Memo 3.a and 3.b

Memo 3.a

Some of the major texts I have related my topic of teacher modeling to has been Kelly Gallagher. He was the first text that got me all hyped up to write about it. However a lot of the things Gallagher says about teacher modeling seem to be universal to many of the authors we read.

The first person that comes to mind is Linda Flower. Linda Flower’s article “Revising Writer Based Prose” focuses mainly on students aiming to get their writing into reader based prose rather than writer based prose. Reader based prose is when a writing has the audience in mind. The writer is aware of the format he/she must write in, whether it is a letter or a description of what happened in the events of a fender bender. The writer makes conscious choices in the writing to better fit the future audience. Flower contrasts this with writer based prose which is the writer “Essentially talking to himself.” Most first drafts are this type of writing, where the writer is talking it out between the paper and pen. The reader based writing is the polished copy and what is aspired to.

This idea of reader based prose connects to Gallagher because Gallagher’s approach to modeling is all about keeping his audience in mind. Gallagher is modeling for his high school students, some who are very advanced writers, but most who need proper teaching. This is what Gallagher does when he slows down his process so his students can see him problem solve and scribble. Originally, Gallagher did try presenting a perfect model, but realized it made his audience, his students, freeze up in their writing. So keeping in mind their insecurities and lack of experience, Gallagher effectively models. The revision process of Linda Flower, her idea of working writing to the goal of reader based prose is also something Gallagher uses in his teacher modeling. Once he has written a draft, he edits in front of his students asking them what they feel is working and what isn’t, ultimately showing them the tools they need in order to start revising better.

The idea of keeping an audience in mind while writing also links to Troy Hick and his book Crafting Digital Writing. In the beginning chapter, Hicks, comments about writers and their practicing of craft. He explains, “When writers begin to think intentionally about creating meaning in their readers’ minds, they are beginning to master the craft of writing” (Hicks 13). This craft is related to Flower’s reader based prose, and echoes practice and revision. Hicks is also talking about keeping an audience in mind, and takes a whole new spin on that idea as well. In a way he has to have his students think boarder about their audience because the work they are producing will reach a much larger base due to online publishing of work. Having a sense and an ever present awareness of how easily it will be for people to read something you have written almost preps the writer to do a little better from the start. The work seems more authentic when someone other than the teacher could potentially read it.

Whether it be students writing in class on paper, or on blogs, students thinking about their writing and who will read it makes them a more conscious writer and makes the whole writing experience more important. They are not only seeing models of good writing, but are seeing models of real life work and a way of presenting one’s thoughts and ideas effectively enough to engage others in an intelligent and thoughtful manner.

Memo 3.b

This week, I reflected back on the previous articles and texts we have read throughout the semester like the rest of my classmates. I don’t know how you all felt but I personally found it intriguing to go back through the texts with all this other information popping around in my head. I made connections to texts that I wasn’t drawn to initially; like Troy Hicks and his digital composing. I’m sure I could find a connection to every single text we read in terms of teacher modeling and revising. This is probably because all writing is a process and one that is never finished.

I took a break from reading articles and pieces on teacher modeling and followed in Jocelyn’s footsteps; I started watching some videos one teacher modeling. I had no idea what YouTube would have to offer me when I typed in teacher modeling writing. I was a little surprised to find a whole bunch of videos centered around elementary school children and their teachers reading to them aloud. In this video (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P9yAxqsMqws) a teacher makes a very good observation that “Primary teachers are already doing read alouds with students.” In the read alouds, teachers stop and point out literary devices that authors are using to drive their story. Teachers may not be modeling their own writing, but they are using the models of real life books to expose the youngest writer to the elements of writing.

I also looked up some video of Kelly Gallagher and Nancie Atwell, and watched them actually modeling. A lot of what each of them said I had already learned from their writing. I watched a very informative interview with Kelly Gallagher    (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OJFMhWtFVnA) where he explains that he wants his students to be writing ten to twenty years from now. This is another reason why he models his work as well as giving real like models. He explains that he feels as though he has to branch out from just having his students write literary essays on books and do real world writing like Amazon Reviews and law making. Gallagher also touches upon the idea of using teacher models and real life model simultaneously to give students a variety of methods and examples. He will choose real like writers who he feels best suit the idea they are working so that not only do they get to see him in action, but can see the real life implications of the writing being modeled.