Entry #12

As I look back at the syllabus and take a look at the objectives, I realize how much this course helped me to grow as a learner.

I have definitely learned a great deal about the variety of genres readers and writers use to communicate.  I have also learned the flexibility in these genres.  I have gained insight on how these genres overlap to meet the needs of the writer.  Reading each genre is approached in a slightly different way, which is something I had not thought about before this class. 

Before class I had not thought deeply about the role of purpose and audience when writing.  I must admit that I now consciously think about my purpose and audience before writing a piece.  This helps me to determine the genre I will use as I write, as well as the voice I will write in.  This was a major learning point for me, as I do not recall focusing on purpose and audience in my own schooling as a child.  I feel this has helped me grow as a writer, as well as make writing easier for me. 

I had not thought about the idea of new literacy theories before this class.  I had just seen new literacies as a way of the education world evolving.  This is the area that I would like to explore more of, as I enjoy learning about the theories of literacy.  Comparing the new to the old theories is of interest to me. 

The relationship between the reading and writing process was a huge eye opener on the first night of class.  I had never thought of readers and writers going through the same process.  I am now much more conscious of this both as a reader and a writer.  I feel this connection between the two has helped me to understand students in classrooms from a teacher perspective.  I hope this information will someday help me as I am teaching students in my own classroom to be readers and writers.  Personally I feel that students should know the connection between reading and writing more than the fact they both involve words, and one is creating text while the other is interpreting the text.  

I was introduced to many types of reading and writing assignments in this class that could be used at a wide variety of age levels.  I was impressed by the variety that we discussed.  Technology has become so prevalent in our society that we need to be able to make use of it in the classroom.   Before class I had only thought of a writing assignment with technology to be typing a piece in a word processor.  I was exposed to so many new writing activities that I never would have thought of on my own.  This idea of being able to use technology in new innovative ways in the classroom has excited me as a teacher.  I now know that I can have fun with writing and teach my students to show their creativity in other ways than just words in electronic writing pieces.  There is much more to writing when it comes to technology than forming sentences.   Creativity with pictures, podcasts, and movies are all new ideas that I am excited to bring into a classroom some day.  Although technology is generally used more extensively in higher grades, assignments can be tailored to fit students of younger grades.  The earlier they are exposed to these types of reading and writing I believe the more excited and better writers they will become. 

Writing assessment and evaluation was always a sore topic for me.  I would become very uneasy when it came to assessing a student’s writing.  The biggest shift in my thinking with assessment was realizing it is not always just taking a look at the final product, but paying attention to the student as they are using the writing process is important as well.  Although I have grown tremendously with my comfort in writing assessment, I feel that this is an area I still need to grow in.  I think this is something that will come with time and practice in a classroom of my own.  I feel as though I can assess students work fairly now, but will become more comfortable and confident in doing so as time goes on. 

Entry #11

When class first began I had a felt overwhelmed thinking about all the genres and how little I knew.  Literacy was always something that made me uneasy, especially learning about different genres.  I was always intimidated to walk into a library to find a book.  I could hardly pinpoint a genre if I tried.  As this class began I wondered how I was going to remember all of the genres and be able to tell them apart let alone know characteristics of each.  I quickly began to be amazed at how much I was retaining and how easy it all was to figure out.  Although there are many different genre names, I learned that many of them can overlap.  This put my mind at ease, knowing there is not always a single right answer.   As I was learning about each genre, I also realized that they are not always in a specific format as I had previously thought.  There is a large amount of flexibility within each genre.  For example, an expository text is not always an essay. It can also be in the form of a textbook, or even a poem.  If an expository text is a poem, then it includes two genres which is the overlapping I was introduced to.  

At the start of this class I felt as though I had an understanding of each genre, but not necessarily a deep understanding.  I knew what a poem looked like, or could pick out an expository text, but I wasn’t sure that I could create one of my own and feel confident. Once I was introduced to the endless formats and uses of poems, I felt as though creating one would be more manageable.  I think this was my largest growth throughout the semester.  That being said, I can't necessarily pinpoint a single genre I grew in.  Overall my eyes were opened to the variety that I had not previously been exposed to.  I now feel more confident in each genre, that I can mold it to what I need and express myself without feeling restrained.  I hope to teach my students to feel this way as well.

Just like my growth, there isn’t a particular genre that still intimidates me.  Descriptive writing is my weakest point still, but this is incorporated in all genres.  As a writer I do not easily convey my message with descriptors.  I often leave too much to the reader to infer, as I leave out the details in my writing.   This is a part of my writing that I have always struggled with, no matter what genre I am writing.  I tend to get to the point and not elaborate as much as I could.  This is my goal as I continue to grow as a writer, to incorporate descriptive writing more prevalently within any genre I write.  

Entry #5

Dr Jones,

Overall I am very pleased with this class.  It has pushed me to step out of my comfort zone.  Before this class I was very timid to make my writing public.  I am still nervous to do so, but I am slowly becoming more comfortable with it.  I have seen public writing as similar to public speaking, in which I feel very judged as I am doing it.

My understanding for the connection between reading and writing has grown tremendously.  Before class I had a close minded view of how the two were connected.  Even in the first class session we had my eyes were widely opened.  I had never thought about the strategies that writers use as being comparable to readers and visa versa.  I now see writing as a way to think and learn.  I have grown to be more comfortable just letting my thoughts flow out rather than plan and organize to an extreme.  This has led me to be able to fully transact as I write.  I now am able to have a conversation with myself as I write to discover new ideas and reconsider old ones.  I now question my own thoughts as I am writing in a new way. Previously I would question whether I was "doing it right", now I question my own ideas and thoughts.  This has pushed me to a different level of thinking, and in turn like I said, use writing as a tool to think.  The only habits that I feel I need to change is writing more often.  Although I have grown to be more comfortable with writing, I still don't feel comfortable enough to do it leisurely.  This is something I hope I can do someday.  I find writing to be a way to clear my head and get my thoughts out quickly and easily.

The first instructional strategy that I have learned and I feel will help me as a literacy teacher is to see the connection between reading and writing.  I want to show my students that these are not two separate activities, but in fact there are many overlaps. Strategies that writers use can and should also be used to be good readers.  The discussion we had on the first night sticks in my head.  It was about rereading, and how many times students see those that have to reread as "poor readers" rather than readers that are looking to clarify or find a new idea in the text.  I also want to be able to show my students that writing is not simply done with pen and paper.  I addressed this in my previous blog, as I discussed how my eyes have been open to the wide range of genres.  Many of which I had never even thought of as writing activities.

Overall I am very please with what I have learned from this class.  I have many new ideas that I had never even considered before.  Prior to this class I was nervous to be a teacher of literacy, hence why I chose the literacy program.  This class alone has built my confidence and excitement for teaching literacy some day.  The ideas are intriguing for me and I can't wait to pass them on to my students.

I do not have any concerns about class at this time. I feel it is all going very smoothly.   Expectations and standards are clear and reachable.  Thank you for such a great learning experience.

Sincerely,
Jennie Krolak