Literature Review
While conducting my initial needs assessment and observing my students’ attitudes and performance in their writing assignments, I was also reviewing a number of studies and articles to help guide me in developing an action and assessment plan. I found various contemporary research studies and foundational theories pertinent to my Action Research questions and my students’ unique needs.
I realized that in order for me to even begin analyzing my students’ writing and the effect an authentic audience has on their attitudes and achievement in writing, I need to provide regular opportunities for them to write and produce work. I realize that I need to implement a more consistent and effective writing program within my classroom as the one currently in place does not appear to motivate students to write or give them enough opportunities to develop substantial writing pieces. After reading the work of Donald Graves and Lucy Calkins -- two educators who are widely regarded as experts in writing instruction -- I learned about the Writing Workshop and its components. I also learned, through various studies, articles and books that the Writing Workshop model has been adopted by educators worldwide, and has proven to be successful and effective at increasing student engagement during writing as well as improving the quantity and quality of their work.
The Writing Workshop’s student-centered design allows teachers to create a learning environment specific to their students’ needs and abilities while giving students choice and ownership of their writing. Research indicates that when students are given some choice as to what they will write about, their motivation to write increases as does their positive attitudes towards writing (Calkins, 1994; Hanssen & Scattareggia, 2008; Ray, 2001). This is consistent with other foundational theories regarding student motivation. In the book, Elementary Classroom Management: Lessons from Research and Practice, the authors state:
“One of the most obvious ways to ensure that learning activities connect to individuals’ personal interests is to provide opportunities for choice. Moreover, research has shown that when students experience a sense of autonomy and self-determination, they are more likely to be intrinsically motivated and to ‘bond’ with school (Mignano, Romano and Weinstein, 2011, p. 236).”
Some essential characteristics of a Writing Workshop are:
-Student choice about content
-Time for writing
-Mini-lessons
-Talking among peers and with teachers
-Periods of focused study
-Publication and Sharing rituals
-High expectations and safety (Graves, 1983) (Calkins, 1983) (Ray, 2001)
Writing Workshops must occur on a consistent basis so that students learn to find work and writing to do on a continuous, daily basis. Katie Wood Ray explains in her book, The Writing Workshop:
“We want [the Writing Workshop] to have that accepted, routine, sunrise-sunset kind of dependability in students’ understanding of how the day goes. Writing workshops break down when they lose this quality, when they become questionable and when there’s a chance the teacher may decide “We’re not having it today.” Just as we wouldn’t make that decision about lunchtime, we don’t make that decision about writing workshop time, because if we do, we break students’ trust in the fact that we expect them to know what to do and how to be during this time every day (p. 52).”
At the time I was designing this study there were approximately 11 weeks of school left and CST preparation and testing would occur every morning shortly after spring break. This left me with the afternoons to implement the Writing Workshop model. My students have completed most of the school’s science and geography curriculum, and my cooperating teacher has agreed to give me at least an hour a day on most afternoons to provide writing instruction. Having this afternoon time on a regular basis will allow me to provide my students with the consistency they will need to build their stamina in writing and succeed as writers.
Another important characteristic of Writing Workshops is that it gives teachers the opportunity to design unique lessons and writing activities that express their own excitement and enthusiasm for literature and writing. This personable approach makes writing lessons more relevant and meaningful to students, another key factor in enhancing students’ motivation to write (Groeneweg, 2011) (Lattimer, 2003) (Wilson, 2008). In fact, an instructor's enthusiasm is a significant factor in student motivation. If a teacher appears bored or apathetic towards a topic or activity, students will generally adopt the same attitude (Gross, 1993).
Finally, a common theme within the literature I have reviewed in regards to effective writing instruction is that students need a purpose for writing and an authentic audience to write for. This reinforced what I was already planning to do and gave additional encouragement to this direction. In Lucy Calkins’ book, The Art of Teaching Writing, she states,
“Publication matters, and it matters because it inducts us into the writerly life. Publication, then, is the beginning, not the culmination of the writing process. Publication does not mean that the process is over, that children can now gaze at their monuments. Instead, publication inducts us an insiders in the world of authorship (p. 266).”
Having a purpose for writing and an audience to write for creates meaningful writing opportunities for students and plays an important role in their development as writers and in their ability to communicate through writing (Alber, 2011; Ray, 2001; Strange, 1988; Wilson, 2008). Because of this, I will ensure that each of my students’ writing pieces will be shared with an audience and that my students will take some part in choosing who that audience will be.
Technology has played a significant role in increasing the ways in which students can share their work with an audience and provides students with opportunities to reach a wide range of readers. Social media, blogs, virtual magazines and newspapers, etc. give students the opportunity to reach a large number of people quickly and conveniently (Alber, 2011; Karchmer-Klein, 2007; McGrail and Davis, 2012). Since my class has 1:1 iPods as well as regular access to eight desktop computers, I plan to integrate technology in the publishing of my students’ work.
These elements, especially the presence of an audience, increase students’ motivation to write to the best of their ability and the enjoyment they experience as they write. In an effort to strengthen the writing knowledge and skills of my second graders as well as improve their attitudes towards writing, I plan to design an action plan that responds to the research on best practices of effective writing instruction. More specifically, I will implement a Writers Workshop in my classroom and observe the effects an authentic audience will have on the quality of my students' written work and their attitudes towards writing.
I realized that in order for me to even begin analyzing my students’ writing and the effect an authentic audience has on their attitudes and achievement in writing, I need to provide regular opportunities for them to write and produce work. I realize that I need to implement a more consistent and effective writing program within my classroom as the one currently in place does not appear to motivate students to write or give them enough opportunities to develop substantial writing pieces. After reading the work of Donald Graves and Lucy Calkins -- two educators who are widely regarded as experts in writing instruction -- I learned about the Writing Workshop and its components. I also learned, through various studies, articles and books that the Writing Workshop model has been adopted by educators worldwide, and has proven to be successful and effective at increasing student engagement during writing as well as improving the quantity and quality of their work.
The Writing Workshop’s student-centered design allows teachers to create a learning environment specific to their students’ needs and abilities while giving students choice and ownership of their writing. Research indicates that when students are given some choice as to what they will write about, their motivation to write increases as does their positive attitudes towards writing (Calkins, 1994; Hanssen & Scattareggia, 2008; Ray, 2001). This is consistent with other foundational theories regarding student motivation. In the book, Elementary Classroom Management: Lessons from Research and Practice, the authors state:
“One of the most obvious ways to ensure that learning activities connect to individuals’ personal interests is to provide opportunities for choice. Moreover, research has shown that when students experience a sense of autonomy and self-determination, they are more likely to be intrinsically motivated and to ‘bond’ with school (Mignano, Romano and Weinstein, 2011, p. 236).”
Some essential characteristics of a Writing Workshop are:
-Student choice about content
-Time for writing
-Mini-lessons
-Talking among peers and with teachers
-Periods of focused study
-Publication and Sharing rituals
-High expectations and safety (Graves, 1983) (Calkins, 1983) (Ray, 2001)
Writing Workshops must occur on a consistent basis so that students learn to find work and writing to do on a continuous, daily basis. Katie Wood Ray explains in her book, The Writing Workshop:
“We want [the Writing Workshop] to have that accepted, routine, sunrise-sunset kind of dependability in students’ understanding of how the day goes. Writing workshops break down when they lose this quality, when they become questionable and when there’s a chance the teacher may decide “We’re not having it today.” Just as we wouldn’t make that decision about lunchtime, we don’t make that decision about writing workshop time, because if we do, we break students’ trust in the fact that we expect them to know what to do and how to be during this time every day (p. 52).”
At the time I was designing this study there were approximately 11 weeks of school left and CST preparation and testing would occur every morning shortly after spring break. This left me with the afternoons to implement the Writing Workshop model. My students have completed most of the school’s science and geography curriculum, and my cooperating teacher has agreed to give me at least an hour a day on most afternoons to provide writing instruction. Having this afternoon time on a regular basis will allow me to provide my students with the consistency they will need to build their stamina in writing and succeed as writers.
Another important characteristic of Writing Workshops is that it gives teachers the opportunity to design unique lessons and writing activities that express their own excitement and enthusiasm for literature and writing. This personable approach makes writing lessons more relevant and meaningful to students, another key factor in enhancing students’ motivation to write (Groeneweg, 2011) (Lattimer, 2003) (Wilson, 2008). In fact, an instructor's enthusiasm is a significant factor in student motivation. If a teacher appears bored or apathetic towards a topic or activity, students will generally adopt the same attitude (Gross, 1993).
Finally, a common theme within the literature I have reviewed in regards to effective writing instruction is that students need a purpose for writing and an authentic audience to write for. This reinforced what I was already planning to do and gave additional encouragement to this direction. In Lucy Calkins’ book, The Art of Teaching Writing, she states,
“Publication matters, and it matters because it inducts us into the writerly life. Publication, then, is the beginning, not the culmination of the writing process. Publication does not mean that the process is over, that children can now gaze at their monuments. Instead, publication inducts us an insiders in the world of authorship (p. 266).”
Having a purpose for writing and an audience to write for creates meaningful writing opportunities for students and plays an important role in their development as writers and in their ability to communicate through writing (Alber, 2011; Ray, 2001; Strange, 1988; Wilson, 2008). Because of this, I will ensure that each of my students’ writing pieces will be shared with an audience and that my students will take some part in choosing who that audience will be.
Technology has played a significant role in increasing the ways in which students can share their work with an audience and provides students with opportunities to reach a wide range of readers. Social media, blogs, virtual magazines and newspapers, etc. give students the opportunity to reach a large number of people quickly and conveniently (Alber, 2011; Karchmer-Klein, 2007; McGrail and Davis, 2012). Since my class has 1:1 iPods as well as regular access to eight desktop computers, I plan to integrate technology in the publishing of my students’ work.
These elements, especially the presence of an audience, increase students’ motivation to write to the best of their ability and the enjoyment they experience as they write. In an effort to strengthen the writing knowledge and skills of my second graders as well as improve their attitudes towards writing, I plan to design an action plan that responds to the research on best practices of effective writing instruction. More specifically, I will implement a Writers Workshop in my classroom and observe the effects an authentic audience will have on the quality of my students' written work and their attitudes towards writing.