Blogging….the long lost art of communicating online. If I reach far back into the recesses of my brain, I can faintly remember when I blogged daily. Ahh, yes, the lazy days of summer are now replaced with the insanity of the school year.
I’m not that far off from my timeline. I had wanted to get permission to quote forms to my two sections of creative writing students. That has been done. I have not surveyed students about their writing group experience, but I did ask students approximately ten questions about their thoughts about the class, and I did ask them to comment on their writing group experience. Groups have been finalized and are underway; students will meet for the second time on Monday. Additionally, students have set up norms within their writing groups. I have a signed copy of the groups’ norms as does each member of the writing group.
Resources…Steph just mentioned an article that I’d like to see as well as an activity she did with her students. Other than that, I suppose I need to decide on a functional group to observe and begin taking field notes.
I have yet to create a connection between students’ personal experiences outside the classroom and writing groups. Honestly, I’m not sure how to go about this. Maybe that is the question for my inquiry group. Maybe not... I also wrote up the interview from the student who helped create my “Aha Moment” of connecting writing groups to personal experiences. However…
I started team teaching two sections of remediation this year. And I LOVE it! While I did create a blog in hopes of posting observations there, my teammate and I have really just been writing in our notebooks. While not blogging, I’m still ecstatic that we’re writing about what we’re doing. I think there is much to say about teaming at the high school level. Amy has her MA in Reading, mine’s in writing. We gathered data to ensure placement of students; we have a baseline for reading scores, and students are just finishing up a writing sample. Also, we’ve created Readers as Leaders – our high school students go to the local elementary once a week to read. It’s been amazing to see high school students exited about reading, to be in a leadership role where they usually struggle.
Sooo….I’m torn. Continue with my writing group stuff or forge into uncharted water with the teaming aspect. During the blissful days this summer I ambitiously thought I could actually keep both projects afloat. My dream bubble has been popped, and I have my feet firmly grounded, and now I’m just not sure which way to start walking.
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4 comments:
choices, choices...
do you go with what you originally planned or what is exciting you and making you write already?
Sounds easy to me...
i love that team teaching has made you want to research/write about teaching. i remember how stupid i thought team teaching was and how i swore it wouldn't work. now i can't imagine not doing it with our skills kids. it was fun with my other classes, too, this week when janelle showed us a new reading strategy. we totally got a huge kick out of it. i think everyone should do it.
are you using writing groups in your team taught class? maybe you could combine your two research topics??? would that be weird? are they two different sections/classes? (ie. lit and writing?) i don't know how it would look, but i think you could make it work for sure!
maybe continue with your current idea from the summer and continue to write your observations, etc. about team teaching and do another article/presentation about that? (because, really, what ARE you doing with all your spare time, i have to ask! ha!)
what a fun problem to have! good for you to have a passion for both! :)
Okay, this is a real conundrum! Both projects are so viable - and would be so useful. The practical, teacher side of me says go with what you've started. You've got the data, you're well on your way - just DO IT! Of course the artist side of me, the side that connects with the heart says go with what your passion is. The passion will carry you through the hard part. So, there's a non-answer for you!
I am really interested in team teaching, also. I have seen it work really well with teachers in my department but I have also heard some horror stories about it. I sort of think Malone is right that you should go with whatever is most interesting to you. On the other hand, is it possible to launch into a new area of inquiry and have everything ready by January?
Steph's suggestion makes sense, you have already written a lot about your collaboration with Cindy, and now it sounds like you can incorporate your ideas about team teaching into the discussion about writing groups. Maybe the two don't have to be completely separate projects and you can follow your muse where it takes you within the area of your previous inquiry.
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