Yet, as we read these articles, and have these discussions, about preferred ways to teach writing, my frustration with grading for 1301 increases. We can be as kind and gentle as we like when giving students our comments, but the fact is we are often sending them back papers that are bleeding red with all of the grammar mistakes. The emphasis is on finding errors whether we like it or not. However, I do find comfort in knowing that, even within the highly structured environment of teaching 1301 & 1302, teachers have some opportunity to supplement the outlined instruction with things like free writing. They can also convey their own attitude regarding the importance of the process while teaching students to create a final product that will communicate their point effectively. They may not be holding hands and singing Kumbaya, but maybe at least some of the students will discover the beauty of the messy process called writing.
Friday, October 1, 2010
Grader Frustration
The information that Hairston gives regarding the writing process, including how the brain works during this process, contributes to the idea of other authors we have read that writing is messy and non-linear. Emotionally, romantically(?), the idea of focusing on the process rather than the product appeals to me. Let's all get together, hold hands, sing Kumbaya, and let the writing flow, right? I love it, I really do. But, if you ascribe to the notion that good writing is at least partially defined by its ability to communicate effectively to its intended audience, then some attention has to be paid to the end product. Teaching proper grammar is vital to a student's ability to create good writing. Their reader has to be able to make sense of it all, and that isn't going to happen if their grammar is a mess. This little reality check takes me back to the taxonomy of teaching. As most of us agreed in class, some combination of the taxonomy is the preferred way to teach writing.
Yet, as we read these articles, and have these discussions, about preferred ways to teach writing, my frustration with grading for 1301 increases. We can be as kind and gentle as we like when giving students our comments, but the fact is we are often sending them back papers that are bleeding red with all of the grammar mistakes. The emphasis is on finding errors whether we like it or not. However, I do find comfort in knowing that, even within the highly structured environment of teaching 1301 & 1302, teachers have some opportunity to supplement the outlined instruction with things like free writing. They can also convey their own attitude regarding the importance of the process while teaching students to create a final product that will communicate their point effectively. They may not be holding hands and singing Kumbaya, but maybe at least some of the students will discover the beauty of the messy process called writing.
Yet, as we read these articles, and have these discussions, about preferred ways to teach writing, my frustration with grading for 1301 increases. We can be as kind and gentle as we like when giving students our comments, but the fact is we are often sending them back papers that are bleeding red with all of the grammar mistakes. The emphasis is on finding errors whether we like it or not. However, I do find comfort in knowing that, even within the highly structured environment of teaching 1301 & 1302, teachers have some opportunity to supplement the outlined instruction with things like free writing. They can also convey their own attitude regarding the importance of the process while teaching students to create a final product that will communicate their point effectively. They may not be holding hands and singing Kumbaya, but maybe at least some of the students will discover the beauty of the messy process called writing.
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I completely agree and understand your frustration with the grading. I do not like that we have to be so focused on the grammatical mistakes, but it is equally important to point them out. And, while we are frustrated in our attempts to point out the mistakes, I do think the structure to the class is helpful in giving the students the experience in the writing process.
ReplyDeleteI agree that it's a very fine line graders and instructors must walk. On one hand, if you say "wow, A+, Jimmy, I really see your heart in this piece" but Jimmy still sucks at writing, then ethically, I think you've failed Jimmy as a writing instructor.
ReplyDeleteOn the other hand, if you say "Jimmy, you murdered the language I love. F-" and Jimmy decides he's a complete failure at writing and he will never do it again, then you've also failed Jimmy as a writing instructor.
Rhetorically, graders and instructors have a razor-thin line to walk. I believe that each person is intelligent in that they have something unique to contribute to the world. If they have writing as another medium to make that contribution, then they will be that much more empowered. Nobody should be completely praised or completely chased off in this system. Everyone has something to write.
Then again, there's the kid who turns in something like "do u like pie" as a thesis statement, and you sit in your chair, stunned. What could you possibly say about this? For one thing, the student didn't even try, and for another, the assignment was completely different. How do you reach students like these? You have no choice but to give them an F. Do you still say something nice?
I feel the same way about the students' grammar in the freshman compositions. I am in fact shocked that the majority of them don't write with correct grammar. Many of them also struggle with how to express themselves with the right words or phrases. One of the reasons contributing to these problems is lack of practice, either in writing or in reading. If I correct their grammar, I'll be staying up all night working on one paper. It is frustrating. What happened or didn't happen in "grammar school?"
ReplyDeleteI'm also becoming--not really becoming, more like still--frustrated about the grading situation. Like Juanjuan, if I decided to pick apart all of the grammar mistakes in some of these papers, I would be up all night. I don't believe it's really effective to mark everything, either. I've started marking the mainly repetitive mistakes and glaring mistakes. However, I'm finding it hard trying to explain some of the mistakes that they're making. Then, however, you have to focus in on what they've actually written and grade them on that as well. Like Dr. Kemp has said in class, if there is too much red on the paper, the student mentally checks out. We want them to learn from their mistakes, but do they really? The razor-thin line that Harrison mentioned in his comment is alive and well, and it's hurting my feet.
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