Teaching Writing to Bilingual Students

 

                In Fu’s chapter he brings up a great point when he talks about his experience of learning the English language, he says: “but was never taught how to write or barely wrote anything meaningful in English while learning English.”(Fu 14) I made the connection to the importance of writing and its importance whether learning a new language or just becoming better at your native language. I remember when I was younger and I began pre k, I was an English language learner. My first language was Spanish but fortunately for me I picked English quickly.  When I got a little older I went to an Elementary school in Providence that thought it was important for all students to know and learn Spanish. I remember making friends with kids in the ESL class and how little English they knew but I had the advantage of understanding them both ways. I look back thinking there was very little to no writing for the English language students learning Spanish and vice versa. I wonder how much more progress could those kids had if they practiced writing in the language often. I still keep in touch with some of the kids I met in the ESL class and ‘till this day they struggle with speaking and writing in English. The accents they had have gone away but you can tell they need more practice.

            I was fortunate enough to have lived with a Spanish speaking mother who reads, writes, and speaks English. But my mother never spoke to my siblings or myself in English; we were literally a bilingual home. My mother was very good at writing English back when I was a kid; granted she moved to New York from Dominican Republic at ten years old. My mother moved to Rhode Island at the age of twenty one and she said when she arrived to Providence almost nobody was Latino. So she was forced to write and speak in English and it was best for her to do so. As time passed more and more Dominicans from the Dominican Republic and other parts of the United States moved to Providence. As the result of the Dominican population there were more options for her and less opportunities to practice English because all her friends were now Spanish speakers. As my mother got older she got lost in speaking Spanish and not practicing writing in English and she had just finished beauty school which did not require much writing anyway. All of the application and parent forms from school she received were in English and of course everywhere we went and all but one channel on TV was in English. Somehow along the way my mom began to forget English. Today she still speaks, reads, and writes in English but it is not at its best. If my mother had to write in English more often leading up to today she would so much better at it. The key to learning another language is to write in it as much as possible. Just like the key to become a better writer is to write.

Improvised Writing

                I read a blog from the link in the syllabus by Lauren Esposito called “More than Just Laughs: Building Stronger Writers Through Improv Comedy.” I like how she said that teachers and parents should be a student’s side coaches. I thought to myself isn’t a coach usually someone who tells you how to play maybe we need a cheerleader. Then I thought but cheerleaders do not usually know the game or strategic ways to play a game; they just cheer you on whether right or wrong. The metaphor of a side coach came from the term used in improv comedy but I made a connection to sport coaches and how the goal a coach has for their players is to win and often giving the players advice on how to win or be a better player.  Esposito says: “Just as side-coaches work alongside actors to develop scenes, we can work alongside young writers as they develop ideas for writing, including narrative writing and other kinds of writing that pose arguments, persuade, and inform.” I like that she said working alongside young writers as they develop ideas for writing instead of saying giving young writers ideas for writing. I assume that Esposito is saying what Christensen often talks about when she says that we should allow young writers to write in their voices but help them be skillful when doing so.

                Esposito’s idea about writing is closer to creative writing than anything else. She has this idea that making writing fun helps the creative juices flow and the result can be something new every time. Esposito talks about a tool that improvisers use called yes to use with students when they come up with a different idea. She says that when a student is told yes it helps build enough confidence and eliminates self-doubt and avoids quick judgement. Esposito believes that from a new creative idea can become the start of a good plot for a story, an argument, or a claim. I love when she says: “Your goal is to allow each statement to spark a new thought without evaluating immediately how valid or relevant it is.” Esposito’s classroom is clearly student centered and I love how creative she is in her classroom allowing students to push their creativity out. I guarantee that her students have so much fun that they do not even notice. That takes me back to the beginning of the semester when we talked about our writing experience and earliest memory. When students have fun writing they will associate writing to being something good instead of dreading the idea of writing. Isn’t that what teaching writing is about?

Writing Skills

            When I first read the headliner to this link I thought “oh my gosh, everyone is a bad writer.” I felt as though this link was very specific and granted I know that there are some main qualities that a good writer should have but I felt like this was too specific. For example the first section titled “Ideas” came off a little too strong like when they used the word garbled which to some may seem offensive. But I then I think from the other side of this and say to myself well I guess a child’s writing should be clear and concise but I do not think that every time a child’s writing is “garbled” it does not mean that they are bad at having good ideas for their writing. Also there is a part where the Ideas section says “The writer chooses details that are interesting, important, and informative–often the kinds of details the reader would not normally anticipate or predict.” I think that for a child that can be confusing because most times writing is subjective. I think instead we should teach children to know who their audience is and write according to their audience because what is interesting so a certain audience may not be interesting to another.

            Other than the things I have mentioned I agree with everything else on the link. Every good writing piece should have organization because being organized makes your idea clear and your piece flow in a way in which it is understandable. Although I still think when the word garbled is a bit brutal. When it comes to teaching young children how to write I think of what Christensen says when she talks about pointing out all the good things in a child’s writer so that when it comes to bettering their skills they understand that they have potential to be skilled writers. When it comes to word choice I think that it goes hand-in-hand with the audience. For example if I am writing a poem for young adults I would put in some words or some references that appeal to them.

            Overall I think this link has a good set of skills every good writer should have. Of course there are things that need to be considered when teaching children how to write. Teachers should keep in mind that every child thinks differently and every child has a different voice. I agree with Christensen when she talks about voice and skills. Teachers should not confuse the different voices in writing with skills. Teaching children how to write takes time and patience. I think of Gallagher when he says that as a teacher you should not expect to make a perfect writer but expect to help them make progress.

Assessing Student Writing

                The first part of Gallagher’s chapter seven reminds me of the way in everyone in the class has expressed their feelings about their own writing. I began to wonder what it is about writing that makes people so self-conscious and critical. I know for me I always think about if it is good enough. Usually when I feel I have written something that I think is not that good I ignore it and try not to look at it ever again. Although I know that the more you look over your writing the better it gets. As I kept reading Gallagher I started to think of all the ways teachers in my past have given me the confidence to write. I can only think of one teacher in the tenth grade. I had an English teacher who always told me that the only competitor I had in writing was myself and that stuck with me throughout high school. But somewhere along the line I lost confidence in writing when I stumbled upon a teacher whose favorite color was red. I had never seen so many red marks on a paper in my life. From that teacher on I always felt that I was not a good write and so I avoided writing.

                I like when Gallagher says: “it is unrealistic to think I am going to make every one of my 165 students a strong writer. It is realistic, however, to begin each year with the goal that every student of mine, regardless of ability, is going to get better.” (Gallagher 142) I do not want to assume but I think that some teachers are so fixated on standards that they forget that all students have different circumstances and ways of learning. If all teachers just compared each student to their own work then things could be a little better. I think the challenge with this is the pace of the curriculum and having specific amount of time to get things done in the classroom; that is why it is important to have students write as much as possible. I also like the way Gallagher talk about the basic skills every good writer should know and have. I believe that there are a set of skills which every good writer needs in order to write the best way they can.

                Christensen like Gallagher seems to have students writing down to a science reminding me of our class discussion about format and formula. Seems like both Gallagher and Christensen have a formulaic way of helping students become better writers. What I like most about Christensen is that her grading policy was fair and student-centered. I like how she used the words “polish” and “rework” in substitute of correcting a paper. Also like that she explained that “homework is an extension of the work in class” because it goes along with class participation which is required in the class.  If I were a student reading Christensen’s grading policy I would feel as though I have a great chance to pass.

Teaching Authentic Writing

                Before I read Pahl and Roswell I never really thought about literature as artifacts but after reading about it, it made so much sense to me especially when they mentioned letters and mails. I began to think of all the ways in which I have literacy artifacts in my own life. In box somewhere in my room I have letters from my best friend from high school. My friend and I would write long letters to each other every day. And even though we were being distracted from real writing and reading we were still doing some form of literature. But I also remember not writing so much in high school. The only times I would write was if it was for an essay assignment or for a letter to my friend. I am glad to have those letters and have artifacts of my life. I think it important to view literature as historical or social artifacts because without these artifacts a lot of knowledge we know today would be absent. All of the ways in which we collect information from people and educators comes in the form of literature. Pahl and Roswell made a good point when they said that literature is a piece of history because whatever is written in the present time will be a reflection of the moment in that time.

I agree that teaching authentic writing is important because everyone has a different story to tell and many have the same story to tell but in their own way. It is important that we embrace students to write in their own voices if not then they are not authentic literacy artifacts. The word facts is a part of the word fact and so what good is writing if it is not factual or true to the person who wrote it. I think about all of the ways in which I have conformed as a write sometimes being someone whose first language is Spanish. I feel like often we are stripped away of our identity and our way of writing whether your first language is English or not. What better way to embrace each other’s identity and culture than to allow each other to write authentically. When we write authentically it rings true to someone out there that feels the same way or has the same perspective. Also it is important that we teach students to write in their own voices skillfully so that it is valued. The power of literature is that it comes from a perspective in which we can identify with and if we do not teach student to write authentically then where does that leave our stories?

Teaching Students Not Skills

Although Morell’s chapters were pretty tough to read through, Morell’s chapter 6 about cyberactivism has made me think about several things: I thought about how Morell made a valid point when he said “with each of these uses came evidence of academic and critical literacy development.” (153) Morell was referring to all of the various ways the internet is used for like “social, academic, and activist-oriented purposes.” (153) I agree that all of the ways in which the internet is used has enhanced literacy. I think about my personal experience with the internet and how much material I read a day. Whether I am reading the latest celebrity gossip or local news, I am constantly reading.  Also not to mention all of the information that is accessible on the internet. People have access to almost every bit of information in the palm of their hands.  With the advancement of technology we have access to all kinds of literature now that expand the knowledge of those that are not able to get educated the traditional way. (School/college) All of the literature online has also helped professors with being able to analyze old text of which physical copies are hard to obtain.

Also the technology of email and things like google drive help students all across the country share ideas and documents with each other. On the other hand, I have heard of classrooms as low as second graders using computer and technology to teach and engage students in the classroom. I am torn in between agreeing and disagreeing with having such advanced technology in such low classroom grades. I think of all the low income schools and kids who have technology requirements from their teacher and cannot afford one or get to a computer. That leaves the upper class kids yet another skill to have that lower class kids will not have. I remember growing up, in my high school there were only a certain amount of computers available to us, and so we might have lacked in skills and knowledge about computers that other kids did in Rhode Island. But I do think that it is a good thing for kids to practice at such a young age so that they are ready for college. Besides having all of the distractions with social media and games there are plenty of tools and websites that enhance a student’s experience of learning.

Making Writing Meaningful For Youth

When Gallagher says, "Tests come and go, but attitudes about writing can be lifelong” (Gallagher 93) it reminds me of many people I went to school with. I never really thought about how writing about things that I was not interested in would mark me in a negative way. After reading Gallagher’s chapter 5 I started to think about how I feel about a writing assignment and most of the time I do not want to do it but as far as writing in general do not mind it; although I can see how there would be negative feelings towards writing. Most times a teacher in school assigned something I remember it was about something I did not care for and so I never put all my effort into the writing. But when it came to a research paper where I could choose the topic I was so excited to write about something I cared about and put my best foot forward. I really enjoyed the two guiding principles of a writing classroom. I agreed with the first principle the most: “Sometimes we have to take a step backward before we can move forward.” The principal is self-explanatory. How can students excel and be highly skilled of something they are not good at in the first place.

On the other hand I agree with the myth of the boring topic. Much like Gallagher I too would change things around in the classroom and give the topics the state demands a different twist. In order to do something like this in your classroom I think it is important to see at what level is every student in and writing and get to know them as people. It is sort of connecting to the idea Christensen has in chapter two talking about teaching narrative writing in the classroom. Every student or any one in general has their own narrative and their own point of view and so that means every student will bring a different style of writing to the classroom. I think teaching narrative in writing is important especially personal narrative writing because like Gallagher says what better way to teach writing than to show students to love the beauty in it. I think that personal narratives can be the root of a sense of community in the classroom to match up with the idea of Christensen’s read along. When the classroom feels more like a community than an instructional setting students can have confidence in themselves, their peers, the teacher and ultimately do well in academics.