On-Demand Writing

We live in a fast food, technology based, on demand world that battles Thoreau’s admonitions to “simplify, simplify, simplify.” Although our literary environment can sometimes make our classrooms rather bucolic in nature, teachers especially dance to the beat of this on-demand paradigm. High stakes issues arise as students across California think, read, write, compute, and complete a variety of on demand tests to provide an assessment of proficiency, potential, and progress. Although tests in school and in life are an accepted reality, presently we find the stakes rising at a rapid rate with proposed and pejorative consequences and the subject of much discussion in the political arena. The result is a miscommunication of facts, a lack of specific information reported back to teachers, little elaboration or explanation of testing to the public, a political bartering system, and the lowering of teacher morale. These are some of the reasons that CATE has taken a position against the present kind and use of standardized testing. Teachers have become the scapegoat, student growth is not authentically documented or measured, and a type of cannibalism is developing as teacher concerns over merit pay and tenure begin to manifest themselves. Yet, teaching students to excel in a timed situation is a worthy and necessary endeavor. In the real world, we are asked to think quickly and critically when making decisions, problem solving, summarizing, denoting, persuading, answering a question, etc. and much of the time there is a time constraint. It is a real world reality that should be introduced, demonstrated, and developed in school; however to be successful, it should be a part of a expansion and testing of real world skills across the curriculum and not just in the specific domain of language arts.

Writing is essential to learning and helps us to voice and clarify our thinking. Writing soothes and organizes the chaos in our minds. Expression is part of what makes us human. Consequently, our students all have voices that we can cajole into creativity when students write for a variety of purposes and audiences under a variety of conditions. When students have a purpose for expression they don’t hesitate. Kids text message, e-mail, complete homework, and write notes with flashing fingers frantically keeping pace with the writer’s thoughts. They don’t seem to have a problem with the idea of “on-demand” when it is germane to them in a personal way. Therefore, students should be guided through the protocol of some of these high stakes tests by learning the vocabulary, recognizing purpose and audience, and then practicing the timing. You can’t win an Olympic record for the butterfly if you haven’t practiced and mastered the technique, can you? However, testing should be a part of how we assess the standards taught and not a separate entity that takes time away from a standards-based curriculum.

At the beginning of the year, I use on-demand writing as a diagnostic tool. I create a class and individual list of skills that we need to work on and compare and contrast it with the grade level standards. In this way, I can revise my plans for the year and provide genuine assessments throughout the year. I pick and choose mini-lessons relevant to the group and the individual and monitor and adjust based on a variety of assessments. My students create a working portfolio that documents progress and provides the necessary component of reflection and student active participation. Students participate in revison of timed writings in a workshop environment that offers differentiation and individualization (it is a great irony that differentiation and individualization are foundations of teaching, and yet there is a new “cookie cutter” approach that is spreading like a virus across the state). This begins the process and establishes an environment for writing. Modeling and guiding students to assess and understand assessment is key, but we also have to maintain the concept of fluency, creativity, and originality when providing models and feedback. Student involvement is key to improving writing. It is impossible to give each student the intense feedback that each one might need; therefore, it is imperative to create an environment where students feel comfortable giving and receiving positive reinforcement and constructive criticism. A community of writers has a better chance of success than one harried teacher trying to handle all of the paper load that a writing program creates. Because we write for a variety of purposes and audiences, it is imperative that our students develop an authentic voice and not just parrot one model or template. A comprehensive literacy program melds writing and reading as parts of a whole. Writing influences how a reader reads, and reading influences how a writer writes. CATE’s conference workshops provide excellent ideas and models for successful reading and writing programs, and you can find out more about writing projects in your area through californiawritingproject.org.

Let’s further the conversation at CATE 2006 (see “Meet and Greet the President” on February 3rd in your conference program). The art of teaching language arts will be celebrated as an adventure in the pre-conference hosted by CWP, “Writing: A Ticket to Success in College, the Workplace, and Life” on Thursday, February 2, and CATE’s 47th annual conference, “Adventures in Anaheim: An E Ticket Experience” on February 3-5, 2006 at the Hyatt Regency, Orange County (check CATEweb.org for more information).