We read three chapters this week, chapters 7, 8, and 9. Chapters 8 and 9 were very similar because they both discussed important things to cover when conducting one on one conferences with students. Chapter 8 focused mainly on researching and addressing each students strengths in writing before trying to teach them how to correct all the things they are doing wrong. I think this is very important. In every class I have had concerning addressing students and even parents has emphasized the importance of pointing on the strengths before pointing out the weaknesses. One question that came to mind as I was reading however was, how can you be sure to praise the student's strengths but at the same time not overly praise them causing them to think that they have mastered that skill and can stop trying to better it? I also found the section of this chapter interesting that talked about specific writing craft skills that we develop over time just by reading others writing. I have noticed that when I read a book and then have to do a writing assignment that my writing style will change slightly and resemble more the authors style whom I had just read.
Chapter 9 dealt with the next step in a conference which is picking the topic you want to work on with the student first and foremost. The question that was addressed a lot in this chapter and I wondered about as well was, which is more important to focus on, problems with craft of problems with mechanics? The author talked a lot about how it is important to combine the two but I still do not understand how to do this. When reading a students writing it is very easy to pick out all the things that are wrong with it but how do we find the time to fix all of these problem areas without just telling the students how to do it?
Chapter 7 was very insightful and in a way kind of addressed a lot of my concerns from chapter 9. It is important not to just tell a student what they are doing wrong and fix it for them as chapter 7 states "Telling is not teaching." This is such an important concept because it is crucial for students to do things for themselves in order to learn. When I was growing up I had a horrible attention span and could not pay attention at all when the teacher was just lecturing and having us listen quietly without any interaction. I know as teachers it will be hard for us not to just stand up in front of the class and talk and assume all the students are paying attention and understanding because the information seems so simple to us but the fact of the matter is it is brand new information to the students and many of them wont be retaining much of what we are telling them. I learned the best and retained the most information as a child when the teacher would tell us we were going to practice the skill we were learning individually after the lesson or talk about it in groups. I was so worried about not knowing what was going on that I forced myself to try and understand what we were learning.
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I also had an issue with praising the students. I feel like it could cause problems as well. Not to mention it wastes time that could be spent on working on the specific areas the students need help in.
ReplyDeleteI am also confused about the praising versus correcting. I know it is important for students to correct what they struggle with but I don't really understand why it is less important than praising the students for what they do right. I know it has to with self-esteem but you don't want students dismissing the things that are wrong in their writing because they are getting praise from the teacher. I feel it would be confusing for students because you are telling them they are doing so great and then you have to, at some point, help them with the areas they struggle with.
ReplyDeleteGreat questions! I agree with you on the perils of praise. Sometimes it's just sugar-coated coercion and other times it's overdone and becomes meaningless. One way to address this is to sincerely compliment rather than pepper children with "Good, good, good". As for balancing encouragement and teaching, I don't think they're exclusive. Pointing out what a child is ready to learn is different than correcting mistakes. It's why we need to analyze and think carefully about next steps. Finally, some teachers use a rule of thumb in writing conferences, something like this: Point out one thing the child did well and one thing to try. Then, follow up with a try-it.
ReplyDeleteI think that praising the students will be both a henderance and a helpful thing. I say that because if you praise them more on them making and fixing the corrections, this could possibly keep pushing them. this could also go with them getting comfortable with you and trusting you. In other words there are several good things that can help you better the student with the one on one time. But on the things that could cause this to stab you in the back as a teacher would be that the student foruses more on teh praise. Depending what you give them or say to them, they will hear it and run with it. Sometimes teachers say some things that a child has never heard from a parent or guardian and it makes them feel good and this could cause them to focus more on that.
ReplyDeleteI am also a little concerned about telling vs. teaching. All i remember from my high school classes were standing up and lecturing.It was very hard for me to pay attention in this kind of setting. I find that when i am engaged in an activity where i am practicing the skill i can understand much better.I think we will have to keep this in mind as teachers and make sure to engage our students.
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