sbally’s blog

Name:  Shawn Bally

 

 

Writing and Teaching Attitudes Survey

 

The questions that follow are designed to elicit your feedback as a student, a writer, and one who is interested in teaching writing to others.  

 

1.       Describe your abilities as a writer (circle one):

 

Excellent           Strong               Okay                Weak               Terrible

 

2.       Describe your perceived abilities as a soon-to-be teacher of writing (circle one):

 

Excellent           Strong               Okay                Weak               Terrible

 

3.       Describe your history as a student of English/Language Arts (circle one):

 

Excellent           Strong               Okay                Weak               Terrible

 

4.       How confident are you in your writing ability?  (5 = extremely confident, 0 =  not at all confident)

 

5                      4                      3                      2                      1                      0

 

5.       How confident are you in your ability to teach writing?  (5 = extremely confident, 0 =  not at all confident)

 

5                      4                      3                      2                      1                      0

 

6.       How comfortable are you having teachers assess your writing?  (5 = extremely comfortable, 0 = extremely uncomfortable)

 

5                      4                      3                      2                      1                      0

 

7.       How comfortable are you with assuming the role of assessor—of assessing student writing?  (5 = extremely comfortable, 0 = extremely uncomfortable)

 

5                      4                      3                      2                      1                      0

 

8.       How much value do you give instructor assessments of your writing?  (5 = tremendous value, 0 = no value)

 

5                      4                      3                      2                      1                      0

 

9.       How much value do you believe your students will give your assessments of their writing?  (5 = tremendous value, 0 = no value)

 

5                      4                      3                      2                      1                      0

 

10.   How often are or were you asked to participate in some form of peer response activity in the writing classes you have taken in college and in high school? 

 

Very often            Often                Sometimes              Rarely             Never     

 

11.   How often will you ask your students to participate in some form of peer response activity? 

 

Very often            Often                Sometimes              Rarely             Never     

 

12.   How comfortable are you having fellow classmates respond to your writing?  (5 = extremely comfortable, 0 = extremely uncomfortable)

 

5                      4                      3                      2                      1                      0

 

13.   How comfortable do you believe your students are likely to be having their fellow classmates respond to their writing?  (5 = extremely comfortable, 0 = extremely uncomfortable)

 

5                      4                      3                      2                      1                      0

 

14.   How confident are you in responding to your peers’ writing?  (5 = extremely confident, 0 = not at all confident)

 

5                      4                      3                      2                      1                      0

15.   How confident do you imagine your students will be in responding to their peers’ writing?  (5 = extremely confident, 0 = not at all confident)

 

5                      4                      3                      2                      1                      0

 

16.   How much value do you give peer responses to your writing?  (5 = tremendous value, 0 = no value)

 

5                      4                      3                      2                      1                      0

 

17.   How much value do you imagine your students are likely to give peer responses to their writing?  (5 = tremendous value, 0 = no value)

 

5                      4                      3                      2                      1                      0

 

 

Short Answer

 

18.   If asked to define writing in your own words, how would you respond?  What is (or isn’t) writing?

 

Writing is a means of expressing one’s feelings, expressions, or opinions about a particular matter whether it be formal or informal and fictional or non-fictional. Writing includes any form of written review as well as a creative idea.

 

19.   If asked to define teaching in your own words, how would you respond?  What is (or isn’t) teaching?

 

Teaching is a task characterized by delivering information to students in a manner that is both appealing and that will build and store on their cognitive abilities.

 

 

 

20.   What would you list as your particular strengths as a writer?  And how have you come to know them as your strengths?

 

I would say my strengths as a writer include the ability to communicate a creative idea or thought as a response to something such as a prompt or question. I’ve learned through writing multiple papers and written assignments throughout both high school and college that writing is my strength when it comes to academics.

 

 

21.   What would you list as your particular weaknesses or challenges as a writer?  And how have you come to know them as your weaknesses or challenges?

 

Though I am good with words and creative ideas, the message I am seeking to convey often times can come out unclear to my readers. I’ve learn this through feedback from instructors and professors on some of the written assignments I’ve complete to where I realize I was the only one that truly understood what I was trying to say.

 

22.     How did you learn to write; or, how do you remember learning to write?

 

I unclearly remember learning to write from my mom when I was very young. As a child, I remember having little interest in school, especially reading and writing. I don’t remember how she helped, but I do remember practicing letters and writing skills with her outside of the classroom.

 

23.   When, or as a result of what phenomena, do you believe writing improves?

 

I think writing really improves once students learn their ability to produce and create language at their own discretion. I would guess that this age would be somewhere near the 2^nd or 3^rd grade levels.

 

24.   When, or as a result of what phenomena, do you believe writing worsens?

 

Writing worsens when humans become lazy with written language and its usage. We begin ignoring the fundamental rules and techniques of writing to make the task easier on themselves.

 

25.   What would you list as your particular strengths as a teacher of writing?  And how have you come to know them as your strengths?

 

I think I am good at building relationships with students that result in their interest in my teaching. With this being so, I think I have the strength to overcome the most difficult goal in teaching, keeping students intrigued.

 

 

26.   What would you list as your particular weaknesses or challenges as a teacher of writing?  And how have you come to identify them as your weaknesses or challenges?

 

I would say my weakness as a teacher of writing would be my lack of patience. I often become frustrated if a student is not responding how I’d like them to after an extended period of time of instruction. I’ve learned this about myself through field experiences and tutoring sessions with students.

 

27.   Some people say that writing ability is something that cannot be taught.  What do you think?

 

I think the basic rules and fundamentals that help students to get started on their writing skills can be taught. However the level of development and intellectual writing status a student reaches really depends on that particular student and their effort to work with those skills and rules.

 

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