The First Morning of the 16th Annual August Institute on the Teaching of Writing 8.10-8.14

I’m currently taking two summer intensive courses offered by the TC R&W Project. The history of this “project”, a research and teacher development institute housed by TC, can be traced back to approximately 25 years ago. Every summer, thousands of teachers from all over the U.S. come to TC to attend the well-known week-long sessions in teaching of reading/writing for different grade levels of students. I have just started this huge “feast” today.

Reflection on Keynote by Prof. Lucy Calkins, 9 am – 10 am

*Teacher as writer
Teacher was often addressed as “master” by ancient Chinese people. It was not just about showing respect but also about that teacher stands for the one who masters a great degree of expertise in the area they wanted to learn. So, when it comes to our teaching field today, what expectations do we have for a writing teacher? First, the teacher needs to be a writer. The teacher knows strategies for writing. The teacher knows how to develop good writing skills. The teacher knows how to dig out interesting writing topics. The teacher also knows how to make writing meaningful, interesting, and regular, like daily life.

*Processes of writing
Rehearsal >> Draft /Revision >> Further Revision >> Editing >> Publishing

The processes of writing sometimes are not linear as told, especially when we work with younger children. Influenced by ways of design thinking, I also think the processes of writing sometimes involve one more stage -- the process of presenting draft to others/peers and collecting feedback.

*The teaching of writing: how & why?
The teaching of writing is not only to let students know the procedures of writing but also to address the meanings behind. Writing should be a way that student can make meaning for themselves, for their life, and for a bigger society eventually. Teachers should help students understand “why” in the processes of writing. “Why it matters to you” is important, for the meaning children perceive and the meaning they make.

*The ultimate goal of teaching
The ultimate goal matches the TC perspectives for teacher education: Be reflective, be critical, and the pursuit of social justice. Prof. Calkins talked about that we, as teachers and educators, should think about bringing social changes eventually, to help those who are in need of help and to think ourselves as “bottom-up” social reformers.

*The changing media of literacy
One more aspect that I want to mention in this entry is that Prof. Calkins at the beginning of her speech talked about the importance of teaching literacy, including the Obama government’s educational initiatives and the changing media of literacy brought by the changing 21st century. The latter part is actually related to a heated new research area – digital literacies, which I am interested in.