I was excited to start reading "The Writing Workshop" book, because last semester my mentor teacher used the writing workshop technique in her classroom. I didn't really like how she had set up her writing workshop so I was wondering if her use of the technique was typical or if there were other components that she left out.
I was surprised by one of the main goals in writing workshop is having teachers help students find good reasons to write. This idea is totally opposite of what I saw happening in my mentor teacher's classroom. There the students were given a topic orprompt by her that they had to write about. I think that when students pick their own topics they care more deeply about them and put forth their best effort.
I also enjoyed reading the pages where the author talked about what the tone of a classroom looks like and sounds like. I often think that tone only applies to talking so as long as you have the "right" tone when talking to your students then it should be fine, but after reading I realized that tone also applies to how the room is set up, what is on the walls, what materials are used, and many other things.
Thanks for pointing out the complexity of "tone." It is not just what we say, but what we do and how we do it. Tone is a multifaceted thing. I also agree that students put forth greater efforts when we let them choose their topics. Sometimes it can take practice and teaching to help them find their way toward a meaningful writing idea, but they will get the hang of it, and often find more reasons to write than time to write about them.
ReplyDeleteBeth