Feedback & Its Influence on Writing Instruction

1. Feedback & Its Influence on Writing Instruction

2. Question # 1: How do we grade students objectively?

3. No one knows... Okay—So that is not true…But I really could not find a definitive answer. Without a set of actual students to think about, I really could not even decide for myself.

4. So I forgot about grades...

5. Question # 2: What feedback can we lend throughout to ensure that our students reach the same standard?

6. Here is what I found:

7. “Students benefit from feedback as they work, rather than just at the end” Smagorinsky

8. Process Approach

10. 'Planning' • Brainstorming • Sketches/Outlines • Graphic Organizer • Activity that will inspire • writing (Ex. Object activity) • Journal/Free-write • Research • Group discussions

11. 'Editing & Re-drafting' • After feedback • From teacher • From peers • From parent or other outside party • Individual—encourage them to look back at own work • Creating revision plan/goals

12. Another Process... Collin's Writing Program

14. Before they start... Contracts

15. Class-wide/Assignment-wide • For an A you must • For a B you must etc. • Focuses on process, yields more work, is • specific, sense of control • Individual • Students set their own goals for the assignment • Discusses/conferenced with the teacher • Rubrics • Provides criteria for teacher in grading • Provides criteria for student in writing • Could be created together (As in 313)

16. Once they draft... its time for feedback.

17. What feedback? • Focus • Comparison (to models, to other students, to past work) • Function (description, evaluation/judgement) • Valence (+ or -) • Clarity • Specificity (nitpickyover general) • Tone • --Susan M. Brookhart

18. How to give feedback?

19. Conferences • What did you learn from this piece of writing? • Where is this piece of writing taking you? • What do you like best in this piece of writing? • What are you strugglingwith in this draft? • What questions do you have for me? --Donald Murray

20. Benefits • Students take more ownership of work • Can work on patterns in writer and not just in paper • Encourages students to • be meta-cognitive • Clarifies expectations to • students

21. Peer-review

22. Smagorinsky model • Group of 4 • Rotate paper • Each reads for something else (structure, support, mechanics etc. Could be the FCAs in Collins approach) • Students discuss • Checklist • Choose a partner—read aloud

23. Modeling • Model a peer-review session • with another teacher • Use sample papers • & edit as a class • first

24. Adding a new step to the process...

25. Reflection

26. Have students reflect on their progress as they turn in drafts • Another form of conferences—writing notes back and forth • Conference questions can be done by student before conference • Collins Cumulative Writing Folder • Includes title, FCAs of assignment, and reflection • Teacher also maintains a reflection sheet with what to focus on next • Portfolio assignments

27. **Bibliography posted to my personal page on the wiki.