In chapter one of Gardner’s “Designing Writing Assignments,” a lot of focus is place on the student’s ability to comprehend the prompt and the expectations of the teacher for the prompt. I myself have experienced times when I was unsure of what the teacher wanted in a prompt or assignment. Now, I find that it is imperative to “’unpack’ the meanings and construct a shared reading of the activity.” (Gardner, p 7). Students today do not read as much as they should and therefore struggle with deciphering what should be simple instructions. I feel that this has a lot to do with the misunderstanding in assignments today. It is no wonder that teachers become more and more frustrated because what they feel has been explained thoroughly, is almost another language to some students.
I really like the solution to this issue because I intend to be an active teacher and build a close relationship with my classes so that we can understand each other with greater ease and comfort. So when bringing the experienced curriculum in with the delivered and lived curriculum is discussed on page seven, it really hits home for me as I prepare to become a teacher. I feel that by doing this, you would be enforcing not only the lesson plan, but you would be helping to build a better relationship amongst students and help give them the tools they need for future success in and outside of the classroom.
Chapters two and three were a great read for me and I agree with so much that Gardner says. It has been interesting to read from her own experiences as a teacher. I really liked that she actually brought examples of her work in to show her students. I feel that by doing this, you would show the students that no matter what, the first draft is never perfect and that writing requires a lot of work. I think that one of the best things about the chapter is how Gardner addresses the writing process when creating assignments. She seems to have the perfect touch for teaching students how to improve their writing skills while allowing for their own individual style.
She mentions about providing structure for the writing assignments that “encourage attention to the conventional issues of writing.” (p. 21). Gardner explains that she focuses on creating a rubric for each assignment that really allows time for editing and re-editing so students can absorb lessons on grammar and punctuation without feeling overwhelmed by all the red ink. As I mentioned in my last post, I really want to stay away from the red ink and help my students build upon their skills as writers one brick at a time. I feel that Gardner does the same thing for her students and has provided me with many great ideas for my own teaching style in this chapter. For example, in chapter three is how she talks about the “Three Goals for a Writing Assignment.” I plan to use a similar guideline for myself in creating assignments to ensure that I am able to provide the students with the right guidance so that they can interact with multiple resources such as the library, librarians, web and me in order to build on their skills and create a comfort with resources.
Chapter four was my favorite of all chapters. I remember doing a writing assignment in middle school where we expanded on a short story of Edgar Allen Poe’s. I have never forgotten that assignment and remember how it made me assess Poe’s style and the characters in the story. This chapter is incredible to me as Gardner speaks on how to create a similar assignment effectively. I have never thought that it might be as difficult as it seems in this chapter, but I am so happy to have read this now and to be aware of what is going to be required of me to create such an assignment while keeping it within the three goals addressed in chapter three. These types of assignments would certainly spark a student’s interest and allow them to better use their creativity while building their skills as a writer. I think that this type of assignment would be a perfect start to a semester or course as a warm up to assignments. I have enjoyed Gardner’s book so far and have read more ideas than I feel I can absorb in one sitting! Reading a book like this is truly inspiring to me as an educator.
Source:
Gardner, Traci. Designing Writing Assignments. Urbana, IL: National Council of Teachers of English, 2008. Print.