A few times in my 1301 classes this semester, I have organized part of the lesson around looking at samples of the skill we were working on- usually in peers’ work from previous semesters made available to us to display anonymously. When my students are looking at another students work, they suddenly become grammar experts. Students have been both astute in picking out conceptual problems as well as grammar issues when given the role of conducting the critique. Embedded in their critiquing toolbox is an often-correct sense of grammar usage. I ask my students to consider themselves in the role of editor of their own paper, to apply this type of evaluation to their own work. But perhaps they haven’t sat in this position often enough to think of themselves as able to critique their own work, and some will not leave enough time to perform such edits. With more opportunities to critique and be critiqued, would students learn to develop a more critical eye to their own work regarding grammar? Why does the process they are used to writing within make applying these skills so difficult?
Perhaps their critiquing of others is more useful because of the distance they have from the other students’ work and their ability to view a sample text as a whole, locating the problems from a sense of grammar, structure, and content. This critical reading stance represents a distance they don’t give their own work. Rushing to meet a deadline, their papers often start out sounder in focus and often wavers at the end, both in ideas and form. For the most part, they don’t seem to separate in their writing process the production of the draft and editing. They think they are performing both roles at once. Perhaps with enough experience in both critiquing and being critiqued, they might learn to take on that role when approaching their own work. If they could bring the same editorial skills to their own work, to view what is actually on the paper instead of what they intended, they could start to produce better work within the framework of a writing process.
Megan--Nice thinking bout organizing and how that relates to grammar and collaboration. Why is the process so difficult? I think there's something about authenticity of assignments that relates here--how can we make what we do in class more real to students?
ReplyDeleteMegan, I think your presenting samples for critique in class is a really good idea. It will be interesting to see how/if they apply their skills to their drafts.
ReplyDeleteI like this idea, Megan. I think I will try using this in my own class. I think it works because it allows them to take a step back from the text and look at it from the reader's perspective. That is what they do not understand about the rhetorical analysis, that someone else should be able to read and understand what they say.
ReplyDeleteMegan, I totally agree about students being able to pick out problems in others' work, but not their own. I also think that when they have to peer review each other in front of each other, they will generally just give compliments for fear of looking like a jerk.
ReplyDeleteAnonymous student examples are a good idea. I agree with Andrew that it gives them a chance to look at things as a reader. I think if students gave their work a read-through before submitting it, we would see FAR less awkward sentence structures.
Looking forward to seeing your post on Berlin, etc.
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