Some thoughts on Writing Without Boundaries October 20, 2008

I think studying many genres is essential, especially in a language arts classroom mainly because, in school, I believe that students need to be exposed to more “real-world” activities as opposed to simply “school-type” academic writing that is done in English/L.A. classrooms.  Students need more opportunities to learn about what is going on in the world around them in ways that will actually affect them outside of school.  How often will students be exposed to dry, research papers like the ones they write in school on a daily basis in their everyday lives that actually relate to them, their own lives, and their own learning?

I love the idea of allowing students opportunities to learn about the genres and then do independent research into their topic to determine what genres fit best for them. This allows so much more creativity than any formal, traditional research paper-type assignment that I’ve ever seen. And, I think the more choice and creativity that students are given and required to put into something (in most instances…), the more they’ll get out of it, the more they’ll be required to use and practice higher order thinking skills, the more they’ll be invested in their own research and learning, and the more they’ll internalize and remember and care about what they’ve learned.

I really enjoyed reading this book in large part because I like to find new ideas to work into my teaching in teh classroom and into the curriculum that will inspire and excite students about learning. So much that teachers have kids do in school bores them and turns them off from learning (and especially reading and writing), and the ideas presented in this book about multi-genre study and using multi-genre research papers/projects is something that I think kids would really get into and excited about – and that makes me excited about using it in my classroom.

Students at any age and level and in any type of classroom should learn to be and be required to practice justifying their work and analyzing their own learning. I’m a strong believer in requiring students to evaluate themselves and their own learning, so when Youngs and Barone discuss this part of the multi-genre assignment, I felt very encouraged. Students are required to give justified, strong reasons/explanations as to why they their topic in their Introduction and each genre to show their research in their Defense, as shown in Katie’s and Anna’s examples on pages 36-38. I really liked seeing student work samples in this book. Although they were showing student work on a much lower level in most cases than most of the students that I work with, it was helpful to see what kids could come up with!

I also love the idea of using the Writer’s Notebook to keep track of ideas and organize students’ writing processes. I have toyed with Writers’ Workshops several times in my own classroom and find the process detailed in the book (pages 46-47) to be one that is useable, workable, and probably feasible for most classrooms. Requiring students to formulate and track their own writing goals is pretty essential. In addition, they are required to reflect on their own progress. In large part, I require my students to track their own work and progress. Otherwise, the time on task for writing in class greatly suffers with students at any level (very low regular to advanced up to even the highest functioning honors students).

Like we have discussed several times in class, it is necessary and even essential to expose students to samples of literature, poetry, etc. before requiring them to prodcue their own. (I really love Dr. Frye’s term “marinating” them in the literature.) Students would certainly find it interesting (maybe even fun?!) to serach for new genres and come up with new ideas, ways to show their research creatively, but with purpose.

In terms of the assessment of an assignment such as a multi-genre project, I agree that it is necessary to review the whole process and not just a final product.

Having students study, review, and create products that demonstrate a great variety of genres also does fit the standards that the state sets for teachers of writing in some ways, as well. Now, I don’t think that what the state requires students to do on one day in a short period of time can really show students’ progress and assess their abilities that effectively in writing… But, since they are required to write in any one of several different genres on the NC State Writing Assessment, the multi-genre research idea fits into the standards they have set in several ways. In the 10th grade, they practice letters, speeches, articles, essays, etc., but the possible genres on teh actual test barely scratch the surface of what the multi-genre project can expose students to that will allow them to continually learn about the real world (and not just show what they can do on a 1 page, 1 hour essay…).
However, the generally dry topics and the aspects by which the papers are scored do not allow students to truly demonstrate their learning or their abilities. I personally think that portfolios are preferable because they allow for the assessment of the process of learning (which is what writing is and should be!) that students go through with regards to research and writing, the way the multi-genre project ideas presented in this book do.

I actually have used what would be considered a “multi-genre research project” in my classes before, but never quite to the extent or degree to which the ideas in this book take it. SO, I am therefore very excited about taking these ideas and using them to make the research in my classroom more effective and work better using a wide variety of genres and having students more formally evaluate their processes of learning, as well.

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