Chapter 9 of A Writer Teaches Writing is about teaching workshop. “Writing is a
private act with a public intent” (pg. 187). Workshops are a way to get
students used to having their work read by others in a safe and helpful
environment. It allows students to read each other’s papers and give
instructive feedback, as well as learn from the techniques that their fellow
writers use. I also know from my own experience that workshops can be
intimidating and a point of great anxiety for many students. It is a teacher’s
role to find the best way to create a safe and helpful environment, and not one
of fear.
There
are many important lessons that come from workshops. One is reading the writing
process. For this reason workshops should not only be done on the final draft,
but on all drafts. This allows students to see other people’s process as well as their own,
and to watch the change that comes over a piece after multiple revisions with
an objective eye. They can then take what they have seen, find out what works
for them, and apply it to their own writing. Another important lesson from
workshop is how to write to the reader. A writer may think their meaning is
absolutely clear, but a reader who is outside of the writer’s thoughts may not
understand it. Workshop shows the writer where they need more detail,
clarification, or explanation. Another important thing about workshops that I
myself never thought about is that it diminishes the authority of the teacher.
Students can get so caught up on what the teacher will think or what grade they
will get that it inhibits their writing. Workshops allow them to get true
feedback from multiple readers other than the teacher. This will prevent them
from only writing for the teacher, but help them to write good writing for the
general reader.
The
pattern that Murray suggests for work-shopping is 1) the writer comments on
their own draft, 2) workshop members read and/or listen to the draft being
read, 3) workshop members respond to the draft, and 4) the writer responds to
the members’ responses. This workshop pattern, or whichever pattern a teacher
chooses, should stay the same every time. This allows the writer to know the
agenda, explain his writing, and defend it. It takes off some of the stress of
sharing a piece of writing with others. Responses can be given in the spoken or written
form. I think it is a good idea to have responses given both ways. It is also a
good idea for the teacher to have post-workshop conferences with the students
to see how the workshop is going, what the writer is getting out of it, and so
on.
A
very important step in writing is publication. For most students this will not
be professional publication. In this sense publication means giving the writer
the opportunity to have their draft read by more than one reader. It can be
difficult to organize a large number of publications for many students. Murray
offers some forms of publications that a teacher could use. One form that we
have already talked about is a written draft to be shared with a group in
workshop; this is a great form of publication for multiple students. Another
form is oral publication, allowing the student to read to the class or a smaller group
of students. It is very helpful to read writing allowed, to hear tone, voice,
flow, etc. This can often times create a lot of stress for students, especially
those just learning the writing process. I would personally save this form of
publication for more advanced writing classes. Another way is computer
publication, and publication outside of the classroom. A teacher should encourage
outside publication as often as they can. This gives a feel of “real” writing,
as well as a sense of accomplishment. It can be a great way to encourage
students to continue their writing, even after school and outside of
assignments.
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