My Experience with Writing Workshops

 

I have had experiences with writing workshops both as a student and as a teacher. Thinking back on my experiences as a student, I would say the most beneficial workshops occurred when I was a college student. I don't have many memories of using a workshop model like the ones suggested by Tompkins or Calkins & Ehrenworth. My time writing in elementary school setting was spent sitting at my desk completing the writing assignment and then revising after speaking with my teacher. The student-teacher interaction was the only component I had that feels similar to the readings. As I write this, I am trying to actively remember my experiences as a writer in school and a "workshop" type of experience is not coming to mind. It never felt like a community of writers but more so, as if we were all just trying to finish an assignment for class and hand it in for a grade. I wonder if I felt that I was part of a community of writers when I was younger, would my outlook on writing would be different? 

While my experiences in grade school were not as described in the readings, my college experiences definitely were! My English professor during my freshman year took the time to create a community of writers. My professor actually followed a similar format as what Calkins & Ehrenworth (2016) stated "at least half an hour for writing time, ending with 5-10 minutes for students to share what they've done with another writer"(p.8). I was able to write in class and get feedback from my fellow peers. I didn't even know what peer review was until that English class. I felt my writing change in those moments. It forced me to actively work on my writing and stay engaged because I was going to receive feedback from my peers. My professor made sure we were constantly working on our writing and giving us that time I felt was very beneficial. 

My experiences as a teacher actually teaching writing is important to reflect on as well. As a teacher, I want to consistently make sure that I am reflecting on what I am doing. I want to make sure that students actually feel comfortable in the writing process. I teacher senior English and Creative Writing at Brockport High School. I want to make sure I am giving my students a solid foundation before they move to the next stages of their lives. For my students, I use a similar format as what Tompkins wrote about. Tompkins (2012) stated that the "four components in writing workshop is independent writing, sharing, mini-lessons, and reading aloud" (p.17). I have kept a very similar method in my own classroom when it comes to my workshops. I make sure of giving my students time to write in class and for explicit instruction to be limited. I want time for students to work through their writing. I want them to be in charge of their own writing. I will say though that as a newer teacher, I am still trying to navigate writing workshops in my classroom. I am still trying to get comfortable with teaching writing. I do feel that these readings have made an impact on me though. For example, the writing workshop chart in Tompkins book is something that I just implemented in my own classroom (Tompkins 2012, p.30). The class status chart has come in handy when pairing students up in order to create good feedback. I want to push myself as an educator to expand my knowledge and create an effective environment for my writers. I am enjoying learning about how to teach writing and I am trying to be open and reflected in my own practices! 

References

Calkins, L., & Ehrenworth, M. (2016). Growing extraordinary writers: Leadership decisions to raise the level of writing across a school and a district. The Reading Teacher, 70(1), 7–18. https://doi.org/10.1002/trtr.1499