Making Writing Meaningful Response

Wednesday, February 11th, 2009 | Uncategorized

First, I would like to start by saying that I really liked the concept of this particular video. It was a topic that really appealed to me because one of my main goals as a future teacher of writing is motivating my students to write. Personally, I have always felt that if students are writing on topics they find interesting or appealing they will feel more motivated to write well and will be more invested in the assignment as a result. This video was about motivating students to write. The featured teachers in these videos encouraged students to write about matters that were relevant and important to their lives. Some strategies used were writing editorials, writing on current events, and using media such as music to encourage students to write on topics they cared about. The teachers talked about creating an environment where student’s voices are heard. Another concern was that the student writers need to fell a purpose and need to have ownership in their writing.

The first teacher that was introduced was Damond Moodie, he taught a diverse student-centered classroom. One of his main goals was to offer choice to the students because he felt that choice creates excitement and excitement creates a product. I really liked this concept and I really agree with his statement. He also gave an assignment I liked where the students were asked to look in the media for articles and give their opinion on the article they chose. First of all, this assignment gave the students a choice and when they found the article they liked they were more prompted to give a genuine reaction to the topic because it was something they cared about. This assignment also gave the students an opportunity to connect to the outside world express their views and interests. I gathered that the students seemed very excited and willing to share on their chosen topic. I think this particular assignment really proved that when a student is interested and invested in what they are writing about their final product will be a lot more successful.

This assignment idea also fit well with Stacey Osborn’s idea of having students formulate their own questions for their writing. I interviewed Stacey for the interview project and she stressed the importance of having students formulate their own questions to write on. She said that students will feel more invested in the assignment if they have chosen what to write about. I can speak from experience that this method is successful because I used the method of critical questioning in her class and not only did I learn a lot but I was also more motivated. I think the ideas from Damond’s classroom all the way to Stacey’s really come together to prove that if a student is writing about something they feel connected to or interested in they will be more motivated to write in the end. I realize that not every assignment can be based on current events but the more you try appeal to the students as individuals the more successful their writing will be.