Learning from my class mates

Date: 28^th October

Topic: The writing work shop

This week we covered less content, this was due to public holidays and graduation. However, we still managed to cover very important areas in the time we had available. Our facilitator explained all the elements of a writing workshop and emphasized their importance. These elements are teaching time, writing time, sharing time, and conferencing time.

Familiarizing myself with the elements involved in the writing workshop helped me understand why each phase is vital and supports the writing process. What stood out to me in this lesson was the sharing time. Our facilitator allowed us to find a partner to share our narrative piece with. Afterward, feedback would be given that could be used to improve our writing. I found this section of the lesson interesting and fascinating because it provided an opportunity to be exposed to a new writing style, new vocabulary, a new perspective, and allowed me to experience how my partner used vivid showing details to explode the moment. This information was quite enlightening, and I believe it helped me learn from my classmates to improve my writing ability.

I believe the writing workshop stages is a brilliant idea to introduce to my students. Taking the time needed to show students how to plan and formulate ideas, along with teaching the elements of a narrative piece, can serve as a solid foundation. Then, using that foundation as a stepping stone to move on to writing and the other stages of the writing workshop may be a good place for my kids to begin.

Here is a picture that illustrates the stages of the writing work shop.

 

 

 

Date: September 21st

Topic: Exploding a Moment

This week was quite a trip, literally. I was intrigued to learn about this topic in particular, “exploding the moment.” Never once in my life have I heard the term used before, so initially, I was lost. As the class commenced, it clicked. I’ve made mediocre attempts at using it before, and have experienced it as well. I’ve seen this technique used many times in movies, books, and even in dramatizations. So, as the class progressed, it was slowly becoming clearer to me.

Presently, I have a very good understanding of the concept and how to use it properly. Exploding the moment allows the author to freeze or slow down a section of the writing to purposefully integrate showing details that methodically describe a situation. This is done to aid the reader in connecting or noticing a captivating and interesting scenario. To do this, the author may utilize the following elements: sensory details, conversations between/among characters, thoughts of the main characters (where feelings/emotions of the situation are expressed), and more. Exploding the moment allows the reader to make a captivating, meaningful, and experiential connection to the situation.

In my humble opinion, I believe this lesson was brilliantly presented. We were exposed to the technique in many ways: real life, short films, and literature. This, along with the questions, explanations, and fruitful discussions, helped me to internalize the concept. Because we were exposed to many ways the author can use to allow the reader/audience to experience and explore the exploded moment.

To initiate my students’ exposure to the technique, I will incorporate movies and literature, where together we will discuss and identify the details that are being exploded in the moment. As students get familiar with the concepts and learn how the authors go about exploding the moments, we will together plan a short story, write it, and choose a moment to explode as a class. I think this initial method of exposure may aid in familiarizing the students with the concept gradually.

I am curious, however, to see the effects the technique will have on the quality of students' writing. I believe that once they’ve mastered it, it will enhance their writing ability a great deal.

Here is a lovely short video you can use to guide your students in learning about exploding the moment.

 

Date: 14th October 

Topic: Narrative writing

This week in our literature course, the spotlight was narrative writing. It led me down a path of pure nostalgia remembering all those delightful stories I read growing up. I fondly remembered this type of writing in school as well, to me it was a grand opportunity to run wild with my imagination. Anything I could think of, I could bring to life, for me it was pure bliss. However, judging from the process we went through in the literature course, I’ve come to the realization that there was much I missed while learning about narrative writing in primary school.

Now, I am aware of all the elements narrative writing is composed of, for example: the plot, characters, setting, style, conflict, theme; and the various points of view the author can adopt. Am also now cognizant of the specific vocabulary like figurative language and sensory details/imagery the author can incorporate to create a more vivid picture for the audience to experience.

More importantly, our facilitator emphasized the significance of preparing/planning, which is better known as the prewriting stage in the writing process. Following this, our lecturer methodically guided us through a brainstorming exercise. In groups, we selected a topic and began formulating ideas on various aspects like the plot and characters. On completion we shared and discussed these ideas. Without even starting to write the narrative piece, this exercise helped tremendously in preparing the foundation of the story. Realizing the crucial need for adequate preparation was undoubtedly the high point for me.

I am eagerly anticipating the moment to expose my students to this method of teaching narrative writing. I firmly believe that if they are well prepared in getting their ideas out on paper, they will be better equipped to weave those ideas together into an ideal narrative piece.

Here is a short clip of how you can use brainstorming to help you and your kids come up with different story topics to write about.

 The writing process

The session we had on the writing process was quite an eye opening moment for me, remembering my primary school days over a decade ago. Prewriting, drafting, revising, editing, publishing; my first exposure to the writing process didn’t involve anything close to this. Although when I started teaching, I school myself on the process, I felt like I still had a mediocre understanding of it until now.

 Today, I feel enlightened to understand the recursive stages of the writing process and what each phase involves. Two details that caught my attention while learning about the prewriting were these: firstly, how important it is to spend adequate time getting students ready during the planning phase, and secondly, why it is necessary to allow students focus on content and not spelling and grammar. These two stood out to me because I was guilty of both. I didn’t differentiate adequately to appease the learning needs of all the kids, and I put way to much focus on editing in the drafting stage, so I evidently helped students to bury their ideas. How silly of me; now I know better.  

I am anxious to get it right this time, and sufficiently guide each child through the process. So, preloading earlier in the week or even weeks before, using paragraph frames, and engaging in idea generating activities, as well as clusters/concept mapping will definitely be among the techniques I will be incorporating to get students ready.   

The following is a short video that explains the writing process and also helps further reiterate why each stage is important.

Video link incase the video does not play: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KGImUx4zg64