This week for one of my graduate
classes I read Sharan Gibson’s article, “An Effective Framework for
Primary-Grade Guided Writing Instruction. While reading, I found myself agreeing with the
author’s overall beliefs about how students learn to write. However, I took issue with some of the
ways she suggested instructing students in writing.
Ms. Gibson began the article by
stating, “young writers need instruction” (pg.324). Most teachers of writing would agree with that
statement. Teaching using the workshop
model requires observing as students write, taking notes, noticing the areas of
need, and using mini lessons and guided instruction to improve writing
abilities. Simply handing students a paper and pencil will not produce the
effective and efficient writers we strive for.
With that being said, I do not
fully agree with the framework provided by Ms. Gibson, outlining guided writing
instruction. Specifically, I take issue with Step 3: “Time to write
individually with immediate guidance from the teacher”. In the article, Ms. Gibson believes that
during a guided writing lesson, each student should write “his or her own short
but complete text” (p.325) in approximately ten minutes. Completing a piece of
writing in ten minutes is challenging for many students, especially students in
the primary grades. Now imagine
working with a group of struggling students and expecting them to complete an
entire piece in ten minutes.
Regardless of the allotted time
period, I am unclear as to why the teacher needs to see a child complete an
entire piece in every guided writing lesson. The areas in which a child
struggles with writing will become evident through observation and formative
assessment. I personally believe
that the best use of teacher time would be focusing on areas of need and really
working on that one aspect.
It is also important to note that
this framework for guided writing instruction revolves completely around
creating informational text. I am
very interested in the author’s perspective on writing fictional pieces and
whether or not the framework would then change.
This
was definitely a thought provoking article for me!
I'm so glad you wrote about this! I was pondering the same thing as I read the Gibson piece. My take-away was that guided writing is for a specific population of struggling writers. It's not remediation for writing: phonics, letter forming, etc. Instead, it's that little extra "oomph" they need to understand the different techniques that writers use. Even if the "complete text" is 3-5 sentences, as long as students have the opportunity to practice a new strategy in a safe, supportive setting, it is worth it. I appreciate your thought about fictional writing in guided writing, too. I think it can work, especially if it interests the students!
ReplyDeleteI too am VERY glad you commented on this aspect of Writing Workshop which CERTAINLY varies from day-to-day and class to class depending on the writing tasks and student population. MY take from this article was that guided writing is a chance for ANY student to practice a strategy AND/OR get started on a challenging aspect of writing with ready support from a teacher. one of the biggest challenges for teachers in a workshop environment is to "get to students" in a way to provide feedback, encouragement, and guidance in a timely manner. MANY OF OUR STUDENTS, the ones who are reluctant or who struggle or who are having difficulty with a strategy need more than even a weekly check in conference. Thus, the guided writing time is a focused time for a small group of students to try a strategy, get started or get feedback.
ReplyDeleteI do agree that the "time" pressure can be REALLLY challenging and even a "show stopper" for some students while for others, having a deadline means things get done.
Perhaps the biggest message in all this is that you have to know your students and design your workshop lessons around them. !