Tonight, I am writing a blog post. Also tonight, I sat in a circle with over 15 of my classmates in the English Education program at UWM and we talked about times where we felt like a writer, and times where we felt like that was taken away from us. The biggest commonality between our experiences were the feedback we’ve gotten from those whom we’ve looked up to as a mentor. Some of the feedback we’ve gotten pushed us onto this journey to help other students learn to love and develop their skills in reading and writing. Some of the feedback we’ve gotten stopped us reading and writing for years. The feedback and relationship between mentor and student is part of the driving factor for writing continuance.
Feedback is an integral part of the assessment process. It helps both teachers and students evaluate the effectiveness of their learning strategies and the mastery of the subject matter. This ongoing assessment ensures that students stay on track and make progress. For students, feedback is more than a collection of comments scrawled in the margins of an essay or the red ink on a math assignment. It is a lifeline, connecting them to the essence of their literacy journey. Well-crafted feedback is not just a critique; it is a conversation, a dialogue between the instructor and the student, fostering an environment of continuous improvement. With this, educators need to examine their power within classrooms. The inherent appeal to credibility and the hierarchal structure that educators have over students guide the way that students think about and understand instruction and curriculum. Students look up to educators as the expert in writing and literacy, thus meaning that the feedback and advice they are looking for may be the make-or-break factor within their writing sponsorship and encouragement.
It is likely that students have the answers or ideas that they are in doubt of having, they just need the right guidance (and moreover a confirmation) to reach their full potential. Educators and writing mentors have the ability to draw on the students’ innate discoveries and revelations to emphasize the objectives and purposes of writing experiences through their feedback and guidance. Don McAndrew and Tom Reigstad reference a student-centered approach that puts the student at the forefront of the revision, editing, and continuance of idea processes. They say, “A student-centered tutoring style is desirable because it encourages the writer to do most of the talking and most of the work. The writer even determines the direction of the session and initiates movement to each new phase. The tutor listens a great deal especially early in the session asks a few question and contributes personal recollections and associations to add to the writers discovery and development of the subject,” (25). Within this theory and framework, the students are doing the bulk of the work, the mentors are just collaborating and enhancing the students’ already good ideas. It is in the way that mentors frame and expand on literary and writing elements that students can find a development of internal concepts.
Also, here is a link to a podcast for writers by writers. It is a great resource for young writers looking to expand their knowledge, but are tired of the traditional reading about writing.
Students should be confident in their ability to revise. There is admirability in acknowledging the constant opportunity to learn and grow as a writer. Not to say that writers cannot be content with their work, but rather that the processes that writers go through is crucial to the final message that they’re conveying. The student's struggle all the way through the process continues and enhances through the works. This ideology relates back to Vicki Spandel’s “The Right to Write Badly” that alludes to an idea to which the first draft, (the quoted ‘bad’ draft), is critical to understanding the thoughts and developments of student writings when saying, “Words that used to trickle forth come gushing to the page. Students find their voices again, and even more important, they are surprised by what they have to say. They can worry later about fixing awkward sentences. First, they need to make a mess” (76). Developing critical thought is the first step towards curating meaningful reading and writing experiences. When students can find that their thoughts have power first, they can critique the stiffness later.
The goal in writing mentorship is not just to create writers but to unleash storytellers, visionaries, and architects of worlds and words. It is the alchemy of ink and inspiration. It’s a development of skills, a development of ideas, and a rehearsal of writing performance.
I hope that twenty years down the line, when a student of mine is sitting in a circle with their classmates, in college building with sketchy bathrooms, and they are asked:
“When did you feel empowered as a writer?”
They will reply with my name.
Hi Mackenzie! I loved your post this week. I also wrote in mine about the circle talk, so I found it interesting that it stuck with us the same way. Also, I totally agree with your last bit. I hope my students tell positive stories about me influencing them, and that I can do everything in my power to aid them in a positive way!
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