Effective Peer Resposnse Groups

I think the Barron article did a very good job of explaining how to set up and maintain effective peer response groups. This is something that I have never set up. I set up lab groups and expect students to work collaboratively on their experiments. I do think I could include some of these ideas about peer response groups to help improve student writing of lab notebooks. I would particularly like to focus on improving the writing of conclusions. I think following the format of McQuade and Sommers and using the three steps: observations, evaluations and end comments would be a good start to teach students how to evaluate each others work. Peer review is a very important process in the publication of scientific papers. It would be good to get students used to receiving and giving peer reviews. Here is a humorous youtube video about scientific peer review. It also an example of digital remixing.http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-VRBWLpYCPY

how's it going?

how's it going 
urban DICTIONARY
"It should be noted that this phrase is not only used in by english speakers of all nationalities and dialects but by speakers of many different languages across the globe
2) A question used to inquire about the status of an on-going process or event. In this interrogative state the sentence carries a question mark. "

"How's it going?" is the phrase we ask ourselves over and over as we write, and if we are lucky enough to be in a writer's group, it's the phrase we ask each other when we gather.
"The act of writing we have in common with our students puts us on the level of them and them on a level with us.... because each writer, no matter how experienced, begins again with each draft."  (First half a paraphrase of Don Murray(1985) by Carl Anderson and the last a direct Murray quote from Anderson's Chapter 1, "Conferences are Conversations" in How's It Going?: A Practical Guide to Conferring with Student Writers. 

"... allowing students to respond to an early teacher-written draft does pay dividends for students and teachers.  ...students see that even experienced writers need to revise their papers, sometimes extensively, to clarify their writing and to achieve quality final copies." is one of the foundations Ronald Barron shares in writing about his use of Peer-Response Groups.  He shares additional benefits including better writing, self confidence on the part of students that they can support other writers, reducing initial judgment, and producing more interesting writing.

Barron and Anderson challenge us to be vulnerable with our students by authentically sharing our work. The importance of interacting with other as we write through peer reviews, teacher-student writing conferences or in peer cooperative groups as shared by Zimmer is the source of creating writers and deeper learning and thinking.  Created simultaneously in conversation based conferences are connections that build relationships.  That getting to know our students and they us, that allows for motivation and growth based on authentic communication, commitment and the shared goal of better writing.

Anderson insightfully writes. " Writing, after all, is an individual act that occurs in a social context." "It's the members of that circle (of mentors and friends) after all who listen to us while we are in the process of writing, not our future audience."  Peer conferences, writing in cooperative groups and conversations in writing conferences provide that listening and reflection that supports us as writers, together.

Writers Grow Like Oak Trees

“Writers grow like oak trees-slowly over a period of time. You cannot cram over night to be a writer.” Lucy Calkins

I enjoyed reading the article called “Conferences Are Conversations” by Carl Anderson. In particular, I appreciated the references he made to Lucy Calkins and her book, “The Art of Teaching Writing.” It reminded me of working on my capstone for my master’s degree. After reading the article, I went and found my book and dusted it off. Colored strips of paper, used as bookmarks, were still in it marking my favorite pages.

Calkins has three components for effective conferences: Research, Decide, and Teach

Research: This is the time to listen to everything we see, know, and hear about a child in order to get to understand the student as a writer. Be fully present as a listener when reading a draft or talking to a writer.

Decide: Decide what the writer needs that will help not only today, with this piece of writing, but also tomorrow, with other pieces of writing. Think in terms of “what might help this writer” rather than “what might help this writing.”

Teach: Teach the student what they need to know to move them along on their journey as a writer.

Several years ago I compiled a few quotes by Lucy Calkins. I have added them here.

"Let’s not ever fool ourselves into thinking that our time with students does not matter that much. Our teaching can change what kids pack in their suitcases; it can help them cherish the intersection of a gravel driveway and a paved road; it can invite them to do wheelies as writers, readers, and learners. Our teaching matters more than we ever dreamed possible. …Thinking about the power of good teachers, I have goose bumps. What power and what responsibility! Sometimes, I see teachers and I want to say, “How do you live, knowing you matter so much?" By Dr. Lucy Calkins
From: The Art of Teaching Reading
The Art of Teaching Writing
Adapted by Debra Stortz, Edina

Habits of Highly Effective Writing Conferences

"Conferences Are Conversation" applies many of Stephen Covey's popular "Habits of Mind".

"Seek first to understand, then to be understood": Involve students in conversation about their writing process before providing guidance.

"Sharpen the Saw": Anderson's conference script opened my eyes to how conversation about writing can help students improve as writers. In his brief writing conference, Anderson helps his student clarify his process, purpose, audience, plan next steps, affirm the student, and provide focused instruction on analyzing a mentor text.

"Begin with the end in Mind": Based on conversation with the writer, Anderson focuses on one line of thinking: writing an effective lead. "When we finish a conference, we should be able to name what it is we did to help that student become a better writer." (Anderson, p. 9)

"Win/Win": Effective writing conferences are mutually beneficial: Writing teachers celebrate as their students become better writers.

"Synergize" "Synergize is the habit of creative cooperation. It is teamwork, open-mindedness, and the adventure of finding new solutions to old problems."

"Conferences Are Conversations" is both instructional and motivational. Equipped with fresh insight on writing conferences, I am energized to make time for this important practice next week.

"Conferences Are Conversation" is from Carl Anderson (2000). How's it Going?

10 or 20 Years Ago

Upon seeing the 1991 publication date on the Barron article, one of my first questions was, Is he still doing Peer-Response Groups? The article, like the Zimmet and Anderson pieces, date from at least 10 years ago, before NCLB, before the dominant mantra of data-driven instruction meant constant standardized testing. I certainly hope Mr. Barron is still teaching with his purposeful and level-headed attitude.

Barron channels Donald Murray when he says, "For the modeling to be effective, teachers must be willing to let students respond to early drafts of their own writing" (emphasis added). We as teachers must share our own work as well as student samples. Doing so encourages risk-taking and builds trust. Barron also suggests using high-quality student work as samples--the '4's we talked about last week. The assumption is the students will be working with drafts that can grow into 3's and 4's, A's or Excellents.

One of the practical suggestions which Barron makes is how to set up groups, with the acknowledgement that they might not always work. It sounds like he has worked in the real world, which gives his approach credibility.

But mostly, I liked his focus on teaching the writer, not grading the writing. As he writes on page 34, "One of the purposes of a composition course should be to make students more confident and more independent writers." Anderson (p. 18) asks, "What can I teach students about the writing work they are doing that will help them become better writers?" Whereas Anderson focuses on teacher-student conversations, Barron uses the resources of the student's peers as well to answer these important questions.

I thought the articles were quite accessible to read and did a good job of distinguishing the different types of portfolios.I particularily liked the Wolf and Siu-Runyan article. Since I do not do portfolios in my class I have never spent much time thinking about them. I thought the authors did a great job of distinguishing between the three models: ownership, feedback and accountability. I think that they did a good job of discussing the strengths and limitations of the three types. The Mondock article job did a good job of discussing the product vs. process models of portfolios. The reflection questions for the process portfolios were worth keeping and using with students.

I think that portfolios make a lot of sense and should be started in kindergarden and kept in an electronic file until a student leaves or graduates. It is a great personal record of a students growth. I don't know if this type of portfolio is being done in Edina or being considered. If it is not being done at school then I think parents and students should start one at home. I have kept some of my children's writing and I do like to go back and read it.

Portfolios in the Web 2.0 Reality

The three types of portfolios described by Wolf & Siu-Runyan in “Portfolio Purposes and Possibilities” reminded me of what I have experienced and seen as a teacher in the last decades. Event though this article is 14 years old, the premise still holds true. However, the electronic means we now have at our fingertips make the management and maintenance of portfolios much easier.

In the “old days” (i.e. when this article was first published), the portfolios I struggled to maintain as a teacher were mostly ownership portfolios, where “students collect a variety of information that illustrates their progress in reading and writing, they reflect on the development of their work and their learning, and they set goals for themselves as learners (p.33).” I did struggle to organize and maintain these portfolios as my second graders would throw in their pizza box portfolios anything with neat penmanship, beautiful drawings, and any work they had easily completed. Back then, I didn’t know how to teach them to be self-reflective beyond a smiley face self-evaluation. And that’s IF I remembered to have them evaluate their pieces at all. Most often, everything ended up in the pizza boxes until they overflowed, which meant the next day would be Select-your-best-work-and-take-the-rest-home Day. The writing pieces I pushed through the full writing process were usually collaborative pieces such as class books or group projects like Pourquoi Tales. Anyone who has ever taught non-native speakers knows how laborious the revising and editing process can be: you carefully pick your battles.

Luckily, we’ve come a long way! We know so much more about teaching writing. Moreover, electronic resources have changed the way teachers and students write, and they provide an easy way to organize portfolios. Even without a student Blackboard environment, we can use wikis to organize portfolios. We are no longer limited to paper or pictures in these collections of student work. Kids, even non-native speakers, can show their learning through Voicethread and Photostory—no more arduous editing for accent marks and missing silent letters before publishing! The students can do their self-assessment reflection as comments on Voicethread or even on their wiki. In a digital portfolio, students can include pictures of their page contributions to class books. Students can use Google Docs to show their growth and writing process by typing the various drafts of projects, which may include feedback from peers and teachers. They would also use Google Docs to collaborate on research projects, build websites, etc. which could easily be shared or linked to their individual digital portfolios. What a great way to show the evolution of students’ learning, their strengths and growth!

Digital ownership portfolios could easily become feedback portfolios, “comprehensive collections of student work and teacher records, co-constructed by student and teacher, that provide ongoing documentation of student learning (p.33).” Teachers, peers and parents could provide feedback by commenting on a student’s Voicethread, Google doc, or wiki. Teachers could also add classroom assessment data to showcase both the strengths and needs of the student. And by keeping digital portfolios online, parents would have access to this information and the multi-faceted exemplars of their child as a learner.

We already have a form of accountability portfolios, “selective collections of student work, teacher records, and standardized assessments … to evaluate student achievement for accountability and program evaluation (p.33),” although most teachers would not describe them as portfolios. Yet, when teachers problem-solve issues about a student as part of the Response to Intervention (RTI) process, they present to their team a wealth of data about that child. It includes relevant standardized test data hosted online through ICue (our repository of district and state data) but also their own classroom data, which includes classroom assessments, observations, samples of work, and information about the student’s interests and home as relevant to the issue at hand. When teachers engage in that problem-solving protocol, the data they present to their team becomes an accountability portfolio that guides teaching and learning.

So we’ve come a long way indeed. In what ways have you used portfolios? How do you envision digital portfolios?