I want to be the first to post about last Thursday's presentations. I was impressed and intrigued by both! Courtney, the way you are looking at commenting on student writing is so complex, detailed, and smart. I really think you are learning much about the effects of various commenting styles on student revision. I hope you are planning to publish this piece someday soon. . . . I think in the day of increasing non-human response to student writing, such research will be more and more important as we argue for the importance of individualized, thoughtful commentary. It would be interesting to get some data about students' perceptions of teacher comments. We can see how they respond (or don't) during revisions, but I wonder what their perceptions are of what they do? In other words, while their concrete writerly actions are probably most important, I am curious about what they think and feel about various types of teacher comments, or lack thereof. During your presentation I kept trying to remember how I felt about teacher comments.
Taylor, your plan for teacher research groups/teacher learning communities is right on target, I think. If teachers can begin to develop strong "researcher identities" that are consistent with their teacher identities, how much more powerful might be they be???? When I say powerful, I not only mean with policy makers, but also with their own students and colleagues and within their own local contexts. I think for too long the "practitioner" has been separated from the "decision maker," at least in the eyes of many administrators and policy makers. We all know that the best teachers are also critical reflectors, researchers, and change makers. Your research layers in interesting ways on Courtney's because she also considers how young teachers perceive of their own power and decision making abilities, particularly when their are still considered novices by the profession.
Kudos to each and every one of you on your super presentations this semester. I look forward to reading the final projects/papers! Janet
I agree with Janet that both project 1) were awesome and 2) have great potential! Heather, as a fellow comp teacher, I'm intrigued by the different theories you're using to consider your role as teacher/composer. Taylor, I so hope you're able to start teacher researcher communities because, as we've seen in this class, they're invaluable in so many ways. I would love to help you with this in the future because I really do believe that teachers are the ones who truly know students and how to best serve them. I think it's just a matter of providing teachers the time, resources, and space they need to better their practice and in turn benefit education and think that you're doing exactly that! What a great note to end on! Ladies, please post additional questions if/when you have them if you want more specific comments. Otherwise, happy writing!!
I want to be the first to post about last Thursday's presentations. I was impressed and intrigued by both! Courtney, the way you are looking at commenting on student writing is so complex, detailed, and smart. I really think you are learning much about the effects of various commenting styles on student revision. I hope you are planning to publish this piece someday soon. . . . I think in the day of increasing non-human response to student writing, such research will be more and more important as we argue for the importance of individualized, thoughtful commentary. It would be interesting to get some data about students' perceptions of teacher comments. We can see how they respond (or don't) during revisions, but I wonder what their perceptions are of what they do? In other words, while their concrete writerly actions are probably most important, I am curious about what they think and feel about various types of teacher comments, or lack thereof. During your presentation I kept trying to remember how I felt about teacher comments.
ReplyDeleteTaylor, your plan for teacher research groups/teacher learning communities is right on target, I think. If teachers can begin to develop strong "researcher identities" that are consistent with their teacher identities, how much more powerful might be they be???? When I say powerful, I not only mean with policy makers, but also with their own students and colleagues and within their own local contexts. I think for too long the "practitioner" has been separated from the "decision maker," at least in the eyes of many administrators and policy makers. We all know that the best teachers are also critical reflectors, researchers, and change makers. Your research layers in interesting ways on Courtney's because she also considers how young teachers perceive of their own power and decision making abilities, particularly when their are still considered novices by the profession.
Kudos to each and every one of you on your super presentations this semester. I look forward to reading the final projects/papers!
Janet
Oops--I called HEATHER Courtney in the second line above. Please forgive me! I'm typing too fast today.
ReplyDeleteI agree with Janet that both project 1) were awesome and 2) have great potential! Heather, as a fellow comp teacher, I'm intrigued by the different theories you're using to consider your role as teacher/composer. Taylor, I so hope you're able to start teacher researcher communities because, as we've seen in this class, they're invaluable in so many ways. I would love to help you with this in the future because I really do believe that teachers are the ones who truly know students and how to best serve them. I think it's just a matter of providing teachers the time, resources, and space they need to better their practice and in turn benefit education and think that you're doing exactly that! What a great note to end on! Ladies, please post additional questions if/when you have them if you want more specific comments. Otherwise, happy writing!!
ReplyDelete