[Author's note: I cut off part of my right index and right ring finger yesterday in a cooking accident. Most typos will go uncorrected for now, because typing is hard.] 
When students submit formal essays, they are usually written for an audience of one - the teacher. Sure, there are peer editors along the way, and maybe mom or dad give it the once-over to make sure all the commas are in place and that the sentences don't end in prepositions. But even then, at the end of the day, the target demographic is the teacher who assigned it, resulting in a slow and stilted conversation that begins with the student submitting the work and ends a few days later with a marked up paper - perhaps continued to a second draft, perhaps not. This leads to drudgery and dread -- and most importantly a lack of retention of the lessons intended.
However, when the student has the opportunity to present their thoughts for a wider audience, the appeal of writing increases. In general, when a student is turning in an essay to me, they just want to get it done. There's no pride and little sense of ownership in the work - it is simply another task to check off of a list. However, when the same student has written something in the school news paper, or prepared a speech to be delivered, they often can't wait to share it with their teachers and friends.
The difference is in the audience. When a student knows that their work will be widely read they are more invested in the process. We as teachers can facilitate this progress by making publication a part of the class - not a one-off idea, but as a regular tool for assessment. When everyone is writing and everyone is publishing, more students will be reading what their peers have written and will respond in kind.
I agree with your comment that when students know they are sharing their work they are more invested. It is obvious to me in Writer's Workshop - everyone knows that the best part of Writer's Workshop is the share!
ReplyDeleteI love your comment about writing for the school newspaper. In the past, we have had monthly newsletters/newspapers that a parent put together. It included student writing pieces and drawings. Students were excited to write poems, short stories, or an autobiography for the newspaper. They took their time because these writing pieces were being seen by friends and parents. I would love to see that come back for our early writers to help inspire a love for writing in our youngest students! Writing for an audience is a wonderful motivation for students to be invested in their work.
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