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| The timeline I made about my journey as a writer. |
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| A map showing the flow of writing in my classroom and school. |
Another activity we did was to draw a map of both our classroom and our school and mark where writing happens and where it is display. Next, we put overlays on top and used markers to show the flow or process of writing. Once writing occurs, where does it go? Does it only go to the teacher? Do students share writing? Does what they've written in my class go into another classroom? I observed a few key things on my map:
- I do not display enough student work
- I do not model writing by posting enough of my own work
- I need to have more assignments that are meaningful to an outside audience
- I need to encourage others outside our school to contribute writing in some way
- I need more time to do all these things!
On to the INQUIRY! If I'm remembering what I was thinking yesterday correctly, I wanted to inquire as to the best ways to make daybooks a part of my non-traditional classroom. Since I do not direct the flow of activity in a self-paced environment, how to I help students to grab on to the habit of using the daybook as a thinking tool? I also think this ties into the idea of the flow of writing in the classroom. Where are their ideas going once written? How do I show students that writing is an extension of the thought process? I think the most basic place to start is by modeling. I need to show them my book and talk about how I use it and what the possibilities are. Then, I need to use it all the time as I work with them...write about our conferences and their questions. I also think it will be important to model the process of going back to notes and writing and culling for information and ideas. This is a starting point. I know there is more!
Christin,
ReplyDeleteThe path of my inquiry also follows the path of the Daybook. We keep a journal in class, but this is so much more. I like have things we discuss in class, projects, and personal thoughts all in one book. Someone who was in SI a couple of years ago said she filled almost three Daybooks. I think this is something my students can feel a connection to and a place they can hopefully begin the flow or movement of their writing outside the classroom.
I'm anxious to see where our thoughts on Daybooks take us...
DeleteWow, you packed a ton of really interesting ideas into this post. Mind is spinning about where to begin my response. I think that, first, the idea about resisting writing out of fear of vulnerability is a HUGE realization. Your articulation of this feeling made me realize that I work the same way. I wonder if this is a feeling that will pass the more we write, or if it is something that should be embraced....like it's a feeling that reflects understanding of the personalness of writing and awareness of audience. I'll have to think more on this, but thanks for sharing it.
ReplyDeleteI'm also really liking the thinking you are doing about the shape daybooks will take in your classroom. I think you're right on with modeling being an important in helping your students learn how to make their daybooks work. Also, Lil, Tony, Lacy, and Cindy wrote a book called "Thinking out Loud on Paper." It's all about different possibilities for using daybooks. It may be a resource you want to check out.
I think that anything that is "created" and put out there for an audience has to have that element of the personal. Otherwise, what would there be for anyone to connect with? Yet, the creator must let that part of him/herself go to an extent. I guess that's why some people write and never seek to publish. I'm still working through many thoughts on this!
DeleteThanks for the encouragement on the Inquiry Project. I will certainly check out that book!
Hi Christin:
ReplyDeleteI enjoyed learning about you as a writer during our fun interviews. I appreciate your perspective on life, don't find it negative one bit, and the way you see things differently. I've used daybooks with elementary students and our staff for 5+ years and its been amazing to watch the transformation in writing and reflective thinking in our school. We're lost without our daybooks near by and the automaticity of using them has been a process - the incubation period (Steven Johnson's word for innovation process).