http://freerangelibrarian.com/2008/04/25/writing-and-teens/ K.G. Schneider's blog on librarianship, writing, and everything else Sun, 20 May 2012 03:37:16 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.1.1 http://freerangelibrarian.com/2008/04/25/writing-and-teens/comment-page-1/#comment-249907 Caryn Mon, 19 May 2008 15:33:08 +0000 http://freerangelibrarian.com/?p=1506#comment-249907 When students are taught how to carefully and respectfully review, this can work very well. It doesn't fit into your original vision as described in the last paragraph, but then a compromise is better than nothing. When students are taught how to carefully and respectfully review, this can work very well. It doesn’t fit into your original vision as described in the last paragraph, but then a compromise is better than nothing.

]]> http://freerangelibrarian.com/2008/04/25/writing-and-teens/comment-page-1/#comment-241955 K.G. Schneider Tue, 06 May 2008 10:41:54 +0000 http://freerangelibrarian.com/?p=1506#comment-241955 Robin, that's a really good insight. I had been pondering Caryn's point, which is a good one, and mulling over the idea that not all writing needs to be reviewed and graded by the instructor to be useful, and that sharing writing with peers could be a way around it. Robin, that’s a really good insight. I had been pondering Caryn’s point, which is a good one, and mulling over the idea that not all writing needs to be reviewed and graded by the instructor to be useful, and that sharing writing with peers could be a way around it.

]]> http://freerangelibrarian.com/2008/04/25/writing-and-teens/comment-page-1/#comment-241808 Robin Tue, 06 May 2008 03:29:51 +0000 http://freerangelibrarian.com/?p=1506#comment-241808 My teachers in elementary school and beyond frequently managed to increase the amount of writing we did without adding to their grading by having us do peer editing and self-evaluation. I think that reading each other's work and offering constructive criticism made us better readers and writers. It also helped us to appreciate each other as writers and thinkers. My teachers in elementary school and beyond frequently managed to increase the amount of writing we did without adding to their grading by having us do peer editing and self-evaluation. I think that reading each other’s work and offering constructive criticism made us better readers and writers. It also helped us to appreciate each other as writers and thinkers.

]]> http://freerangelibrarian.com/2008/04/25/writing-and-teens/comment-page-1/#comment-238316 jennifer Tue, 29 Apr 2008 13:32:31 +0000 http://freerangelibrarian.com/?p=1506#comment-238316 I don't know how she pulled off the grading, but my high school English teacher would have us do in class essays at least once or twice a month, plus numerous research and term papers. I once counted the papers I could find from my senior year; it was something like 36 five paragraph themes, 10 longer papers, and two research papers. I know this was invaluable training for the day I would be expected to turn out memos and position papers in a very short time. I don’t know how she pulled off the grading, but my high school English teacher would have us do in class essays at least once or twice a month, plus numerous research and term papers. I once counted the papers I could find from my senior year; it was something like 36 five paragraph themes, 10 longer papers, and two research papers. I know this was invaluable training for the day I would be expected to turn out memos and position papers in a very short time.

]]> http://freerangelibrarian.com/2008/04/25/writing-and-teens/comment-page-1/#comment-237706 Caryn Mon, 28 Apr 2008 14:06:51 +0000 http://freerangelibrarian.com/?p=1506#comment-237706 Your ideal world with all that writing would indeed be amazing. After all, how does one become better at something without practicing it, especially with guidance? As long as we have English classes with 44 students (as we do in my district), yearly tests where the "writing" questions only ask about grammar, and underfunded schools, however, it may be hard to pull off. I taught English for four years at both the middle school and high school level. When I hurried, an essay took anywhere from 5-7.5 minutes to grade. And that was pure grading, not including the conferencing time before. I had my 125 students write twelve essays a year, which is anywhere from 125-187.5 hours of grading alone (not including all the other journals, tests, and other activities I had them do) and all I heard was that I should have them do more, more, more. So, yes, the ideal is to have them write, write, write. But the feedback gets a little out of hand. Your ideal world with all that writing would indeed be amazing. After all, how does one become better at something without practicing it, especially with guidance? As long as we have English classes with 44 students (as we do in my district), yearly tests where the “writing” questions only ask about grammar, and underfunded schools, however, it may be hard to pull off. I taught English for four years at both the middle school and high school level. When I hurried, an essay took anywhere from 5-7.5 minutes to grade. And that was pure grading, not including the conferencing time before. I had my 125 students write twelve essays a year, which is anywhere from 125-187.5 hours of grading alone (not including all the other journals, tests, and other activities I had them do) and all I heard was that I should have them do more, more, more. So, yes, the ideal is to have them write, write, write. But the feedback gets a little out of hand.

]]> http://freerangelibrarian.com/2008/04/25/writing-and-teens/comment-page-1/#comment-236488 Helene Sun, 27 Apr 2008 02:13:02 +0000 http://freerangelibrarian.com/?p=1506#comment-236488 Said so well. Writing is important and vital part of self expression. It needs to be master on all levels no matter what form. Said so well. Writing is important and vital part of self expression. It needs to be master on all levels no matter what form.

]]> http://freerangelibrarian.com/2008/04/25/writing-and-teens/comment-page-1/#comment-235495 Linda Sat, 26 Apr 2008 02:17:18 +0000 http://freerangelibrarian.com/?p=1506#comment-235495 Sounds really logical, with having an hour's worth of in-class writing assignments. If it is the trend of society to not recognize that the new social network communication is not writing, then it is for the educated people and for the younger generation to change the mindset of the older generation. Sounds really logical, with having an hour’s worth of in-class writing assignments. If it is the trend of society to not recognize that the new social network communication is not writing, then it is for the educated people and for the younger generation to change the mindset of the older generation.

]]>