Raise or Raze?

I think I’m just still confused about what makes good writing but here are some first thoughts….

I want a solid balance between sound pedagogy, current theory, and research (it’s how I learned how to write!). Because I’ve been a teacher for a few years, I have the classroom management, lesson planning, curriculum development, and all that taken care of.  I want a student-centered classroom with myself acting more as a facilitator; yet I saw at Merritt College, that the students may need little mini lessons for each class on some different aspect of the writing process. Equality in the classroom rocks!

Writing is recursive. I want to spend time on student’s individual strengths and work to improve their writing. Writing and thinking are interdependent; they involve context and perspective because language is meaning. Process writing will be used – students finish their first draft, they workshop in small groups and peer edit each other’s papers. After their second draft, students are given time to meet with me to conference about their essays. This is done during class while the rest of the students are given a reading and discussion assignment. Students must complete the STAR revision worksheet and bring it along with their essay to the conference I find that conferencing during class time guarantees that each student gets the individualized attention that they need.

I want a classroom that uses principles of language learning –  I will use techniques in my lessons that explain the rationale behind them so that students fully understand how and why we are learning and doing what we do.

We will use academic language and academic writing (empowering) along with the language of argument. Teaching engaged and active reading will also be a focus as well as critical thinking.

This is only a first thought posting. There is so much more involved 🙂