this semester. My instructors used these methods with consistency which have been the glue that binds together my confidence in my writing and my motivation, along with my desire to be well prepared for a career in a school setting. In a recent conversation I had with a middle school teacher in an urban setting, she indicated her students voiced a lack of trust in anyone to read their writing. While this information was not taken in a scientific style and therefore not wholly reliable, it is more than noteworthy, and deserves the attention of anyone entering this field.

Student Views of Writing Audiences

Student Views of Writing Audiences



This question matters to me because I discovered, in my preliminary research, that middle schoolers in a public school setting do not feel they can trust anyone to hear their writing period. Since I may teach in a setting such as this, I want to get at the root of students' feelings such as these. My goal is to create a safe environment in my class for students to engage in and exceed standards for all types of instruction, writing included. I believe there is an important question to be asked about the types of writing teachers assign and how and when students approach them differently. I plan to speak with teachers and students in middle and high schools in North Providence, Providence, and Pawtucket, where I have established relationships. I believe I will need to construct a line of questioning that encourages survey-takers to go beneath the surface of their reasons, to reflect on their school year thus far. At this time, I am developing a set of questions which I believe will reflect a process in their thought patterns.