Writing Workshops
Teaching composition is and has always been a very daunting and dreaded tasks for most of us teachers to undertake. From getting the students to generate ideas about a given topic, right down to marking/grading what they actually wrote, can be somewhat described as "pulling teeth" to some of us. On the other hand, it is a "toothache" for our poor students, who, within a short period and with very little motivation and resources, are expected to produce a well written, grammatically and structurally correct paragraph or story. However, the major problem for both parties lie in the manner the writing is taught. We as teachers often fail to correctly and effectively teach students how to write. As expressed in the previous blog discussions, this could be because we ourselves do not know how to write.
Conducting a writing workshop within our classrooms is a recommended solution to the problems teachers and students are facing in the writing classes. This workshop is a student-centered approach aimed to teach and guide students through the writing process ( i.e. planning, drafting, revising, editing, publishing), while allowing them freedom to choose their own topics based on a particular unit of study (e.g. descriptive writing), as well as to work at their own pace. With frequent practice in this, it is believed that students interest and skills in writing will improve.
A typical writing workshop consist of three main components which are:
mini-lesson - where the teacher teaches a specific skill or strategy useful to the development of the students' writing. It is important to note that this should not be used as a grammar or word-work/spelling lesson.
writing/practice time - where they write independently based on the skills they were taught during the mini-lesson.
share time- where they share what they were working on during the practice time, getting useful feedback form their teacher and peers.
While their is no definite or prescribed time for each component, as time flexibility is allowed depending on the time the teacher has for the workshop, it is recommended that the time be weighed as short 5-10 minutes for mini-lesson, 20 - 30 minutes for practice time and 5 minutes for sharing time, for a total of 40-45 minutes.
During the practice time, teachers should walk around the room and conference with their students on a one on one or small group basis ( that is if the students in that group are all at the same level of writing), guide their progress and provide additional help to develop their skills at whatever level they are at. It is important for teachers to understand that , as was mentioned before, that the students work at their own pace and will not all be at the same level of writing during the conferencing session, however they are to meet and help them wherever they are.
I have heard of writing workshops before, but have never gotten the full gist of what it entails until now. I am happy to say that I understand fully what it entails and is something that I see necessary to be implemented in classrooms. What really stood out for me, was the idea of students choosing what they want to write, as this according to the experts will make them more interested and write in more detail. When students are given prompts it can be real difficult for some of them to generate ideas as they may not be able to relate to it or may not necessarily like that specific thing they are asked to write about and this will lessen their interest, causing them not to produce much writing. One of the biggest turn-offs for me as writer then (as a student) and now, is to be told to write on something I have no interest in, especially if I do not have the time to research on it. This is the same for our students.
I also liked the fact that it does not matter that all students do not complete their writing pieces at the same time, but what matters most is that they are given adequate practice and time to work on their writing. This makes them more confident when they are not rushed to produce full composition pieces in a limited amount of time, but they can go back and finish their pieces as they develop the taught skills, even after the writing session has ended.
The conferencing aspect of the writing workshop, is deemed to me most important. I remember struggling to get my students' to write on a given topic, and often times ended up having to work with them on a one on one basis to get it done, and this helped to some extent. I do not believe that I did the best job at it then, because I often ended up being the one generating the most ideas for them. However, it is very important for us as teachers to have these conferences to guide their thinking as well as to provide positive, useful feedback , necessary for them to want to write more.
I recommend that all teachers at all grade levels, make the time to learn more about these workshops. For anyone reading this posts who know nothing about it yet, below are some very helpful links that can help you get started. Though it has its challenges (especially at the start), we should really engage our students in them to help them develop their skills as writers. I would definitely try this in my classroom.
Launching Writing Workshops at Kindergarten
A very well detailed explanation of the writers workshop. It shows that you have not only understood the concept taught but have gained a wealth of knowledge.
ReplyDeleteThe information presented has reminded me as a teacher of the dos and don'ts when teaching writing. Looking forward to implementing such in my classroom
A wealth of knowledge about Writing Workshops. I like how you explain it in details, which includes the three main components. This strategy is a very good strategy to be implemented in our classroom. the information was well delivered and easy to understand.
ReplyDeleteVery good synthesis of what writing workshop entails and why it is important. As a teacher I dreaded teaching composition because as you said in your post the reason might be do not know how to write. I agree that all schools need to implement the writing workshops in their school so teachers are aware of the proper way to teach writing.
ReplyDeleteI do think it is important for writing teachers at all levels to implement a writing workshop. It would be beneficial for not only struggling students but further develop students who have some skill as writers.
ReplyDeleteThis is an ideal wealth of knowledge that explains the components of the writer's workshop. I do like the components of the writer's workshop and the way each should be used throughout a typical writing lesson. I think if done effectively both students and teachers would show improvement or a love for writing.
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