We started work today by having you do some in-class writing for the process narrative. (The prompt is pasted in at the end of this post). As you wrote we had an on-going conversation regarding your observations of and reflections on patterns in your writing process and what they might suggest about how you write.
During the second half of class we discussed Peter Elbow's suggestions for a teacherless classroom, and how to make new use of writing groups. As we talked through the points in Elbow's chapter, you got into groups, worked through the planning steps, and then began some peer work using his method.
The main idea behind Elbow's suggestions is that writers "don't need advice about changes to make" or "theories of what is good or bad writing" (p.77). What they need, according to Elbow, is for readers to say back/provide information about how their writing affects them. To this end he suggests that writers work in committed, long-term groups of about 7 people, to provide one another with exactly that kind of feedback.
In particular, he indicates that the kind of feedback writers need is about pointing, summarizing, telling, and showing (see the headings in Chapter 4). That is, readers provide writers information about: 1) what gets their attention and drew them in (and what doesn't makes sense or connect) by pointing to particular words and phrases; 2) what they hear their writing as saying (summarizing what the "get" as a whole, and by parts); 3) by telling the writer how they felt, what when through their head, what they thought as they read the piece; 4) and by "showing" responses to writing (see p. 90 for showing, which is a little harder to grasp than the first three kinds of feedback
Our class now has 3 writers groups.
Maria, Heloiza, Ally, Brittany P, and Elena
Jo-Sette, Julia, Brittany T, Celena, and Aaron
Melissa, Alleli, Eve, Mody and Meghan
I will be forwarding a group email, with everyone in each group cc'd, so you can all be in touch.
Each group decided on role (facilitator, timekeeper, and reporter), and worked out a protocol for sharing their work so that group members have access to each other's writing. We then spent the rest of class "practicing" providing feedback to what you have written so far for the literacy narrative.
In the (very quick) say-back after this practice using Elbow's method, I noticed that some of you seem to want the regular kind of feedback on your literacy narratives (what to work on suggestions). That is OK if you want to do that, but remember, that the primary charge of your group is to provide one another feedback which consists of pointing, summarizing, telling and showing => feedback that gives the author a detailed idea of what readers heard in her/his writing, how they felt about it, what struck them and what was confusing, etc. Your primary role as a peer is NOT to provide suggestions (leave that to the author) but to tell the reader your response.
For next class:
Read: Elbow Introduction + Chapter 1
Write:
1) Post the process writing for composing your literacy narrative draft.
2) Post some observations about your writing process for another assignment or kind of writing that write back to the prompts (or something similar) that we wrote to in class (in this blog post)
3) Write a plan for revising your literacy narrative based on feedback from our group. If you didn't get feedback today, you may post this after class next week.
Did you compose this draft in more than one sitting? Describe each “session” (in so far as you can) in terms of:
Where were you when you wrote? Describe the setting.
What technologies did you use to write?
Did you use information/ideas from a previous session? Where did they come from? How did you access them as you work writing this time (for example: from memory, re-read note, worked on same text/draft. ..)
Describe your process - from beginning to end, in as much detail as you can remember it.
For the invention process
For the drafting process:
What did you expect to do in this session?
What did you end up accomplishing?
Which sections came most easily? Describe the writing process for these.
What did you end up accomplishing?
Which sections came most easily? Describe the writing process for these.
Which sections were hardest? Describe the writing process for these?
What parts did you write first?
What parts did you write last?
Are there any sections of this draft that you deleted? Rearranged? Changed the wording for in a major way: Describe.
Did you write rapidly in some places and sit and “think” for others? Describe places that came easily + places that were “hard”?
In what places did you spend the most time?
Did you take time to “brainstorm” or think about what to add for any section in this document? More than one? Describe.
Were there interruptions? (talking to friends, selecting playlists, phone calls, etc) => how did they affect the flow of your writing?
Did you cut/paste - move any sections of text from another document?
No comments:
Post a Comment