Last Post: Kittle, Charity-Hudley, & Mallinson

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Last Post: Kittle, Charity-Hudley, & Mallinson

6/24/2021

First off, congratulations for making it to the end of week five of a very busy five weeks together after the hellscape of the last academic year.

For our last post of the summer session I, I would like for you to consider two things:
1. Accurately summarize and analyze the reading for today--not an insubstantial task.
2. From what you read, identify one or two criteria, based on the readings we did this evening, but in a larger sense, based on the reading and discussion we've had all semester, for what an excellent assignment would look like in an ELA classroom.

Think carefully about that last part, we will use what you come up with as a starting point for our last workshop today on your assignment design materials.

35 Comments

6/24/2021 10:48:34 am

I'm sort of skipping to the second part where I talk about criteria for an excellent assignment. Here's is my biggest one, and it should not surprise you, because I've been talking about it all semester long: room for "error". I don't like to call it error, which feels like the negative it typically means. Rather, I want there to be room to risk on an idea or a writing style or a form of expression, and I want the student to be able to mess it up, but be rewarded for putting themselves out there, and then I want a way for that student to be able to honor that excellent risk--of idea, of style, of format, whatever--and turn it into a version of itself that best reflects the greatness of that attempt. That's the biggest thing for me, and, as you can see, that's not about any one part of the assignment. It's more like a policy. And it's a part of the assessment of the work as much as it is a part of the assignment itself. My second criteria for an excellent assignment is also about assessment: an excellent assignment articulates in crystal clear language how to be successful at that assignment and the project makes it possible to get a strong grade--at least a B--if they do what they are asked to do in the instructions. Yes, this is a kind of labor-based grading, but I think it doesn't have to be. It just has to be transparent and it has to be achievable. I never want a student to look at an assignment I give them and think that it would be impossible for them to do well on it.

That's two. I of course have others, but these for me are the two biggies. please notice that neither of them say anything about fun.

Emma Healy

6/24/2021 10:50:52 am

Kittle examines the importance of a writer’s notebook and free writing. A writing notebook is a place where students can gain confidence and find their creative voice. Her three rules for quick writing are to write for the entire allotted time, writing quickly without letting yourself get in your own way, and relax, have fun, and play. Kittle devises her writing workshop into seven interdependent principles. She wants her students to write well, collaborate with others, study the elements of craft to make for better writing, learn the rhythm of effective sentence structure, watching and learning from her students, understanding that writing is flexible, and accept her responsibility that each student will become a better writer in due time. She values parent book talks where she invites parents to visit the class and discuss a favorite book, showing students that adults find value in reading too. She wants to model thinking as opposed to just creating a model for students to follow. A good, authentic writing workshop challenges, supports, and nurtures writers. Ultimately, each writer is different and so is their writing process. The goal of a writer’s workshop is for the writer to discover choice, not for the needs of the teacher to be met. Another aspect is teaching grammar, a necessity and which takes a lot of patience. By catching students making grammatical errors, the goal is for them to learn and to be motivated to do better, not to penalize them. Students need grammar and punctuation reminders because they won’t get it anywhere else. We can’t just sit back and correct errors, we must be continuously teaching grammar and punctuation.

Charity-Hudley & Mallinson's We Do Language explores the idea that there is diversity within the same language, not just between different languages. Students should be communicative competent in different variations of English, where students can understand how to interpret language intentions. Register is the different ways language is used in social situations, like talking in a classroom versus at home. The SPEAKING model is used to help students differ their own communication to better understand others. The acronym stands for setting and scene, participants, ends, act sequence, key, instrumentalities, norms, and genre. It’s a way to be an adaptive communicator through language. The term standard English is addressed, referring to the “preferred” style of English, but this book uses standardized English instead. Language is also an ever evolving and changing thing, through new generations, cultures, and the influence of technology. Factors that impact our language development include place, education, age, social class, gender, and family. There are deep connections between language and individual identity that teachers should be aware of. Mainstream classrooms favor standardized English, but it is important to take into consideration those students who don’t speak standardized English. Educators need to be respectful and cooperative when it comes to language variations.

One criteria for what makes an excellent assignment is to find engaging, challenging reading that parallels how a student feels about writing. If students are excited about the reading at hand, they will be more motivated to have success on the assignment and to engage in a collaborative process.

Elizabeth Cheesman

6/24/2021 10:53:29 am

Yes! So maybe really thinking about what students have background knowledge on and creating lessons to accomodate interest to then form engagement and excitement.

6/24/2021 10:56:24 am

I agree. Creating assignments that allow a student to bring in and reflect on their own life experience, when possible, or to understand their own world better, by potentially connecting it to a text or to some other aspect of the assignment can mean an excellent assignment. It's also true this isn't always possible, but when it is, it's far more effective than other kinds of assignments. And even when it's not possible to have an assignment totally be about the personal, it can still have elements where we ask our students to connect and reflect.

6/24/2021 10:54:05 am

I would modify your criteria just a bit. When possible, student choice is an excellent aspect of any reading assignment, however it's not always possible. So thinking about how to engage students with texts that they may or may not like and may or may not struggle with, is the important take away here.

Elizabeth Cheesman

6/24/2021 10:51:31 am

Mallinson argues that there are three linguistic truths that all educators should be fully immersed in to enhance the learning experience for language learners. Language and behavior is communication, whether silent or spoken. Language has many different purposes and has changed significantly over time and its important to adapt to new approaches of communication. Having different languages in a classroom is an asset and there is no such thing as one language being better than another. Writers’ notebooks play a significant role in literacy development because students are not only actively writing but they are exploring their ideas. Kittle argues that notebooks are where “we find our voices” (26). When students have the chance to write with a place for “all that bad writing that is essential to uncover good writing” (26). Writing freely and quick writes allows students to “engage in the moment” (31) and find the spark or inspiration to use low stakes writing to improve their writing skills as they learn. Lessons on revision are essential to have students apply what they learn into their own. Less answers given the better and using student work in workshop lessons are more useful than determining right from wrong (81). Patencie and repetition are essential to participate in the growth of student writing. Speaking the writing out loud helps students learn grammar slowly but effectively. Breaking the rules of grammar is encouraged as a learning technique but editing and revising drafts are helpful for seeing areas for growth as well.

An excellent ELA assignment would look like notebooks that can be written in everyday and group and peer work to review and see other approaches to writing. An important criteria for an assignment would be using a modeled piece of writing and then after retrieving that information, be able to make changes and expand on original drafts to make writing better. It’s one thing to make changes to one paper but to transfer knowledge of literacy into your own work after studying it shows strength and growth.

6/24/2021 10:58:42 am

You hit on here two important parts of a writing assignment as it plays out in a classroom: low stakes writing that can support and be developed into something larger. And the use of peer writing groups to support developing writers. It's important to know what we are asking our students to do when they help each other. If it's all about grammar and punctuation, it's going to flop. But if we are asking them to respond as readers who are either interested or not interested, we can get better feedback.

Sarah Egan

6/24/2021 10:52:00 am

A place to collect thinking is in a writer’s notebook. This tool has helps writers to get inspired to write as it holds a variety of information. This could include lists, emotions, or memories. The writers should draft, reread and rethink, expand, reread, and so on. Quick writing is engaging with a moment or idea and talk about it. Reading is a part of writing as it helps individuals to observe the techniques that are used and helps readers to develop ideas on what to write about. It is important to model thinking rather than create a model. Students should be aware of their process of writing as well as other students’. Learning grammar in a classroom takes patience, repetition, and teaching. Correcting errors on final drafts does nothing to improve writing ability. Being a good communicator depends on using language in an effective way. Every school subject has its own terminology and students are expected to know these different registers. Creative exercises can help students practice their everyday language and standardized English. The ideas on what is correct language and communication changes over time because of location and interaction; it is constantly changing frequently for the better.

An effective assignment that would model these qualities would be one that allows students to engage in what they had just read. This can be done through informal writing where students are required to write about what they had just learned. Helping students to write well comes with observing other writers’ work. So, after writing, discussion with other students will help to workshop their ideas. Writing workshops are designed to be productive and challenging but it also helps students better engage in the writing process. Students will meet with their peers and discuss ways in which they can become more confident in their writing.

Elizabeth Cheesman

6/24/2021 10:55:40 am

Yes! Making the text a part of their day instead of just giving them a text and then never talking about it again- that will lose their engagement and comprehension.I would also say to maybe have a paper guide to help students in the peer review process as well or have it modeled first.

Gabriel El Khoury

6/24/2021 10:59:51 am

Quick writes are a great addition, Sarah. They are great for "engaging with a moment or idea," as you put it. It is crucial for students to be able to put their thoughts to paper, and low-stakes writing assignments like quick writes are an excellent way of getting students to write and allowing for a free range of expression on their part. As Kittle goes on to say about quick writes: they allow students “to write freely, to experiment with their thinking and ideas, to try on voice, or to rant about life” (29), which is a great change of pace from dry textbook readings and boring lectures.

Aliyah Pires

6/24/2021 11:04:14 am

Yes, well said! Quick writes are a great thing to add to an assignment and I feel like they get students thinking more deeply about the context versus just reading and talking about a text. They get to think about ideas and actively write them down before sharing.

6/24/2021 10:59:54 am

See above my comments about the value and importance of workshopping--and cautions around it.

Lauren Wrigley

6/24/2021 10:59:56 am

yes, I think discussion after writing is an important part of the writing process and would benefit students. All of these parts that you mentioned I think make great 'steps' for completing an assignment. Reading, drafting, discussing, then workshopping, before completing the final product. I think a writer's reflection contributes a lot to this product as well. I would consider reflection and important criterion for designing a good assignment.

6/24/2021 11:08:12 am

What you all seem to be getting at here is scaffolding. Which is this idea that you start with low stakes writing and then through a series of assignments, readings, in class and out of class exercises, build to a draft that can be workshopped and revised any number of times. And, yes, for me this would be my big third part of an excellent assignment--that you build up to a draft with your students rather than just leave them to their own selves to figure it all out.

David Golden

6/24/2021 11:11:26 am

Practicing writing is an excellent way for students to gain from their work. If they keep writing they will become better writers. Giving them workshops and having them observe other students are great tools for them to improve. I agree that these are all great ways for students to gain confidence in their writing.

Gabriel El Khoury

6/24/2021 10:52:22 am

Part two of Kittle’s Write Beside Them contains what is at the core of Kittle’s pedagogical philosophy: her emphasis on leading by example, of making connections by showing students (7) what it is you expect of them. This being said, she is an advocate of “[q]uick writing” (29) because it allows students “to write freely, to experiment with their thinking and ideas, to try on voice, or to rant about life” (29), and considers it necessary for the educator all the while to be writing alongside her students. Education is, after all, a collective process, and educators should not detach themselves but engage with students on a student-level, to write, think, and learn beside them. Part three gets more into the specifics of how a writer’s workshop is ideally to be conducted. Combining a number of quick writes into the workshop, Kittle also suggests adding structures into the workshop designed specifically to address issues of grammar and punctuation (82). Kittle is a proponent also of “confer[ring] with individuals or small groups of writers” (85) regularly as a means of tracking progress, as being “necessary to growth in writing” (86) because writers benefit enormously from having “regular response to their work” (85). Lastly, in part five, Kittle gets into the nitty-gritty of writing, the mechanics on a sentence-level: grammar and punctuation, which allegedly “keeps [her] up at night” (190). Persistence and repetition (191) are both key to the mastery of grammar and punctuation, and Kittle highly encourages students “to reread their writing out loud for sentence structure” (198).
Anne H. Charity Hudley and Christine Mallinson, in We Do Language, examine the immense diversity within languages, focusing specifically on English as it is expressed in the United States. The use of language, the way in which language is expressed, is highly circumstantial and largely dependent on the “social situations and contexts” in which individuals find themselves. It is argued that “[a]ttention to register” (18)—or “the different ways that language is used” (13)—“can particularly benefit struggling students” (18). Because language is in a constant state of evolution, “is always changing, to different degrees and for different reasons” (21), students should be made aware of how and why languages shift; this, they argue, “can increase their linguistic awareness” (22). Hudley and Mallinson cite Shakespeare who, despite being “linguistically complex” (25), is an especially illuminating writer for students to study because he illustrates just how “[l]anguage is a social product” (25). They go on to mention that texting writing, while having a reputation for being “detrimental” (28), is actually beneficial for students, as “much evidence suggests otherwise” (28). Finally, they stress that language differences do not necessarily equate to language deficits (36), which is a striking point and one that needs saying.
What are two major criteria of an excellent writing assignment? One helpful exercise proposed in We Do Language involves examining the similarities and differences between Old and Modern English, which Hudley and Mallinson argue will help students observe how language evolves. It is helpful for students to understand that language is in a constant state of evolution. Additionally, Kittle describes a process of teaching revision by means of using “student texts under construction” (81). Rather than pushing answers onto students, Kittle “provide[s] possibilities” (81). Using student texts, Kittle argues, “provide[s] … fresh, vibrant work that keeps all of us from slipping into complacency” (81). In summation, two parts of an excellent writing assignment might include comparing and contrasting a language, thereby showing students how language is not a fixed entity, as well as using student texts as a tool for teaching the class how to properly revise their papers.

Elizabeth Cheesman

6/24/2021 10:57:46 am

Love this! Comparing and contrasting a language could also be a way to form understanding of diversity, inclusion, equity, anti-racism, etc. at the same time! I feel like this assignment could be for any grade level- but modified complexity depending on what class it is.

Sarah Egan

6/24/2021 11:05:04 am

Elizabeth, I thought the same thing about comparing and contrasting language as it can be used to help students gain better awareness and appreciation for diversity.

6/24/2021 11:04:43 am

An excellent writing assignment should pay attention to expression. You all might remember my long "I shot the sheriff, but I did not shoot the deputy" thing about grammar and punctuation. The point of that exercise is not to tell someone they did something wrong, but to consider the various ways that one can express something. This is something that happens at the end of the drafting process but before they turn it in to me--or after they've gotten initial feedback and are not ready for more serious revision. It's an opportunity for students to consider the occasion that they are writing for (kairos) as well as the audience and the topic. This honors the various ways students bring their own sense of language into a classroom but also asks them to consider that they are not writing in a vacuum--real readers read things and make opinions about them, and we should consider those audiences, occasions, topics as we write.

Lauren Wrigley

6/24/2021 11:05:35 am

I love that you've considered this quote from Kittle about preventing students from "slipping into complacency". This reminds me of Freire's theology on oppressive education and how students should be making these connections on their own rather than the teacher just depositing information for students to do what they will with it. So, I think that keeping these ideas in mind while creating assignments is an excellent idea and will lead to a successful learning experience for students. Comparing and contrasting their languages is a much more engaging way than just explain to them that other language varieties exist. This is a great example of teaching as a reciprocal relationship, rather than a passive transaction.

6/24/2021 11:09:50 am

Yes, Lauren. I agree. And that's what I'm talking about when I talk about room to risk. If you ask your students to do things that ask them to stretch mentally, emotionally, verbally, than their have to be safeguards in how we design and evaluate such an assignment--or the students will never come along for the ride.

Lauren Wrigley

6/24/2021 10:53:34 am

1. Hudley and Mallinson’s chapter 2 of We Do Language discusses the idea of language variety and how the English language, like other languages, varies in dialect within its own language. However, the English language is standardized in which a specific variety of the language is favored and dominates the other varieties. They offer three ‘linguistic truths’ about language: 1) communication occurs in a social context, 2) Language is always changing, and 3) Language differences are not language deficits. The key insight for educators to take away from Hudley and Mallinson’s ideas is that language variety in the classroom must be acknowledged as assets and be embraced to promote learning enrichment. Oftentimes, standardized English disadvantages students in the education system, and as the responsibility as educators, we must consider these drawbacks and provide tools to better support students with language varieties that pose challenges when learning standardized English. The curriculum should include lessons and strategies that help students recognize and adapt to these language varieties, promoting future learning and success in their academics.

2. Two criteria that make an excellent assignment would be to use approaches that promote students building off of their previous skills, such as free writes, drafting, workshopping, and reflecting. I also think assessing students in a non-standardized approach, in which students are assessed on labor rather than the final product, is an important criterion for designing an assignment.

Emma Healy

6/24/2021 10:56:59 am

I agree that the labor assessment is very effective for an assignment. Maybe in the workshopping process there could be collaboration with peers to bounce ideas off each other.

Aliyah Pires

6/24/2021 10:59:52 am

I also think that collaboration with peers is an aspect that should be involved as it allows for more ideas to generate and flow.

Alexis Medeiros

6/24/2021 10:57:21 am

Lauren, love the idea of scaffolding as you mentioned above. I feel like we have talked a lot about this during this course and our other summer course! I loved how you really pulled together the concepts of this class and the other class we are taking because I feel like in both classes we have talked about the same things. We also talked about the non-standardized approach in our group project and you're right I think that is the best approach

Sarah Egan

6/24/2021 10:59:19 am

It really is important to build off of previous skills because it only helps to strengthen them and also challenge what is already known. I think assessing students based on labor is also a good tool when approaching grading because it helps students to know that the effort is essential in class.

6/24/2021 11:05:50 am

Well, you know I value a move away from traditional "merit based" grading systems since "merit" is subjective in every way--and is highly racialized in our classrooms.

Aliyah Pires

6/24/2021 10:54:37 am

“In We Do Language: English Language Variation in the Secondary Classroom, the authors lay out in an accessible, and adaptable way the problem space that secondary English/language arts professionals face as they do their jobs. They are defined by socio-economic status, culture, gender, sexuality, ideology, and other factors of the human condition and experience. Language is a social tool that is used in different ways and contexts. The text examines the complexities of how educators and students communicate with one another as well as understand what is being communicated by the authors whose novels, plays, poems, and other texts are commonly read in secondary English classrooms. As their title suggests, the primary goal of the authors research has been to investigate what success looks like when educators and students actually ‘do language.’”
For me, a criteria for an excellent assignment would have to do with having students engaged in the work. I feel like all good assignments have an educator who is excited about the material begging shared and has the students excited to learn. It is important also to have places in the assignment when students can work in groups, pairs, and individually. Developed assignments will have students not only working independently but leave time for students to collaborate and share ideas on the material.

David Golden

6/24/2021 11:06:31 am

I too believe that students should engage themselves in their work. If they find it boring and uninformative then they will show a disinterest in the assignment. If students are given the opportunity to build off one another ideas that certainly helps them develop.

Alexis Medeiros

6/24/2021 10:54:42 am

I love Penny Kittle’s book, “Writing Beside Them”, is a book that all educators need to read. Penny Kittle’s title emphasizes the need for all teachers to write beside their students. Teachers first need to teach themselves before they teach their students because teachers can not teach something that they first haven’t learned themselves. Kittle reminds teachers that they need to build relationship with their students and conference with them one on one. If teachers do not build a relationship with their students they will not be able to help their student in the ways that suit them best, all students learn at different rates and by building a relationship with your students teachers will be able to better understand how to help their student in every step of the journey. The second reading, “We do Language” by Anne H. Hudley and Christine Mallison describes how language is always changing. Language is indeed always changing, we do not talk in the ways that the Anglo-Saxons did. As language changes teachers need to remember that some aspects of language can’t be taught. There are varieties of language that are characterized by “informal” but it is simply the difference between language variety and register. Just as we need to approach literacies without a bias we need to do the same with language as there are a variety of language techniques.
What makes an excellent assignment? The ability to allow students to have a voice of their own and developing a relationship with the text makes a great assignment. In Kittle’s book she emphasizes how a student of hers remember the “May Day” assignment after she graduated from the fire academy. A great assignment is one that is memorable to the students and one that the student forms a relationship with. A great assignment is also one that requires reflection, I think that’s why in our portfolio we were asked to do various reflections. Reflections allow us to see our failures and see how we can grow from them. One of the main concepts that we have learned about is failure and how we must fail in order to succeed. Lastly, a great assignment does not focus on the end result but the process of getting there. This means that the assignment is scaffold and allows one part of the assignment to build unto the next. When the assignment the student can learn aspects of the assignment in smaller parts and is able to digest it before new information is given.

Emma Healy

6/24/2021 11:05:32 am

I think it is also very important to give students the opportunity to have a voice because they can really surprise you as Kittle suggests. Allowing students to understand the entire process of an assignment as opposed to just the end result or final grade is what also makes a great assignment. Each part of an assignment is a process and by students acknowledging that and allowing failure is such an crucial step.

David Golden

6/24/2021 11:00:58 am

In Kittles Write Beside Them, they discuss the importance of having time to free write and holding onto a journal. The process of writing and making that a habit is an excellent way for students and other individuals to gain confidence in their writing. Every teacher wants their students to write well enough that they are proud of their writing. Kittle focuses on having students do a writing workshop where they work on these skills. Kittle wants students to learn from their mistakes and to be comfortable making them. Writing is a process that many students are not motivated for. The goal of the workshop is to motivate students into being patient with themselves and imagine their writing process.

One criterion for an excellent assignment that I believe will make it shine is to have students find their way through the assignment. Teachers tend to rely too heavily on the correct way. Students are smart and gifted and if they are given a set direction then they will be uninterested. Students should focus more on their thinking process and figure out ideas on their own more often.
One criteria for an excellent assignment that I believe will make it shine is to have students find their own way through the assignment. Teachers tend to rely too heavily on the correct way. Students are smart and gifted and if they are given a set direction then they will be uninterested. Students should focus more on their thinking process and figure out ideas on their own more often.

Gabriel El Khoury

6/24/2021 11:05:17 am

Allowing for students to "find their own way through the assignment" reminds me of Inoue's point of letting students be "the lords over their own learning," if I am remember the quote correctly. Assuming that students are invested in the learning process and are their to genuinely expand their intellectual capabilities, I see no harm in affording students the opportunity to carve out their own paths, with educators steering them slightly should they go astray. It is a rather difficult balance to strike - giving students freedom or providing them with safety and structure...

6/24/2021 11:12:04 am

So here, and I'm seeing it in Alexis's, response as well, you are all again valuing making space for the student to bring in their own ideas, their own experience, their own meaning making of the text. And, yes, that's what a good writing assignment should do. Otherwise what you are really asking them to do is just ask them to do an extended filling the blank.

tenneh

6/24/2021 02:48:14 pm

what an excellent about an assignment would look like in an ELA classroom is create an activate and do a written assignment where each peer work in a group and see other people work. Modeled can be one of criteria for an assignment because it's important to show a student a model where they can look back so they make their paper or any assignment better. One feedback can make your paper good.After changing and making correction you can find out what were you strength and growth . In chapter 2 "We Do Language- Hudley and Mallinson's how English language make their own language. English language is like standardized where the language is favored and dominate. There are three "linguistic truths--- 1:communication occurs in social context, 2: language is always changing, 3: language differences are not language deficits. Sometimes the English standardized can make the students conformable not ready especially for the international where English is their second language. Some curriculum need a lessons and strategies where it's can help the students with English

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