After reading chapter eight of the textbook, I appreciated that Fisher and Frey explained the difference between writing to learn and learning to write. They said that it helps the teacher and the student to see what is unclear, so it helps the teacher see what level they are on and it helps the student “know what they know”.
I also loved the section on writing to learn in mathematics since I have struggled my entire life in that subject area. I know what it is like to feel that you are missing some information to be able to learn at the same pace with the rest of the class. Fisher and Frey talk about the importance of teaching students to ask themselves questions such as “What’s the rule?” and “What’s the first step?” and I think that this has value because students need to be able to think about their thinking in order to fill in the gaps.
I also love the idea of writing what they are thinking as they go through the thinking process. It is easy to move through that process and get to the end without realizing how you got there. So, if a student is unable to find an answer to a problem, then they need to understand where they are off track in their thinking. This why I think the students’ ability to write about their thinking process is so important.
I enjoyed reading the Knipper and Duggan article much more than the Moss article since writing to learn is more of a tool meant to help students learn. The information concerning the different ways to assess writing is helpful since that seems to be one of the only drawbacks to these strategies. I thought the microthemes strategy was a great idea because it gives the teacher a way to assess what the students actually know and it also gives the students a way to review for their tests.
I also liked the microthemes strategy as well. Great reflection!
ReplyDeleteRachel, I am so glad I am not the only one who is completely English minded! I got by in math by luck and luck alone. I too always felt like I was missing the most important piece of the puzzle in math. I agree that making students not only solve the problem but write through the process they used will help them "know what they know" as stated in your blog, and then the missing pieces can be put into place for those who need it. Great post! :)
ReplyDeleteHi Rachel, Dr B here. I like this line in your post, "it helps the student 'know what they know.'” Great way of saying that writing can be a way to process meaning, to provide teachers with a guide for how able the student is to write what they know, and to continue using writing in a variety of ways that help students "know what they know" from diff vantage points. You hammer this home with your thoughts about writing as a great vehicle for students to process their own thinking (metacognition is real!). Now just need to carve out that time in class (and out) to do this type of work.
ReplyDeleteps, your profile pic is awesome and your blog title, as I've mentioned, is equally fantastic
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