Final Blog

As a teacher, I look for the most beneficial ways to get my information across and always wondered how the grading process would be. It is a usual reaction for me, to make grammatical corrections when reading anyone’s work. I read the writing from start to finish assuring that I understand what it is that the student is writing. I have never graded high school students’ work, so the idea of being closer to doing so is challenging. I am straight forward when communicating to any one in general but I know that my students would be different. Emig’s article stood out to me because of my ideas on reading and writing. I am aware that everyone writes and learns at their own pace, so when I read Emig’s article, his statement stood out to me. The article says that writing is self-rythmed. Having read much work from a variety of people, I know that it is wise to expect all possibilities in a student’s writing. I have read work that reads on a grade level of ten but the person is in college, for example. The point of writing is to enjoy the process and to have fun with it, as you are learning the process and learning about yourself. Emig states in his article that successful learning involves engagement and personal knowledge. As a lover of the writing process and reading, I would hope that as a teacher, my pedagogy will exhibit these characteristics of the learning process for the students. I know that too many students think English class is the worst but I aim to attract their attention by allowing them to put their personal knowledge into their writing. They too often misinterpret the writing process and write to please the reader which is the teacher because they don’t anticipate showing their work to anyone else. I like the fact that Emig talks about writing at your own pace. The writing process is slower than other forms of communication but it gives the writer a sense of dependence and that crucial in my pedagogy. Murray talks about writing as a process, which is my thought exactly. He breaks the process down into three steps which is easier to follow. I would follow the same concept with my students. Giving them a guide is essential but it is also important to give them one that will not discourage them from the assignment and the process. Setting up the guidelines, into three steps, shows the students that the writing process is not a difficult one. Too may steps can discourage them from doing the assignment all together so less is more. This concept applies to the responding of the work as well. Elbow stood out to me for this part of my pedagogy plan. The article calls it high or low stakes, as far as the writing itself. I want my students to write for the purpose of getting their message across, not just for the grade. Elbow gave me insight on how to respond and when to respond. It’s not all about the grade; reading someone else say the same things I believe, left me at ease in my plan for writing assignments and possible activities. I want the curriculum in my class to be both formal and informal because I want my students to see more in writing than just assignments to be handed in. I want them to realize that it is a form of communication and expression. It’s a good feeling to know that other educators or academics have the same views that I do. I don’t feel too radical in my pedagogy because there are others who think the way I do and practice what they believe in.