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Things To Consider |
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"For writing students, a sense of classroom community is absolutely critical."
- Margo Jefferson
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- In building a writing community, teachers usually provide multiple opportunities to read, write, and react to writing. What percentage of time do you generally devote to:
- Victor Villanueva, an advisor for Developing Writers, chair of the English department at Washington State University and noted author, has a unique perspective on the inclusiveness necessary in any writing community. His book Bootstraps: From an American Academic of Color offers his insight as an outsider in many communities attempting to make his way through the world of English language arts. The prologue for this book raises key points teachers should consider as they work to create a community that includes all students.
- In a writing community, members need a chance to review and reflect on their work — seeing where they have been and planning where they are going. In an article written for NCTE’s English Journal, Dawn Schwartzendruber-Putnam offers suggestions for ways to facilitate this reflection. Along the way, she validates trust and other values inherent in a writing community.
- In conversations taped for this project, Lori Mayo stated:
"...We were talking about planning for a writing community and setting it up. And I don't think that we've really gotten to the specifics of that, but I think that in teaching relationships, the most crucial—and a lot of books are being published now with kids writing that they want to be known, they want the teachers to know who they are and what their interests are and all that. And I think that, especially in a writing classroom, you have to kind of have that relationship and have that trust and have that respect, so that you can help the student become a better writer without being scathing or insulting."
What do you think about what Lori said? What are some other important factors in setting up a writing community? Share your opinions on Channel-Talk.
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