Think Piece #4

            The success of student writing relies heavily on the teacher.  The teacher is responsible for motivating students to write and also to give them the resources needed to be successful.  These tools are not always the same for each individual student. 

As stated in Best Practices in Writing Instruction, “When students do not value writing or a specific writing task, they may exert as little effort as possible to complete it” (Graham, McArthur, & Fitzgerald, 2007).  I have seen many different styles of teaching writing.  The ones that I see to be most successful are the ones in which the students are given a purpose for writing and also choice.  One of the questions we often hear as teachers is, “Why do we have to do this?”  I know that I hear it quite frequently, mostly from my intermediate students rather than my primary students.  Students need to have a reason for why they are required to complete a specific task.  This will help them to be more successful.  If they are simply asked to write just to do it, they will be less likely to be motivated. 

Giving choice to students gives them an extra motivation to write.  There are times when you have to give students a specific topic to write about, but there are also times to let the students choose what they want to write about.  The teacher provides the students with the type of writing along with guidelines and the students choose the topic.  The class I worked with wrote a variety of writing pieces such as personal narratives, procedural writing, friendly letters, and persuasive essays.  The majority of the students truly enjoyed writing these pieces because they had the opportunity to write about topics that meant something to them or that they enjoyed.  Many of the boys have a strong interest in wrestling and always seem to find a way to work that into their writing.  They became passionate about their writing. 

One of my special education students just last week was writing a friendly letter to a pen pal from another school.  This student generally struggles with task imitation and needs teacher assistance to help him form his thoughts.  We wrote friendly letters earlier in the school year and he wrote them, but did not show the enthusiasm that he did when writing to a pen pal.  This practical application motivated him.  This particular student wrote a solid two and a half pages independently to his pen pal and did not want to stop.  I was so proud of him.  I truly believe that choice is an important motivator for students. 

While writing persuasive essays, the students worked on trying to persuade their parents to let them have a later bedtime.  Although the students were not given a choice on the topic, they were all eager to write.  The choice in this particular genre of writing was, what time they should stay up until and how they were going to persuade their parents.  The students were engaged in this writing activity because they felt strongly about it.  One of my students said that he would use flattery or reverse psychology to persuade his parents.  I was impressed with this terminology as this is a second grade student. 

I completely agree with the quote from the text.  It is an important aspect to consider when teaching writing.  It may seem minute, but in the end choice is a motivator for students. 

Think Piece #3

Students are motivated in different ways.  Motivation for reading and other activities varies greatly from student to student.  Being aware of students’ literacy personalities can give you insight into how to motivate them. 

It is important to establish a purpose for reading.  I have many students ask me every week why are we reading this, why are we writing that, why do we have to do this?  Most teachers respond by telling the students because we have to, its part of the curriculum, the state/school says I have to teach it.  If we give students more practical reasons for whey they have to complete a task, they will most likely be more motivated to complete it.  Some students such as one in the study from the article, “What Motivates Students to Read,” is intrinsically motivated.  These students want to read and want to do well in school.  They put forth their best effort and do not need tangible motivators to complete assignments. 

Other students are motivated mostly by tangible rewards.  I have one student who is a struggling reader that needs daily tangible rewards to motivate him to read and participate in guided reading group.  This particular student does well utilizing strategies that he has learned to decode words and help to understand a story.  On his current instructional level, he is doing well.  If he is not interested in a particular topic of a book we are reading, he often times chooses to engage in avoidance behaviors.  I try to find books that will hold his attention, but that is not always possible.  He earns a small tangible reward on days that he is reading in an appropriate voice and participates in discussions about what we have read.  We have tried many different approaches with this student including non-tangible rewards, but the current plan in place has had the most success. 

I have noticed that students’ motivation to read changes as he or she grows and develops as a reader.  It is important to get to know your students not only as readers, but also as individuals.  Student backgrounds can play an important role in their level of engagement and enjoyment in reading as well as writing.  Providing various opportunities for reading, both structured and unstructured, is key.  Guided reading groups are important to teach students the skills necessary to learn and grow as readers.  To help build interest in reading, students need a time to read independently too.  I like the Daily 5 because it gives students choice in their reading.  The books students choose from are on their individual levels, but the key is that they choose the books.  They not only choose the books, but they also choose a spot to read in the room.  I have seen many students motivated to read by simply being given choice.    

Thinking back to my reading as a child, I was more motivated by the expectations of both my teachers and my parents to complete work.  Although I did not always like reading as a child, I did it when it was assigned because I was a student who followed directions and had much support at home.  As I got older, I began to like reading more and more.  My reading skills developed and so did my interest in reading.  By middle school I enjoyed reading when I was given choice.  This is when I went through my mystery phase and my favorite author was Agatha Christie.  I eventually grew out of that and began reading many different genres and authors.  To this day I still enjoy reading for pleasure.  When it comes to reading for assignments, I do it, but it stems back to my need to do my work as asked of by the teacher.  If students see their teachers reading or making connections to books they have read throughout the school day, they will have a positive role model for reading.   

Think Piece #2

It is important to teach students strategies for writing: We teach students numerous strategies for reading from decoding strategies to fluency strategies to comprehension strategies.  I feel that we do not teach enough writing strategies and that it gets put on the back burner to reading.  I think that most teachers believe that by simply teaching the steps of writing, they are helping students become great writers.  After reading the article, “An Effective Framework for Primary Grad Guided Writing Instruction,” and Best Practices in Writing Instruction, I realized that there is more to writing than I thought.   All through college and in the world of teaching you are drilled about guided reading groups, but there is very little mention of guided writing groups.  

I feel that it is more difficult to assist students in writing instruction because you generally have less time than you have for reading.  You have limited time with each student.  In the class I push-into for writing, the students hands go up one after the other and it is difficult to get to all of the students.  Often times I am trying to keep students’ attention focused on the task of writing and not the actual writing procedure.  This takes away from time to assist in the actual writing process. 

It is important to give students the opportunity to share their writing.  Many teachers I work with give their students an opportunity to share their writing once a week.  Several students share each day.   This gives students the opportunity to hear about what others students are writing.  It also allows the student to hear his or her own writing and learn the importance of re-reading your work.  Many of my students have realized mistakes they have made as they are reading aloud when it does not sound right.    

I never thought of teaching writing similarly to a guided reading lesson.  This would be very beneficial to students, yet it comes down to finding the time in a day.  We are required to teach guided reading groups, yet not expected to teach guided writing groups.  There is usually only enough time to teach a whole group writing lesson everyday.  Just as it is important to provide a strong book introduction for students, it is also important to provide a strong introduction to guided writing.  In the article it states that composing is a skill that has to be learned just like spelling.  This helped put that idea into perspective for me.  I think that as teachers we sometimes make assumptions that just because we teach students the writing process, they automatically have the skills needed to compose a final piece. 

Chapter one of “Best Practices in Writing Instruction,” states that writing instruction must be integrated with the classroom instruction.  I enjoy pulling writing topics from read alouds and current units being worked on in class.  Students love the opportunity to respond to a story in writing.  Students will have a better understanding of a specific topic or skill if they have the opportunity to study in different ways. 

Students seem more motivated when they are given a choice about what they are going to write about.  They will generally put forth more effort if it is a topic that interests them.  Of course we have specific genres of writing that we are required to teach our students, but that doesn’t mean that we have to dictate what they write about.  Giving students that freedom to choose allows them to become more engaged in their writing and brings meaning to it. 

            After reading the article as well as Chapters 1 and 2, I feel that I have a new outlook on writing and the composing process.  I push-in to a classroom for writing so I do not make the plans, but there are many changes that I would like to make to my writing instruction if I was currently in a general education position instead of the special education position that I am in.