Deb Van DalenGreenville Middle Schooldebvandalen@hasd.org

The challenge of expressing ideas in writing places students at the center of their own learning, enabling them to mastercontent and to improve their skill at expressing ideas.

• Consider one or more of the following and take 5 minutes to gather your thoughts on your ½ sheet of paper.– Explain what brought you here today and what you are

hoping to gain.

– Katie Wood Ray indicates that teachers should “try – at least once – the things we are asking our students to do.”( 3)

– Describe a WTL activity you use in your classroom.

As teachers we can choose between

(a) sentencing students to thoughtless mechanical operations

and (b) facilitating their ability to think.

If students' readiness for more involved thought processes is bypassed in favor of jamming more facts and figures into their heads, they will stagnate at the lower levels of thinking.

"Writing to Learn Means Learning to Think"

• But if students are encouraged to try a variety of thought processes in classes, they can, regardless of their ages, develop considerable mental power. Writing is one of the most effective ways to develop thinking. (p. 162)

"Writing to Learn Means Learning to Think"

I think it is a great idea to give the kids some worked out solutions and have them write the explanation.  We all know that getting them to EXPLAIN something makes them learn, even if they didn't come up with the idea entirely on their own.  Also, seeing the solutions of an "expert" models how they should be doing their own solutions.  My students need to see that all year...one lecture about how to "show work" in September does not do the trick. 

Modeling Digest, March 4, 2009

• I know this solution is correct because…• Directions for…

– using a protractor to measure an angle– finding the median of a set of integers– avoiding transfer of invasive species– greeting the chief of an aboriginal tribe

• The relationship between or among…• We used this process because…

• Short in-class writings which spark thinking– Learning logs or journals

• Often used to explain problem-solving processes in math or science

– Entrance/exit slips (bellwork)– Explain patterns or discoveries– Self assessments– Peer feedback– Description of what’s important

• Make it enjoyable.• Provide motivation.• Provide a format. • As students respond ask them to think like a…

• Scientist, mapmaker, mathematician, doctor, etc.

• Willson (Snowflake) Bently may not agree with Margaret Weise Brown regarding what’s most important about snow.

The important thing about snow is that each flake is unique.

It has six delicate arms formed in perfect symmetry. It forms high in the troposphere around a microscopic particle of dust. It grows and grows until it is too heavy for a cloud to hold and drifts gently to the earth to be admired for its beauty.

But the most important thing about a snowflake is that when it melts…

just that much beauty is forever gone.

• What’s the important thing about WTL

• Not every piece a student writes needs to be graded.

• Feedback can come in a variety of forms.– Share with partner or in small group– Volunteers share with whole class– Self evaluation– Read over shoulders and make comments– Collect and read aloud anonymously– Use response symbols – feedback marks

Set up a system with students to provide quick and easy feedback.

Underline a comment that strongly supports an idea or opinion.

If thinking gets a bit fuzzy when you can’t quite follow the thinking seems to be unclear to the reader to providing feedback a wavy line can indicate the lack of direction or clarity.

Feedback

• Take ten minutes to brainstorm possible feedback symbols.– Think about what you would want to say– Be sure to include positive feedback and also

point out areas that need improvement.– Make them easy to remember– Keep them simple– Be ready to share

• Summarize one idea we talked about today that most interested you and explain why?

•What do you still not understand about the concept we've been discussing or what question(s) could be farther investigated?

•If you had to restate the concepts discussed today in your own terms, what would you say?

•How does today's discussion impact what you will do in your classroom tomorrow?

What method or methods of feedback or grading have you used or would you like to try in your classroom. What makes this method appealing?

What did you most enjoy about this session? What can I do to make my presentation more meaningful for future participants?

What might you be able to use in your classroom in September?

Brewster, Cori. "Writing To Learn, Learning To Write." NWREL. 22 DEC 2004. NWREL. 6 Mar 2009 http://www.nwrel.org/request/2004dec/index.html.

Brown, Margaret. The Important book. USA: Harper Collins, 1949.

Countryman, J. (1992). Writing to learn mathematics. Portsmouth, NH: Heinemann.

Elbow, P. (1994). Writing for learning--not just for demonstrating learning. University of Massachusetts, Amherst, 1-4. March 2009 http://www.ntlf.com/html/lib/bib/writing.htm.

Gallagher, K. (2006). Teaching adolescent writers. Portland, Maine: Stenhouse Publishers.

Ray, Katie Wood. What You Know by Heart. Portsmouth, NH: Heinemann, 2002.

WAC Clearing House. 1997-2009. Colorado State University. 7 Mar 2009 http://wac.colostate.edu/index.cfm.