Sei's Reflection to Graves (Ch. 9-11)
Graves Chapter 10 Reflection
Help Children Speak First
In this Chapter, Graves discusses writing conference techniques that educators can utilize to encourage their students to speak and open up about their writing. A writing conference not only enables the teacher to assess the writing abilities of her students, but also learn about their interests and background. There are many factors that help constitute a successful writing conference, whether it’s the conference setting, nonverbal gestures, or techniques used to ask questions.
The setting of the conference is crucial to making the child feel comfortable enough to speak about his/her piece. An ideal setting for a conference is at a round table, which enables the student and teacher to work comfortably. In a conference, the teacher should sit near the child, which displays that the teacher cares about the writer and his writing. Instead of standing next to a child that is seated, it’s ideal to get “as close too equal height as possible” because towering over a child will imply an authoritative setting. Maintaining eye contact with the student implies that the teacher is interested in and cares for that student. Without saying a thing, a teacher’s actions can say a whole lot so it’s essential to create a comfortable and beneficial conference setting and attitude.
It is said that “patience is a virtue” and it can also be applied toward successful writing conferences. When conferencing with a child, one must “be prepared to get used to silence”. According to Graves, children may not be able to answer the questions right away, “but the child knows the silence means it is his time to formulate a response…and he does”. It is crucial to give the child time to think about what was asked and feel comfortable enough to answer with ease instead of trying to rush through conferences.
The teacher must “follow the child” during writing conferences. She must focus her attention on that child’s writing and what that child is saying. “What teachers say should usually be based on what the child last said. This requires intensive listening by the teacher”, but it’s important to receive the child’s work and statements. The teacher should regurgitate the information stated by the child as to show her attention and interest to the piece.
When asking questions, the teacher should start off with asking ones that they are sure the child would know the answer to. According to Graves, this gives the child the “momentum of expressing information”, which is key to get them talking. If the child is initially asked a question that he doesn’t know the answer to, he may feel discouraged about not only the conference, but also about his writing.
Once again, Graves has provided me with insightful information to successfully teaching my future students. I absolutely love reading Graves because he always makes sense. His techniques seem somewhat idealistic, but isn’t that what we, as educators, should be shooting for in our classrooms? I found this chapter to be really interesting because a lot of times adults don’t find the time to listen to children. Graves states, “listening to children is more a deliberate act than a natural one”. The moment I read this line, I felt the truth behind it and also felt ashamed. It’s sad to think that we have to make a deliberate effort to listen to children. Whether they’re our own children, our younger siblings, or our students, we have to make the time to listen to them in this fast paced society. Many times, grown adults assume that children have nothing to say, but we couldn’t be anymore wrong. Children have important things to say if we just take the time to listen.
Help Children Speak First
In this Chapter, Graves discusses writing conference techniques that educators can utilize to encourage their students to speak and open up about their writing. A writing conference not only enables the teacher to assess the writing abilities of her students, but also learn about their interests and background. There are many factors that help constitute a successful writing conference, whether it’s the conference setting, nonverbal gestures, or techniques used to ask questions.
The setting of the conference is crucial to making the child feel comfortable enough to speak about his/her piece. An ideal setting for a conference is at a round table, which enables the student and teacher to work comfortably. In a conference, the teacher should sit near the child, which displays that the teacher cares about the writer and his writing. Instead of standing next to a child that is seated, it’s ideal to get “as close too equal height as possible” because towering over a child will imply an authoritative setting. Maintaining eye contact with the student implies that the teacher is interested in and cares for that student. Without saying a thing, a teacher’s actions can say a whole lot so it’s essential to create a comfortable and beneficial conference setting and attitude.
It is said that “patience is a virtue” and it can also be applied toward successful writing conferences. When conferencing with a child, one must “be prepared to get used to silence”. According to Graves, children may not be able to answer the questions right away, “but the child knows the silence means it is his time to formulate a response…and he does”. It is crucial to give the child time to think about what was asked and feel comfortable enough to answer with ease instead of trying to rush through conferences.
The teacher must “follow the child” during writing conferences. She must focus her attention on that child’s writing and what that child is saying. “What teachers say should usually be based on what the child last said. This requires intensive listening by the teacher”, but it’s important to receive the child’s work and statements. The teacher should regurgitate the information stated by the child as to show her attention and interest to the piece.
When asking questions, the teacher should start off with asking ones that they are sure the child would know the answer to. According to Graves, this gives the child the “momentum of expressing information”, which is key to get them talking. If the child is initially asked a question that he doesn’t know the answer to, he may feel discouraged about not only the conference, but also about his writing.
Once again, Graves has provided me with insightful information to successfully teaching my future students. I absolutely love reading Graves because he always makes sense. His techniques seem somewhat idealistic, but isn’t that what we, as educators, should be shooting for in our classrooms? I found this chapter to be really interesting because a lot of times adults don’t find the time to listen to children. Graves states, “listening to children is more a deliberate act than a natural one”. The moment I read this line, I felt the truth behind it and also felt ashamed. It’s sad to think that we have to make a deliberate effort to listen to children. Whether they’re our own children, our younger siblings, or our students, we have to make the time to listen to them in this fast paced society. Many times, grown adults assume that children have nothing to say, but we couldn’t be anymore wrong. Children have important things to say if we just take the time to listen.
posted by Sei | 12:12 AM
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