Questions

Prompt in progress:

Background knowledge
previous exposure
what you bring to the table as a teacher and a researcher
How does your investment in your research question and the students’ background about your topic affect the research?

Interesting prompt this morning, Steph [and Renee!]. Last night I just posted something about how long I’ve been infatuated with writing groups. While not nearly as long as Cindy has worked with book clubs, it seems like I always come back to the complexities of writing groups. I know that I sometimes make assumptions –things that I think I have told students, or assume that other teachers have told them about writing groups. While with behavior issues, I can just tell kids not to be idiots and they get that since I’ve been at the school for awhile. Apparently my reputation precedes me. J Imagine that! But with writing groups, it seems as though I’m always forgetting to tell them something, show them something, remind them of something.

My lack of experience with writing groups as a student certain has influenced my passion? about setting up authentic? autonomous writing group experiences for students. Yet, ironically, I’m not too consumed when a group doesn’t work. Or when one student opts not to participate fully. However, I’m also the teacher who believes that my job is to provide students opportunities to learn. --whether they take that opportunity is completely up to them.

Sometimes I wonder if students think writing groups are stupid or dumb because they really don’t get the purpose? or they have yet to see the benefit of such groups? or they simply see it as a time to be with their friends and it becomes a blow off time. argh! Yet, have seen students –mostly girl groups? or equally mixed groups – have completely autonomous writing group experiences. Interesting that I’ve simply always? understood that all boy groups were going to be my dysfunction junction group. Weird.

I’ve also noticed that I sometimes gloss over the importance or how-to with a group second semester. I think I’ve just gotten lazy in that last two years. My first group of ninth graders at EHS received much writing group instruction. I guess that’s why I’m curious how next year’s group of college research students will handle writing groups. Do I need to start from scratch with explanations, purpose, how-to, do’s and don’ts? I suppose I could survey students each semester to give me an idea of where to start.

A few suggestions include… a new norming…agree to a new set of standards…explain to them the purpose…have them figure out the purpose…

I just noticed how many question marks this post contains...it is certainly reflective of my thinking right now.