There are
many core principles which I value and would like to enact in my own
classroom. I strongly believe in creating a community of writers. I
think students learn best when they feel safe and can collaborate with others
to further their learning. As an educator, I find it imperative to look
at my students as individuals rather than one large group. In order to
know my students (their background, strengths/ weaknesses in writing, etc.), I
will set aside time to confer with them; as a result, I can build my literacy
instructions around their needs, interest and learning profiles. To
achieve this practice in my future classroom, I will set aside time weekly to
meet with each of my students and keep a log on our conversations. I want
them to feel safe and view me as a support in their literacy learning
experiences.
Writing is
an integral part of a student's education.
Throughout my experiences in the classroom, I constantly work with
students on their writing no matter the grade I am teaching. There is always room for development and
growth; the more you write, the better writer you become. As a result, I want to utilize writing
practices across the curriculum to support my students not only in their
learning, but as developing writers.
There are a
variety of ways to assist my students in their writing that go beyond using pen
and paper. Technology is rapidly developing
and becoming more widely accepted in schools.
I believe it is my professional responsibility to become educated on
these new technologies (word processors, digital and audio editors, blogs,
wikis, etc.) in order to better relate to my students and implement digital
writing workshops in the classroom. I
anticipate some challenges because I am not “tech-savvy”; however as an
educator, I believe it is important to take risks and step outside your comfort
zone. Collaboration is integral component
of being a teacher; in my future placement, I will work with my colleagues to familiarize
myself with new technologies and come up with exciting ways to incorporate them
into the classroom.
Through taking this class (Reading Improvement Through
Written Expression) I am developing a deeper understanding of technology and
how it supports students in their writing.
Reflecting on our reading in Hicks (2009), I feel more comfortable implementing
a digital writing workshop in my future classroom. I enjoy that students are allowed to choose
their own topics to write about and have a wider audience to publish their work
to. As a result, they will feel more
comfortable writing because they have the opportunity to explore their own interest
and let their voice be heard. In the
end, my goal is for students to enjoy writing and experiment with different outlets
to express their creative ideas.
References
Hicks, T. (2009). The Digital Writing Workshop. Portsmouth, NH: Heinemann 
Kelly, you cover a lot of ground in this entry. It is clear you have a solid foundation regarding your understanding of teaching writing and the writing process. In your future entries, I want to encourage you to try and push yourself beyond what you know well to explore what you still want to know. What questions do you still have? What issues do the readings raise that you had yet to fully consider or realize in your own teachings?
ReplyDeleteDr. Jones, after reading through my blog again and your comments, I agree I need to push myself outside of my comfort zone. I need to think deeper and more critically about the issues raised in the readings in order to develop my writing as a graduate student.
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