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Educator testimonial:
"When you work
with WIN, you have 'real teachers'
talking to real teachers."
Highlights
of Carol Jago’s 10/22/06 Best Practice Seminar:
“Handling
the Paper Load through Improved Student Writing”
Carol Jago has spent much of her thirty-two year teaching career
trying to find ways to be an efficient, effective teacher of
writing. She has authored nine books for English teachers, most
of which are focused on writing instruction. One of her
favorite words is “cohesive”: student writing that sticks
together tightly and flows well. Following are some of her
points and pointers.
She cited
research from THE NEGLECTED R (www.writingcommission.org)
and the American Diploma Project (www.achieve.org)
to emphasize that “Writing is not a frill for the few but an
essential skill for the many.” She added that through the
years, kids haven’t changed (despite fads designed to irritate
adults) but that the demands for writing well are now placed on
everyone, not just the college-bound elite.
She
described her teaching situation in Santa Monica High
(overcrowded classes, diverse population) and confessed that
even as an experienced veteran teacher, she had recently had a
class that “humbled her.” She said she simply couldn’t engage
them, as they had too many issues pulling on them that were
higher priorities to them than English class.
Still, she
urged us to maintain high standards (ex. reading classics) but
find new ways to help kids connect. We must plan lessons at
kids’ “ZPD” (Zone of Proximal Development) which stretches them,
rather than at their “ZME” (Zone of Minimal Effort.) She
displayed research showing that 80% of high school graduates
regretted not having had more rigor in school. Kids may
complain, but they actually want and need to be challenged.
She
cautioned that computers are not our friends in the effort to
teach revision. Writing on computers can result in “stream of
consciousness” writing that lacks focus. She does, however,
embrace the writing tools provided by computers such as spell-
and grammar-check and cut-and-paste abilities.
Carol
said, “I love research that supports what I already believe!”
She went on to affirm the value of homework, which is the only
way to get students to read and write enough to progress, as
there’s simply not enough time in class. She quoted Rosenbaum:
“Students doing 15 hours or more a week of homework attain
almost 1.5 more years of education and attain 16% higher
earnings than average.”
She
bemoaned the effects of absences on student achievement:
“excessive absences = a Swiss cheese education.” She said we
must find a way to get students to see that every school day
counts (even during senior year!) and added that WE must value
every minute of class time. Learning is its own reward, so
showing movies and giving parties in class is a waste, not a
reward.
To
reinforce the necessity of writing skills in today’s workplace,
she showed a portion of her son’s job application at an
investment firm. The form had an extensive section labeled
“Communication” and the descriptors included the very qualities
we try to teach, including correctness. Businesses won’t offer
remediation; they won’t even hire anyone without those skills.
She then
turned to specifics of writing instruction. She noted that in
32 years, one of her greatest failures came after she turned her
students loose to write whatever they liked in whatever form.
The result was poor quantity and quality of work (lots of
raps!) She found that she had to take control. The freedom of
choice approach, she believes, only works with frequent
conferences with students. Since her class had 36 students,
that was unrealistic. She confessed to being “directive” but
says that kids must have direct instruction in writing,
delivered in authentic ways. [Note: Carol does not condemn the
Writing Workshop and does provide her students free choice along
with her “on demand” assignments. Due to time constraints and
student load, however, she is directive in her workshops,
keeping students in sync by the steps. Everyone does a first
draft on the same day, revises on the same day, etc.]
She
addressed collaborative learning, saying that group work is fine
and necessary but does not mean the teacher doesn’t need to
provide direct instruction.
“We must
be explicit and directive because PRODUCT does matter!”
She
discussed how different types of writing (summary, persuasive,
etc.) place different demands on kids. “Response to literature”
writing does not go far enough. The personal response to
literature is crucial but only the first step towards what
really is required: analysis of literature.
She
addressed the use of journals, which she called a “blind alley”
because it allows for lots of uncorrected writing that can
fossilize errors. Time teachers spend responding to such
journals could be better spent.
She
stressed the differences between “writing to learn” and “writing
to produce product.” To preassess, Carol has her students write
for three minutes of the topic to be studied. They then share
their ideas with partners, and finally she calls on individuals
for ideas. Because they all wrote, every student will have
something to offer if asked. The key:
She takes
those writings up to ensure students participate but doesn’t
grade them, as they have served their purpose. The students
don’t know that she simply puts them in a pile which will
eventually get tossed. This is one way she avoids being a
martyr to the paperload.
She then
said that most writing, unless you’re a poet or novelist, is “on
demand.” Therefore, being directive is being instructive and
authentic.
Good
writing has structure but not in a “hokey” way, such as the
all-too-predictable five- paragraph essay. She added that
giving students structures is crucial for beginning writers, but
that they must eventually be weaned. For example, college and
AP exams will assign low marks, usually “F’s” to obvious
structures. She later added that good writing has bone
structure but you can’t see the bones! She also urged using
well-written editorial columns as models for effective
persuasive writing. Those writers have all the required
ingredients, but their writing is presented stylishly, not
mechanically.
Her tip
for avoiding the problem of kids not bringing drafts back to
class for further activities: Carol will do a timed writing in
class and take those up. The next day, as a “favor” she’ll
announce that she decided to give them a chance to do them
over. Instant revision! [This only works once or twice a
semester, though.]
Will
Rogers: “You can’t teach what you don’t know, any more than you
can come back from where you ain’t been.” [Great rationale for
continuing to hone your practice]
Next she
had participants actively engaged by spending 14 minutes
[sufficient time to provide diagnostic writing samples, not
polished products!] writing to a NAEP prompt. She then had us
discuss our feelings during the writing (metacognition) and then
debriefed with the whole audience. Points made: on timed
writing teach kids to not spend valuable time fretting over
their position or choice, but make a decision and start
writing. Some students get anxious under time pressure and
others thrive on it, so provide a range of assignments. She
also noted that to best prepare kids for the 25-minute essay on
the SAT, you don’t have to limit kids to that exact time.
Longer sessions that allow better products are better
preparation. The exception is kids facing AP exams.
More:
timed writings may produce crap, so it’s not always wise to ask
kids to read those aloud.
Carol’s
“writing interrupted” strategy helps struggling writers
internalize the process:
1. Allow 3 minutes to write to the prompt.
2. Stop them to reread the prompt and decide how their passage
is doing. They are allowed to start over if needed, but no
extra time is allowed.
3. After 10 minutes stop them and poll the class for details
they’re using, providing a verbal brainstorming session to nudge
along kids who run dry.
4. Five minutes before the end, stop them and have them answer
“So what?” to help them craft a sound conclusion that’s not
formulaic.
To avoid
having to write comments on student drafts that they may not
read, she does a self-assessment activity using an overhead with
instructions such as:
1. Circle your first sentence and decide if it compels
attention.
2. Draw a slash at the end of every sentence to check for
variety.
3. Circle and eliminate all contractions. [This elevates the
level of formality, important for serious writing.]
4. Underline all transitions and add where needed. [for smooth
flow/cohesion]
5. Never start your conclusion with “Finally” “In conclusion”
or “Thus.” [formulaic]
She
doesn’t use a hand-out, as the overhead allows whole-class
discussion of each point and forces students to write their own
comments. She prefers this to peer-editing which she says is
not always effective.
To make
peer editing more helpful, she tells writers to skip two lines
between paragraphs. Before sharing with a partner, they write
specific questions in those spaces to tell the peer editor what
they need to know. (ex: “Is this part clear?” “Is that the best
word?”) She also emphasizes the value of kids reading their own
writing out loud to a partner. The writers will do their own
revising and editing as they see errors they only notice while
reading it aloud.
She made
the point that kids should be held responsible for correctness
even on first drafts. Why allow error? Why not encourage
correctness as a habit of mind?
Tip for
avoiding overuse of “he” when writing about literary
characters: brainstorm with the class to list epithets that can
be used instead of that pronoun and add flair to the writing.
Example: Romeo can be called “the romantic rebel” “the doomed
young man” etc.
Testing =
one time when a kid’s temperature as a writer is taken. We are
responsible for helping kids deal with tests, but cannot limit
instruction to test preparation.
Now for
workload issues…Carol emphasized that we must find ways to
control the workload or we’ll burn out. When you find ways to
be more efficient, you’ll be more effective. A misguided sense
of perfectionism or duty leads to the drive to comment on or
correct everything in a draft. Not good! Kids can’t even
absorb all of that, and writing it exhausts you. Worse, all
those comments do not help kids write better.
She
defends the red pen. Red means “STOP!” and she believes older
students who continue making basic errors should be made aware
of them (with the exception of special kids who are at risk and
need one-on-one tutoring and more gentle handling.)
Save time
by marking errors with red but avoid writing comments everywhere
or, worse, try to rewrite parts for the kid. Do mark at least
once on every page, or they’ll think you don’t read it. Save
the comments for a note at the end: use the kid’s name (you’re
not a machine!) and state the strength(s). No “comma, but” just
then state problem areas. She says you can develop your own
list of stock comments as most errors are common ones. Ex:
“Next time be sure to include concrete examples to support your
thesis.”
Carol
allows “redos” but doesn’t spend much time reading second
efforts. She has students always turn in their first attempt
with the second and bumps up the grade if she sees they
improved.
She
advises getting papers back to kids the next day. As you grade,
make notes on a pad that you can use when you give them back,
and don’t return the papers until you’ve finished your
discussion/mini-lesson.
Use a
timer, trying to never spend more than 6-8 minutes per paper.
Comment, don’t correct. Set aside uninterrupted time to get
those papers done. Use a rubric. Make sure kids read your
comments by having them fill out a form: “On my next essay I
will” and they copy your comments on “to do” and “not to do” on
both content and form (style & mechanics.) Provide a folder for
each student and a box for each class so you can save their
papers. You might include a log so that they record dates,
topics, grades, and comments as they file each new paper.
Note: the kids do the filing!
Carol said
that to survive, you have to take time for yourself. DO NOT
take papers and projects home to be graded over long breaks.
You need the distance and rest. She said that teachers just
can’t work any harder, but they can work smarter.
Good tip:
not all essays have to be marked and commented on. Instead,
Xerox the rubric and have the kids staple the rubric, sign it,
and turn in the paper. You simple circle where that paper falls
on the rubric, letting the kids look back and decide why they
rated those marks. She recommends using Rubrics.com and other
sources to save time, as well.
She ended
the session with a poem from THE BEDFORD READER, “Graded Paper”
by Mark Halliday. The poem went to the heart of the matter, how
our responses can say as much about ourselves as about the
student’s work.
Carol Jago
has her own web page
www.englishcompanion.com/Jago/ ,
plus you may reach her at
jago@gseis.ucla.edu
Her
session today was based on her latest book, PAPERS, PAPERS,
PAPERS: An English Teacher’s Survival Guide.
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