blog #8: memorandum reflection

While working on my memorandum, I had trouble keeping consistency. I felt like I had problems keeping a professional tone as well as making recomendations that would help recomend a writing program. I felt myself writing about what teachers should do in the classroom rather than what a writing program should contain. I suppose these things do have a connection, but it was rather hard for me to seperate the two.

I found it rather easy to deal with issues of correctness as I didn't have many issues with spelling or punctuation and I also found it easy to pull out the ideas that I believed to be the most important. Those ideas became the basis of my recomendations and I was able to expand through the information provided from the texts we read.

blog #7: the importance of correctness

In our discussion in class it was interesting to hear the problems that everyone else has with correctness and how they compared with mine. I always thought I was the only one who struggled with effect and affect, but that obviously wasn't the case. I also thought our discussion on when it mattered was interesting. I know I don't pay attention to my grammar or punctuation when I'm writing to a friend but when I write a formal paper or an email to a teacher I am much more conscious of what I am writing and how it is put together.

blog #6: reflecting on readings

From what I have been reading, I have seen that it is important to make sure that the students in a classroom have a personal connection to their writing. Whether this connection be in the topic, genre, or other area of writing, it is important to the students development for a love for writing. My writings have stressed the importance of media to children and how that can impact their experiences in writing as well as freedom they experience in their applications.

What concerns me the most is not the ideas that are presented, but more of an idea of implication. How do we make this a reality in the classroom? One article I read stresses the importance of allowing students to choose their own topics on which they will write about. I can see the importance of this because when they are writing about something that is important to them, they are more likely to enjoy the process itself. I feel that this approach could be beneficial in the classroom, but aren't there certain times when different types of writing are required (ie: fiction, non-fiction, etc.)? Are we to set guidelines and let our students expand on the ideas from there or should we just leave the subjects open at all times?

Another idea that is constantly expressed in my writings is the expectations that teachers should hold for their students. The authors of my articles have stressed that expectations should be high for students and that feedback should be both positive and frequent. One author stated that students shouldn't be limited to a final draft. This makes sense to me. Maybe teachers could make writing an ongoing process, allowing for students to revise and rewrite as often as they desire instead of setting a final date where their writing must be complete.