Chapter 4 Inquiry

In Chapter 4, Atwell addresses the underlying methods of how to create a writing workshop in her classroom in terms of space, time, resources, control, etc.  In the very beginning, she explained how Donald Graves noted her organization as key to her being a good writing teacher.  At first, I’ve always associated organization with neatness. ALWAYS. I was taken aback when I realized that Graves’ term of organization means “discovering what writers and readers need and providing plenty of it in a predictable setting.” Now that’s an area I’ll need to work on. Getting neat is the fun part for me; getting ready is the part I dread the most possibly because I feel that I don’t have the skills or experience yet to predict what I need to prepare myself for.  In the next couple of pages in Chapter 4, I noted Atwell’s explanation that “growth in writing is slow. “ I always thought that writing a lot makes you a noticeably better writer in each paper you write (with the exception of me). I made myself to be an outcast in my writing activities because each time I wrote, and write still, there was always a specific basic writing tool or skill that I needed to master. Atwell’s book targets current and prospective teachers who want to be successful with their students; nevertheless it also targets me as a writer (and reader) by making me aware of my personal issues. Further along in the chapter, I have posed several questions, which include:

-p.97 Option 1, the student does an hour’s worth of writing as homework at his own discretion. How does Atwell know to trust that her students are doing that? Does she assign homework assignments that she predicts will take one hour to complete?

-p.101, What is a general statement for her objection to series novels? I read Christopher Pike’s The Last Vampire (every single episode) and loved it. Yes, I was disappointed when I read the very last one because it just doesn’t produce the same ending effect as a complete novel. Regardless, I was addicted to that series.

-And last, p. 104, do teachers ever complain about classroom space? I’m curious to know because of how Atwell described her classroom or shall I say, writing-reading workshop, creativity. While it all sounds so creative and fun, I’m left thinking will I have room for my students to get around each other, their resources, and have personal space? For instance, Atwell said her solution to silencing the students’ conferences was to set up a space for each conference in separate areas of the room. How is that possible? Is it possible in a regular classroom or is it just possible in her own school, the Center for Teaching and Learning?

 

Andrea =)

Inquiry #3 All the Details

In Chapter 4, Atwell really takes us step-by-step through the “getting ready” phase of starting a workshop, and I found it completely overwhelming! I think this chapter is definitely one that is meant to be referenced again and again because there is no way I can remember all of these details! It was really great to read about her process though, and to see that there is a great deal of structure surrounding the workshop. It’s not just showing up for class and letting the students read and write aimlessly. I laughed at the part when she mentions how her principal saw her unusual teaching methods and told her, “I’ll come back when you’re teaching” (p. 95). Like I’ve said before, her ideas seem to contradict every other English class I’ve been in as a student, or observed as part of this program. She is molding students to be reflective readers and writers, and that’s not something you witness very often, especially in a middle school classroom. I love, too, that she expects her students to attempt professional publication. How awesome is that? I wish I could have had a teacher like this to make me work at my full potential!

Chapter 7 focused on the interaction between students and teacher in the writing workshop. She informs us that she is in control of the conferences with students – she is the one to move from desk to desk and keeps the conversation within a certain timeframe so that she can address as many young writers as possible. She said something that really stuck out to me: “After-the-fact response from a teacher comes too late” (p. 230). I think, especially in today’s world, students need immediate feedback on their work, so I love that her workshop provides that. The students receive help as they need it, not only once they’ve completed a first draft. Atwell also reminds us that these conferences aren’t for revisions, but rather, to help the students think about their writing and where they want it to say. I also found it interesting that she doesn’t seem to teach a particular grammar skill to the class at once; instead, she helps each writer focus on the conventions that he/she is struggling with. The individualized instruction in her classroom seems to be amazing!

For me, these chapters left me with no questions. She is so detailed in her writing, even supplying appendixes for us to reference, that I can’t even come up with one question. Maybe I’m just still overwhelmed right now by all the information! I do know that I want to start looking at the comprehensive curriculum for EBR and start getting ideas of how to incorporate her workshop ideas into a high school English classroom here. Maybe if I start planning now, I’ll be able to implement it by the time I start teaching!

changes for next week (28 Sept)

Let's read Chapter 4 and 7 (instead of 5) so we can keep talking about response and evaluation. I think it will be a rich topic. You'll also write inquiry #3 on one or both of these chapters.

We'll skip Chapter 5, "Getting Started." That's okay, I think, because it's probably going to be more useful to you down the road, when you're actually setting up a workshop in your own classroom. It has ideas for first minilessons and first day routines (how to introduce the workshop approach and your expectations to students, for instance). Also, if you choose to do the reading/writing territories final project, you'll want to use this chapter as a guide.

Inquiry for Chapter 3

Atwell opens up about the trials that come along with middle school classrooms, and how we can lead those trials to become tribulations. She discusses the psychological aspects of an adolescent in an effort to make us realize that adolescents’ behavior (mood swings, outbursts, social needs, etc.) is an uncontrollable force of nature (human).  I really enjoy reading this chapter because I have great interest in why we act the way we do, when we’re teens, and how do we get the world around us to conform to our unpredictable, and most of the time, intolerable but natural behavior.

 

Judging from Atwell’s interpretation of the status quo, and the real reason behind it, why does it even exist still? If our educational leaders in this country are, or supposed to be, all for equal educational opportunity for every individual, then why is tracking still in effect? It is pretty obvious the upsetting effects of tracking so why do it? Is it really done to make teachers’ jobs easier? Teachers’ jobs are not supposed to be easy! Maybe it’ll be easier for “them” to answer my question, rephrased: “To make our teaching jobs less harder?” Teachers become teachers with one goal in me: to teach someone. And while we’re preparing to teach, we are taught that it’s going to be a tough job on one individual teaching hundreds of students, hour to hour, day to day, week to week, and year to year. Whether it makes it harder for us, we’re to be dedicated and committed promoting student learning. I’m not saying allow things for us to be hard so that we’ll be driven to insanity and depression (LOL), but I’m saying we can’t keep ourselves (as teachers) “safe” by tracking if it results in low and upsetting rates of student performance. We should look for other solutions, take risks, and drive ourselves to the BRINK of insanity (not all the way there LOL) if that’s what it takes to get our students to their fullest potential.

adultism

As a complement to your thinking about Atwell's notes about adolescence, here are a few resources to consider what has come to be called "adultism." The notion that youth in our country don't have the rights and freedoms that they deserve is one that is being talked about more and more by youth workers and by the youth themselves. Check out some of the links below for insights into the conversation, and consider its implications as you spend time in your middle school site--how are schools and classrooms set up in ways that resist or that enact adultism? Ask yourself, here is the boundary between necessary structure and oppression? How can teachers maintain a safe, efficient and productive classroom while giving students a degree of autonomy and freedom? How can we establish our authority--which is essential--without robbing students of their own? What might this delicate balance look like in your classroom?

Youth Rights Network
The Free Child Project

Inquiry Ch. 3

Atwell uses chapter 3 to describe the adolescent students that a teacher will encounter in most middle school classrooms. Atwell describes the children that we can expect to see as teachers. At this age students begin to think about growing into adulthood and will display this change mentally and physically. This age in student/child development should be nurtured because the change is very important. Teachers can nurture this change with more independent study and more say in the classroom.

Teachers at this level of education must take all of these things into consideration when students begin to aggravate them. Teaching at the middle school level incorporates having tough skin, because these words cannot be taken to heart. Instead of backing away we must nurture the students, because they are reaching new intellectual levels. These kids are developing true creativity with understanding of it. How can we get students to learn? The only way to ensure that is to make sure that students are enjoying whatever they are doing. After all, anything can distract these growing students, so keep students involved and active. Dont develop students as fast or slow learners, this is not the time. As a result of these labels students in both groups may lose out.

Workshops are perfect for students at this age. Students can interact socially as well as to get their ideas across, which is great at this stage in student development.As teachers we must set the workshop on its tracks. Make sure that students have trust in these workshops sothey can speak freely. Also students must move. Keeping students involved is key to this entire process.

Inquiry #2 Middle School

In Chapter 3, Atwell really sums up the ideas of the two previous chapters. She reinforces the “workshop” as the best model for adolescents to learn through reading and writing. She also spends some time discussing the mentality of the middle school student – and I think she’s captured it. These kids (from what I’ve observed so far) are all over the place and seem utterly “in-between.” But I think she hits the nail on the head (about the teachers) when she says, “I think that losing control looms as our greatest fear. Rather than risk overstimulation we choose not to stimulate” (p. 68). As of today I’ve only spent about three and a half hours observing in a middle school class, but this quote pretty much sums up what I’m seeing. It’s like the teacher has to constantly correct her students to reinforce the idea that she’s in charge, but the result of that is a completely boring and worksheet-prone classroom. There’s no stimulation at all. And just as Atwell explains in her book, students are more prone to learn when they are able to enjoy it and be an active participant – not just a listener.

As I’ve said before, I love Atwell’s idea of the reading and writing workshops; I want to know more about the implementation of the workshops in the public schools. I know that she primarily works with middle school students but it seems that these workshops would work really well with high school students as well. I wonder if she’s ever tried that? Mostly I want to know how she gets students (of any age) to come together as a community of readers and writers. Students are so diverse and during those teen years, there always seems to be conflict or picking of some sort. How do these students come to trust each other with their work, their ideas, their emotions? That’s a lot for any person to share, let alone a teenager who isn’t quite sure who they are yet.