"Whatever you want to teach, be brief" Horace
Tonight's webinar was on the topic of writing. Since I'm not "teaching" writing this year, I only partially listened. This means, my initial participation in the webinar was limited until I casually through out the quote, "I'm not teaching writing this year."
My fellow wibbeters jumped on that statement faster than I could reread what I had written. They reminded me (all of them) that, yes indeed I do teach writing and that I need to be including writing instruction in all I do. My thoughts - oh no - what have I missed while I was busy thinking this session was not for me.
Fortunately, I could re-watch the episode and I quickly readjusted my observation intensity and learned that the secret to teaching writing is actually teaching small microskills with an enormous amount of oral practice. Coach began by discussing complexers tonight. Complexers are any words that add detail and complexity to a sentence. Some possible complexers: are and, or, but, though, as. They are little bits of language that make a sentence complex.
Coach went through so many other wonderful ideas tonight. Honestly, there were just too many to digest, or(complexer), I was too tired tonight to absorb them. I think I will introduce complexers tomorrow along with the idea that every noun, when speaking, requires an adjective. It should be a fun day.
The constant learning is just one of the many reasons I love WBT. If left to my own devices, and without support, I would probably have given up by now. But thanks to my weekly motivation (learning) sessions and the oppportunity to reflect each week, I am still forging ahead.
I have noticed a few areas that I need to bump up a notch. I haven't been giving enough points on the scoreboard. I have not been ensuring my praise is distributed throughout the week by keeping track. I haven't been recording information for Mind Soccer. I haven't written the new kids names on my Super Improvers Wall. I haven't found my rythm teaching math yet. I have yet to feel organized.
Yet, with all of the areas that I need to improve, there are some successes too. I go home every night tired and happy with a feeling of accomplishment. My students are enjoying school and learning. They are building confidence and strength as learners and risk takers. They are taking control of their learning. Some of our students who struggle behaviorally are engaged and trying to learn. I couldn't ask for more from them and am giving my students and their families all I have. We as a class entity are making plenty of mistakes, but as coach taught me, and I taught my kiddo's, "it's cool," and it is so cool - mistakes and all.
Bells
2 comments:
As you know, writing is THE MOST IMPORTANT thing in my humble opinion. The reciprocal nature of oral language, writing, and reading... a never-ending cycle that influences each other. I am so saddened about how writing becomes marginalized and fragmented in schools as some "separate" thing. Also, children view writing as punishment at times. How did that happen? I cannot imagine going a day without writing. It is my passion. When people ask me "IF you were stranded on a desert island and you could only have one book, what would it be?" I answer, "None. Just make sure I have stick where I could write in the sand." My love and passion for written expression was nurtured in me by my second and fourth grade teachers....through the medium of poetry initially. Thankful they had the forethought to plant the seeds of writing in me when no one else did. Bells, I have seen you teach...and you are ALWAYS teaching writing in some way but it is so natural for you, that maybe you did not realize you were doing it?
This spring and summer we traveled up the East coast on our sailboat. On the way, I blogged. At first it was hard, but then gradually it became fun incorporating all the techniques I had been teaching my students over the last 8 years. My sister, retired librarian, and president of the MO school librarians, and you know has read many great books over the years asked me, "Did you know you could write like that." My reply, "No not really, but you really can't teach kids to write unless you learn how to yourself." Thanks to the 5200 views from several different countries of my blog who motivated me find my writer's voice:) Now, I can't not write.
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