Write for more than just a grade

This weeks readings were interesting, and I feel were really helpful in my thought process of grading, and working with my student's writing. I'll start with Hawley Turner and Hicks. They say "When it comes to writing, we serve as coaches or as judges." This really stuck with me, and is so true. We can either help coach our students, guide them, and do it in a decent way, to help better their craft and hopefully motivate them to write more, or we can sit and read their work, judging it. Sometimes, judging their work isn't as extreme as it sounds, but when it comes to writing, I think it is. Even seniors in highs school need some motivation to not only keep them writing, but to push them to write outside of their comfort zones. Coaching and encouraging practice is different than reading to judge and just criticize. We need to help them understand and develop their own learning targets, and show them how important and helpful it is to set goals. These of course ...

While some parts of the readings this week were a little confusing, there were a bunch of aspects of them that I really enjoyed, and can absolutely see myself using in my own classroom. From the "Conceptualizing Artifactual Literacies" chapter, I love the concept of connecting culture and personal touches to literacy. It says that objects/artifacts: - have physical features that make it distinct, such as color or texture - is created, carried, found, put on display, hidden, or worn - embodies people, stories, thoughts, communities, identities, and experiences - is valued or made by a meaning maker in a particular content One thing I think of when I read this list is finding a way to make a project (both presentation wise and writing wise) where my students can connect their own "artifacts" to our readings. By this, I mean finding an opportunity in the curriculum where they can bring in something that represents who they are, what they believe, or what is mea...

It's been interesting to read about ELL writers, and the process they go through. It's been something I have discussed in all three of my classes this semester, and it something I'm experiencing now with a student I've been shadowing in Providence. I can also connect it to my own school experience, so there's really a lot for me to talk about this week. I'll start with the Martinez reading. He says at one point "when the languages and experience of Black and Latinx youth deviate from those expected by their teachers, they become victims of language ideologies that exclude them from robust learning experiences". It's interesting, because while we all may say we don't make assumptions, with our students or with others, we do sometimes. So, it's safe to say that a white teacher may look at a Black student and assume that since they come from power backgrounds that they won't be able to handle a certain assignment. Now, this is strictly a...