Significance
Writing is a skill that learners will use throughout their entire lives. Knowing how to express ideas, information, feelings and knowledge through writing is essential in order to function and succeed in school, the work place and in daily life activities. As educators, it is important that we teach our students how to write well and help them foster positive attitudes towards writing. In her book, To Educate the Human Potential, Dr. Maria Montessori maintains that the role of the teacher should be one that focuses on inspiring students, developing their interests, and nurturing children’s natural desire to learn. She argues that it is only when students enjoy and are interested in their ‘studies’ do these students truly learn and reach their fullest potentials (1948). Psychologist and consultant Dr. Cyril R. Mill agrees. He states, “The crucial and unique feature of attitudes and the aspect which makes them potent in the learning situation is their emotional component. …Where emotion is involved, the effect upon learning is going to be intensified (1960).” He continues to explain that when learners have a “positive valence,” or positive attitude, towards subjects that they are studying, these learners acquire knowledge more completely and thoroughly (Mill, 1960).
Conducting this Action Research inquiry was significant in that it has helped me learn how I could assist my students in developing a positive attitude towards writing, provide an environment that encourages students to produce their best work and strengthen students’ images of themselves as writers and learners.
Students need a purpose for writing and an audience to write for in order to maintain positive attitudes about writing and produce their best work.
Prior to implementing this Action Research project, students’ attitudes towards writing and their image of themselves as writers were largely negative. In an effort to improve these attitudes, I researched best practices of writing instruction and implemented a Writing Workshop within the classroom. One of the most important characteristics of a Writing Workshop is the publishing of students’ work. As stated by educator and researcher, Donald Graves, “Writing is a pubic act, meant to be shared with many audiences . . . With only a writing instrument and material on which to inscribe letters, writers can have an effect on history, on people hundreds or thousands of years hence (1980).” Educator Eric Berger also understands the importance an audience has on students’ work, “When students know that their finished work will be displayed, presented, appreciated, and judged – whether by the whole class, other classes, families, or the community – work takes on a different meaning (2003).” Through my observations, data analysis and student feedback, I learned that it is this presence of an authentic audience that motivated students to produce their best work when writing and contributed to their development of positive attitudes towards writing and towards themselves as writers. When my students were given deadlines for their writing pieces in Phase One and Phase Two, 100% of students completed their pieces on time so that their pieces could be shared with its intended audience. Furthermore, when comparing these pieces to their previous writing samples, it was evident that the work they completed in Phase One and Phase Two was their best work. Finally, most students stated that they enjoyed these writing activities. Their reasons for enjoyment mainly stemmed from the fact that they enjoyed receiving comments from readers and they appreciated their work being celebrated by others.
2nd graders do have an awareness of audience and can shift the structure of their writing specific to their intended audience.
Providing different audiences for my students to write for during this Action Research project helped me gain insight as to how an audience affects the structure of students’ writing. In the article, Audience Awareness: When and How Does it Develop?, the author points out that some young writers might have difficulty with connecting with a particular audience because they may be so accustomed to having the teacher be their only audience. As a result, these students write as if the teacher is their only audience even if that is not the case (Strange, 1988). I consider my second grade students to be ‘young writers.’ However, my observations and analysis of my students’ writing samples during this inquiry provide evidence that they do have the capability to connect with a particular audience. When writing letters to different people, students demonstrated an intuitive ability to use a tone and certain phrases specific and appropriate to their intended audience. Slang words and contractions were used much more frequently in their letters to their peers than in their letters to adult celebrities. Furthermore, their personal narratives and animal stories maintained a more formal tone than that of their friendly letters.
2nd graders are capable of quickly adapting to and achieving expectations of excellence.
Prior to implementing my Action Research interventions into the classroom, I was concerned with the way my students would react to the significant change in writing instruction. While I was hopeful that my students would simply need time and consistency to adapt to such changes, there was still a part of me that worried, “What if they are not up to the challenge? What if I end up pushing them too far, too fast?”
It turns out, my students are a lot more resilient than I gave them credit for.
Yes, they had somewhat of a struggle during the first several days of my Action Research because of the increase in expectations, time and quantity of writing they were given. However, I did not give up, and neither did they. I believe that setting these high expectations, showing that I cared about my students’ learning through my words and actions, and refusing to allow my students to fail was a major factor in my students’ abilities to reach a higher level of writing. Authors and educators Andrew Mignano, Molly Romano and Carol Weinstein confirm the power of a caring teacher in their book, Elementary Classroom Management: Lessons from Research and Practice. They discuss, throughout this book, that no teaching practice, method or strategy “will be very effective if you have not worked to create and sustain a safe, caring classroom environment. Before students can become motivated, they must feel safe from humiliation, must understand that it’s all right to take risks and make mistakes, and must know that they are accepted, respected members of the class (p. 226, 2011).”
After my students experienced their first Author’s celebration and realized that they are capable of working hard and producing quality work, that became their new standard. Before I knew it, I was not they only one pushing them to succeed - they started pushing themselves and each other.
All of these results inform my future practice as a teacher because they illustrate some very important educational theories, not just about writing instruction, but about instruction in general. All work that we expect our students to do – whether it be writing, math, science or history – needs to be purposeful and meaningful to them. Otherwise, students’ motivation to participate in such work and the learning outcomes they will experience will be nonexistent or surface level at best (Mignano, Romano and Weinstein, 2011). Additionally, the enthusiasm teachers exhibit towards the subject matter being taught plays a role in the enthusiasm students will develop about that subject matter. Studies show that children will often adopt the attitudes a teacher has towards a particular topic whether these attitudes are displayed consciously or subconsciously. If a teacher views a topic as being too hard, unnecessary or irrelevant, students will often adopt the same view (Mill, 1960). Finally, the results of my Action Research have shown me the importance of creating a learning environment for students where they feel safe and cared for. It is only in this type of environment will students feel free to make mistakes and learn from them, take chances and reach their fullest potential (Valenzuela, 1999).
Conducting this Action Research inquiry was significant in that it has helped me learn how I could assist my students in developing a positive attitude towards writing, provide an environment that encourages students to produce their best work and strengthen students’ images of themselves as writers and learners.
Students need a purpose for writing and an audience to write for in order to maintain positive attitudes about writing and produce their best work.
Prior to implementing this Action Research project, students’ attitudes towards writing and their image of themselves as writers were largely negative. In an effort to improve these attitudes, I researched best practices of writing instruction and implemented a Writing Workshop within the classroom. One of the most important characteristics of a Writing Workshop is the publishing of students’ work. As stated by educator and researcher, Donald Graves, “Writing is a pubic act, meant to be shared with many audiences . . . With only a writing instrument and material on which to inscribe letters, writers can have an effect on history, on people hundreds or thousands of years hence (1980).” Educator Eric Berger also understands the importance an audience has on students’ work, “When students know that their finished work will be displayed, presented, appreciated, and judged – whether by the whole class, other classes, families, or the community – work takes on a different meaning (2003).” Through my observations, data analysis and student feedback, I learned that it is this presence of an authentic audience that motivated students to produce their best work when writing and contributed to their development of positive attitudes towards writing and towards themselves as writers. When my students were given deadlines for their writing pieces in Phase One and Phase Two, 100% of students completed their pieces on time so that their pieces could be shared with its intended audience. Furthermore, when comparing these pieces to their previous writing samples, it was evident that the work they completed in Phase One and Phase Two was their best work. Finally, most students stated that they enjoyed these writing activities. Their reasons for enjoyment mainly stemmed from the fact that they enjoyed receiving comments from readers and they appreciated their work being celebrated by others.
2nd graders do have an awareness of audience and can shift the structure of their writing specific to their intended audience.
Providing different audiences for my students to write for during this Action Research project helped me gain insight as to how an audience affects the structure of students’ writing. In the article, Audience Awareness: When and How Does it Develop?, the author points out that some young writers might have difficulty with connecting with a particular audience because they may be so accustomed to having the teacher be their only audience. As a result, these students write as if the teacher is their only audience even if that is not the case (Strange, 1988). I consider my second grade students to be ‘young writers.’ However, my observations and analysis of my students’ writing samples during this inquiry provide evidence that they do have the capability to connect with a particular audience. When writing letters to different people, students demonstrated an intuitive ability to use a tone and certain phrases specific and appropriate to their intended audience. Slang words and contractions were used much more frequently in their letters to their peers than in their letters to adult celebrities. Furthermore, their personal narratives and animal stories maintained a more formal tone than that of their friendly letters.
2nd graders are capable of quickly adapting to and achieving expectations of excellence.
Prior to implementing my Action Research interventions into the classroom, I was concerned with the way my students would react to the significant change in writing instruction. While I was hopeful that my students would simply need time and consistency to adapt to such changes, there was still a part of me that worried, “What if they are not up to the challenge? What if I end up pushing them too far, too fast?”
It turns out, my students are a lot more resilient than I gave them credit for.
Yes, they had somewhat of a struggle during the first several days of my Action Research because of the increase in expectations, time and quantity of writing they were given. However, I did not give up, and neither did they. I believe that setting these high expectations, showing that I cared about my students’ learning through my words and actions, and refusing to allow my students to fail was a major factor in my students’ abilities to reach a higher level of writing. Authors and educators Andrew Mignano, Molly Romano and Carol Weinstein confirm the power of a caring teacher in their book, Elementary Classroom Management: Lessons from Research and Practice. They discuss, throughout this book, that no teaching practice, method or strategy “will be very effective if you have not worked to create and sustain a safe, caring classroom environment. Before students can become motivated, they must feel safe from humiliation, must understand that it’s all right to take risks and make mistakes, and must know that they are accepted, respected members of the class (p. 226, 2011).”
After my students experienced their first Author’s celebration and realized that they are capable of working hard and producing quality work, that became their new standard. Before I knew it, I was not they only one pushing them to succeed - they started pushing themselves and each other.
All of these results inform my future practice as a teacher because they illustrate some very important educational theories, not just about writing instruction, but about instruction in general. All work that we expect our students to do – whether it be writing, math, science or history – needs to be purposeful and meaningful to them. Otherwise, students’ motivation to participate in such work and the learning outcomes they will experience will be nonexistent or surface level at best (Mignano, Romano and Weinstein, 2011). Additionally, the enthusiasm teachers exhibit towards the subject matter being taught plays a role in the enthusiasm students will develop about that subject matter. Studies show that children will often adopt the attitudes a teacher has towards a particular topic whether these attitudes are displayed consciously or subconsciously. If a teacher views a topic as being too hard, unnecessary or irrelevant, students will often adopt the same view (Mill, 1960). Finally, the results of my Action Research have shown me the importance of creating a learning environment for students where they feel safe and cared for. It is only in this type of environment will students feel free to make mistakes and learn from them, take chances and reach their fullest potential (Valenzuela, 1999).