in-class writing: Imagine an audience. . .

3/22/2022

Interestingly, many of us wrote about the ways the idea of audience is a pretty false one in the writing classroom. That's perhaps the most benign way we can describe it. Villanueva and others suggest that the imagined audience, in the hands of writers uninitiated in the dominant dialect, can be oppressive.

But presenting to a real audience has powerful effects on students. Research in undergraduate research as a high-impact practice (a HIP), indicates that presenting to an audience other than your teacher can have some of the most powerfully positive learning outcomes for students--and can impact their lives beyond the classroom.

So for today's in-class writing, sketch out a possible writing experience for the classroom with a real not imagined audience. Let's do this in the magical world of having no principal or parent or school board to report to. Sure there are assignments where you write a local school official or a letter to an editor, but we all know who you are really writing to--your teacher. So let's pull out all the stops. Let's consider the night's reading about audience perils and imagine something that challenges the downside to audience. No rules and no wrong answers. Just good clean fun.

Once you've posted, take some time to read what your classmates had to say and then we can talk about it as a group.

43 Comments

Shauna Cascarella Briggs

3/22/2022 03:51:09 pm

So this isn't necessarily imagined, as much as I have already planned it in the hopes that I was going to be able to pilot this for the junior research project that would be used across the board. I just needed to admit that before I get into it.

Students spend time researching the various issues that impact their community. By providing choice boards that give students examples of the different levels of community and asking them to examine their identities in a multi-level way you can really open up the assignment to many different interpretations. It may be a larger level of community in a racialized sense, or a country-wide problem (country of choice), state-wide, municipal, or school. Students select the issue and research it in context that would take place throughout class time. This is phase one.
The second phase of the projects asks students to create an outreach plan; this could be fundraisers, PSA videos, community organized events, etc. Once the second phase has been teacher approved they move on to phase three, which is implementation and data collection of the outreach plan. Phase four is inputting the data into their original research work in a research paper format.

Finally, and here's where the audience component comes into play, students hold an after school showcase for community members, staff, families, and peers (all juniors will take part in this) where they discuss their issue researched, their outreach plan, the implementation and data, and their concluding research. The unit is called "Bee the Change."

Kayleigh Holt

3/22/2022 04:15:51 pm

I love this idea! I like that the starting point for the assignment is broad enough that the students could interpret it in a ton of different ways, it would be so interesting to see what all of the students come up with. Also that name for the unit is great!

Alyssa Campbell

3/22/2022 03:51:22 pm

I would ask my students to write about their experience doing something that they love to someone they look up to. If they liked soccer, for instance, and the thing that they love doing is playing soccer, then they would write and describe their experience playing to them. I would ask them to explain how the thing they love connects to the person they look up to. If they say they love playing piano, and they look up to their grandparents, they could write to their grandparents about piano and explain how the piano in the back room of the house was their favorite thing to do every rainy day and it made them happy.

Here's the real kicker, though; I would have them send it in whatever ways possible BEFORE I graded it. I would have them either hand deliver it if possible or hand-mail it, and I would make a copy to look over after it was sent. This means that I was not the end audience or even the target audience. The person or persons that the student looks up to are the target audience. The risk here, of course, is that students would say inappropriate things or rude things that ignored the prompt, but since it is who THEY want to write to and not who they are forced to write to, they may be less likely to do this.

Matthew Cutter

3/22/2022 04:13:46 pm

I like this one. Even if they did say rude things then it's a life lesson for them if there's any fallout hahaha

Brian Seibert

3/22/2022 04:17:52 pm

I agree with Matt. It's a great way to make students accountable. This is especially important these last couple of school years. It seems like these kids forgot how to interact with real people and behave in social/professional settings.

Sarah Bond

3/22/2022 03:54:47 pm

Has anyone heard of or used "Write the World"? I heard a presenter mention it once but have never spoken to a teacher who successfully implemented it. It's a platform that engages students in various forms of writing with other students around the globe that are writing about the same things. It may be too broad, but I think teacher's can direct or monitor student engagement. In any case -- it seems like a potentially cool way to wrap up a term or the school year with student choice, authentic audience, and differentiation of skill.

Shauna

3/22/2022 04:06:56 pm

I had a colleague do this last year with great success. The kids loved it and we even had one of the "pen pal" students come join us this year during and exchange program! I think it's a great idea to build perspective of outside experience.

3/22/2022 04:17:49 pm

I think pen pals is a great way to have a real audience. You could have older students explain how to do things for school to a younger audience. You could have two peer classes write to each other on a shared research project.

3/22/2022 04:08:17 pm

Sarah- I hadn't heard of this, but now I am interested and want to look into it to find out more. My students (sixth grade) may not be included in a project like this, unfortunately, since grades below eighth are often deemed rather young to be doing any sort of collaborative and community work.

Maura Geoghegan

3/22/2022 04:15:28 pm

I haven't heard of it, but it sounds like such a cool opportunity! I wrote about using pen-pals for audience focused writing and this sounds like it would fit perfectly with accomplishing that goal.

Megan G

3/22/2022 03:56:49 pm

Writing Prompt:
As a class you are used to writing for your teacher, but today that is not the case. Think about a cause that is important to you, it can be climate change, LGBTQ+ rights, or any other kind of activism. Write with the audience that opposes this activism, the people who protest the protests and attempt to stop positive progress. This piece should show why you care about this cause to those who are opposed to it. It easy to be aggressive when you are passionate about a topic but approachability is key here. Take time to research why your audience opposes this cause and frame your approach around those facts.

This prompt showcases a time where audience is essential if the piece of writing will achieve its goal: getting through to someone with opposing views.

Olivia L

3/22/2022 04:02:43 pm

I LOVE that!! Writing for an opposing view is so difficult to do but has such a strong purpose!

Sarah

3/22/2022 04:04:21 pm

This is interesting, Megan, because my immediate reaction to the question was - How can we get students practicing actual online engagement on topics of interest. This is a great way to model/encourage the care and thought necessary (but rare!) in thoughtful digital platforms.

Melissa

3/22/2022 04:06:22 pm

I think this is a fantastic idea for students to discover how discourse can develop their empathy and understanding. If they are forced to look at oppositional views, and then try to engage with a person who has oppositional views, it creates and opportunity for students to engage in healthy public discourse.

Ashley Merola

3/22/2022 04:11:51 pm

I love this idea, Megan! My juniors are starting a unit on rhetorical writing this week, and I can absolutely see this prompt helping them tackle audience while also engaging them in their personal interests.

3/22/2022 03:57:58 pm

I'd imagine designing an assignment were students write for each other. I'd have them pick a partner, and then interview that partner. Probably come up with some guiding questions to help move the interview along. I'd give the students time to write. Their writing can be any genre, type, whatever, as long as it's FOR their partner. Once the writing is done and their partner has read it, there will be some sort of one point rubric or something that the partner fills out and hands to me. This will be done in class, so I can at least see that the writer has given their partner something to read. That will be what I base the "grade" off of, but I will NEVER actually see the writing. Because it wasn't for me.

3/22/2022 04:08:21 pm

Hi Matt, This is a great idea! It allows each student to practice writing and assessment. This way, they get to experience both sides of the process.

3/22/2022 04:12:59 pm

Hi Matt-

I really like this idea for the reasons Megan writes about, but also because it is a great way to foster authentic friendships in the classroom. Two students both nerd out about Star Wars and the things they write for one another are spinoff episode ideas? Cool, they've done the assignment and found a fun way to express a common interest.

3/22/2022 04:14:44 pm

I really like the concept of you never reading it and the way that it is graded. I feel like it gives students a lot more freedom. This reminds me of some of the journal entries I have done and I feel like they are really able to get thoughts out when it is for themselves or specifically someone else.

Melissa Batty

3/22/2022 03:58:43 pm

I would like to ask my students, who I see as undergraduates at a university or college, to write a letter to the president of said college or unniversity. I would propose that think about what affective changes regarding equality and equity they would like seen demonstrated at their school. How do they think of equality and equity? But most importantly, how do they want those changes enacted at an institutional level. I would let them now that this letter would not effect their academic standing –– it is truly a free pass to address the man or woman at the top of the food chain.

By writing to the president, they are crafting a text to an audience who has the most inherent power over them academically. I believe this would challenge their ideas surrounding the power structure they face and how they fit into that power structure. How does the freedom of voice without consequence change their writing style and substance?

3/22/2022 04:09:43 pm

Hi Melissa, I love this idea. I think as students we often feel our voices don't matter when it comes to school decisions and that someone as prestigious as the college president is inaccessible to us. An activity like this would show students they can exercise their voice and might even make some change in the process.

3/22/2022 03:59:37 pm

I have done a couple of community based essays in the past which are sent to a specific member of the community. One is where a student writes an argumentative essay/letter to a school committee member or other personnel in the district. They write about a change they want to see in their school, community, or neighborhood/district. They must also conduct research on the person they are sending the letter to so that they have an understanding of who they are writing for.
Another lower stakes assignment could be to post to a district blog or website with a letter or ideas about what they want to see change. On a side note- when I was in high school they had us do a project on what we would do with a piece of land that was being rebuilt across from our school. We had to estimate cost, reason, etc. It was really fun and was a mix between personal and business writing.

3/22/2022 04:07:02 pm

I had students draft a defense of the movie we watched as "text" recently (as though the school board opposed it, which they did not). It was just a brief discussion board post done in class, but the students were so drawn to the concept. I love the extra step of researching the leader they plan to engage to consider an effective approach to writing.

3/22/2022 04:00:44 pm

After analyzing the readings this past week, I was drawn to the idea of creating an audience. Clark detailed an effective guideline to encourage students to write to someone else other than the teacher. While her process was geared toward argument writing, I would start at a different point with my 6th grade students. Since writing is such a nuisance to most students, I would begin with a prompt that is of high interest and gives them some choices. I would have them pretend they are in a video game or TV show/movie and have a conversation with a character. The dialogue could be based on a specific setting, scenario, or just a topic of interest to the student. That way they can generate their ideas using a character other than attempting write what they think I want to see.

3/22/2022 04:13:35 pm

I used dialogue a lot in undergaduate classes. In an undergraduate version of this class, I have students write a dialogue between Mike Rose, Paulo Freire, Louise Rosenblatt, Frank Smith, and Wolfgang Iser (the last three are reading theorists). They need to figure out the position of each of the scholars and represent that in a dialogue;--so put them into conversation with each other. It's great fun when they take it seriously. I have them act out the dialogue in front of the rest of the class.

3/22/2022 04:01:27 pm

The first writing piece of the year that my students complete is a memoir. I have them focus on one scene, or event, and ask them to describe it in words as vividly as possible. Something that I would really like to do, if possible, is transition that writing assignment into something similar to “The Moth” storytelling performances. We listen to a few of The Moth stories over the course of the year, and the students always find them really fascinating. It would be interesting to reframe their memoir pieces as fitting a theme that everyone else in the class is also writing to, with the end goal being to record their story (like a podcast) and to possibly submit them to Storycorp or something similar.

3/22/2022 04:05:12 pm

Two things:
1) I recently came up with my own Moth story and am just waiting for the stars to line up and have the theme/location be just right.
2) I love this idea so much and think it would make for an awesome lesson on personal writing, publishing of writing, and performance of writing. So much yes.

3/22/2022 04:20:40 pm

Shauna, that is awesome! I hope that the right theme and location comes along soon for you!

3/22/2022 04:15:33 pm

Kayleigh, I love The Moth! I had editors from their visit my past school and some of my peers performed their own Moth stories. It is such an amazing experience and is a great example of keeping audience in mind with effective storytelling techniques

Megan

3/22/2022 04:18:33 pm

Wow I love my typo here! Oops I meant to type there.

3/22/2022 04:16:18 pm

Kayleigh. I love this idea. I've wanted to do a second year seminar on the moth. The Moth actually has a lot of supports for teachers who want to do this kind of thing with their Moth teacher institute. I think that most of the dates for this year have passed, but there are some summer opportunities and a lot of support for this kind of work in the Moth community.
https://themoth.org/education/teachers/teacherinstitute

3/22/2022 04:23:29 pm

Thank you so much, I hadn't realized that they ran the institute in the summer, and that would be perfect!

3/22/2022 04:19:48 pm

I really like this idea Kayleigh!!! The podcast/speaking option is wonderful especially for those students who thrive off of those types of assignments! We need to connect because we definitely have similar teaching styles and curriculum!

3/22/2022 04:01:55 pm

One writing experience I have always wanted to implement in my classroom is having students write letters of gratitude. For such an assignment, I would ask my students to address a letter to a real person in their community (a friend, family member, teacher, administrator, neighbor, DPW worker, etc. - anyone but me) in which they express their appreciation for them. I would tell students at the start that they will have the opportunity to mail their letters to their recipients after the revision process. The only reason I would read their writing would be to help them improve its content, structure, and style; the assessment itself (if I count it as one) would be based on labor alone. In an ideal world, I would also invite the recipients to a community event during which students could deliver their letters in person and possibly volunteer to read their words out loud on stage. That might complicate the concept of audience, but it would be cool to see!

3/22/2022 04:06:20 pm

Ashley, This is an amazing idea that incorporates writing and mindfulness! It is proven that expressing gratitude more helps our mental health so you would be allowing your students to become better writers and reduce stress all in one activity. I personally think we should do this in college as well, as we often don't take time to step away and appreciate what we have/the people around us.

3/22/2022 04:11:21 pm

I love this idea! I've done something similar by having students do this the day before Thanksgiving break. They all have to write one thank you letter to a staff member at school (teacher, para, counselor, coach, etc.) because I then collect their letters and deliver them. I tell students at the beginning that I won't read their letters, but I will be delivering them to the person it's addressed to so they should be mindful of that when they are writing. I then give students time to write a second thank you letter to someone in their own life (friend, family member, neighbor, coworker, etc.). I can't deliver those letters as easily, so I challenge students to deliver it themselves and share their gratitude with the person they chose to write to. That's such an interesting idea to then invite the recipients to a community event so that the students could read their letters out to them- that would be really powerful!

3/22/2022 04:02:06 pm

Having students write to a pen pal seems like a very elementary-school idea, but I think that could be a really interesting writing assignment at the high school level too. This came to my mind first because my sophomores are reading a book that is set in the Philippines and the act of letter writing is important between the protagonist, who is living in Michigan, and his cousin, who is living in Manila. Most students don't know much about the Philippines before reading this book, and I'm certainly not an expert on the Philippines either, so it would be an interesting opportunity to have them write letters to someone from the Philippines. They would be able to authentically learn more about the Philippines from a real person as well as practice writing to a specific audience. In today's digital age these could be emails, but they would still have a real person they are writing too and they would practice the skill of composing a letter to share their thoughts, questions, emotions, etc. It would also be interesting if the students in the Philippines read the same book and could share their thoughts and opinions about it.

3/22/2022 04:07:11 pm

I really love this idea, and I completely agree, I think the students at the secondary level would be just as interested in pen-pals as kids at the elementary-level are. Also, the idea of coordinating to be reading the same book as the other students, so that they can discuss is great, and would definitely add some extra depth to their discussions.

3/22/2022 04:09:07 pm

I've always wanted to do this with a specific Japanese-translated novel titled Kokoro. It's a school text in Japan and has a lot of interesting writing technique. I think American K-12 students would have such a unique take on it and that it would be beneficial for both interpretations.

3/22/2022 04:10:06 pm

I love this idea. I think at any age level it would help students understand multiculturalism. It offers students an opportunity to engage with a world outside of their own; creating a space for observation, understanding, and cultural enrichment.

3/22/2022 04:11:09 pm

I think there are several ways to make audience real to students. One way I've done this is through community based learning. I don't know how feasible this is at all levels of K-12, but I believe it is possible with more students than we think. I've identified a local organization that needs something--to increase membership, to announce a new business, to develop a website. Then I put students in teams to research and write promotional materials for that organization. I invite reps of the group to come to class two times. First, for the interview so that students can actually know who their audience is. So do actual resarch on audience--which is a standard practice in industry. Then they develop their pitch over time to meet the needs of the client. Then I invite the client back to class for student presentations. I don't get too cut throat. It's not like the winning team is the only team that gets an A, but client comments can improve a grade. Further, if the organization uses their pitch, I help the students format that on their resumes.

Another way I use audience is through presentation to others. At BSU, we have two school wide opportunities to present research and creative work. I embed in my classes a requirement that students present. We present as a class, but the audience is not the class. Students write and present different kinds of research through something called pecha kucha--a way of using PowerPoint to create short movies using a lot of visuals but with a recorded script so it does require a lot of writing and revision. Students aren't studying audience here but they know they have a responsibility to the audience.

I'll say this until I retire: a student is a different student when they between the time before they present until after. And research demonstrates the truth of that.

Students don't care what you think really, beyond the grade, but they would never want to look like a fool in front of other people. They commit more to the work. They are responsible to the audience, which is different than imagining an audience.

3/22/2022 04:13:02 pm

We have an entrepreneurship class that does something exactly like this and I've always felt like the English classes/teachers should be a little more involved in the process.

3/22/2022 04:19:57 pm

I think having students participate in presentations is key to their growth as academic scholars. They learn the value of research and how that research crafts an affective presentation to a general audience. It invites the possibility of engaging with peers and educators that they may not have ever met. It also assists them in developing critical skills pertaining to understanding and addressing audience.

in-class writing: Imagine an audience. . .

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