However, the most substantial revelations came out of our time spent exploring our "inquiry questions"; a topic or big idea concerning the teaching of writing that we wish to delve into further. I referred to my inquiry question in my initial blog post, but I reworked it into the following statement:
I'm interested in exploring and preparing high school students to have an appropriate, relevant and worldly rhetorical awareness.
I received the following feedback in response to my statement.
- How do they use that to meld the content and character of what they have to say?
Perhaps I'm misunderstanding this question, but I believe that is the very essence of rhetorical awareness: understanding how to meld the content and character of their writing that best suits both their purpose and audience. How to best model this still eludes me. This is something I hope to explore further for both our time inquiring as well as during my demo. Stay tuned!
- How do we determine what is relevant and appropriate?
I believe that this is part of the challenge in preparing rhetorically aware students. Of course we can model a "relevant and appropriate" business letter, literary analysis, argumentative or persuasive essay. However, isn't it our task-as educators-to prepare students for to effectively tackle any writing task appropriately without our modeling and coaching. An awareness of audience and purpose in our absence, regardless of task, seems, to me, important to establish.
- How do you narrow down the "worldly" rhetorical options? How "worldly" do you want to get?
In my mind, when I wrote "worldly", I intended to communicate a preparedness for any potentially arising situation in the near future, post graduation; college, job, gap year, etc.
Hi Kimberly,
ReplyDeleteI really like your inquiry question. It is something that I would like to explore with my middle schoolers as well! I think it is a very difficult concept that is often difficult to teach at the same time.
In relation to the question you received about what is relevant and appropriate..would that refer to the audience and purpose of students; writing? I think understanding those two aspects really change and alter my own writing, and I'm sure would change student writing as well.
Great question :)
-Sarah S.
Great thinking that you are doing here, Kimberly, and like Sarah, I could totally see myself stealing from you to take back from my middle school classroom. One idea that I am definately going to steal is using the blog space to speak back to ideas and responses that you received during the day at SI. It's such a "real" way to use a blog, and it is perfect for the type of work that we do in SI. Often, we get plenty of responses, but also often, we don't have the chance to write and think through how we can respond in turn.
ReplyDeleteGreat post, great day, and I am looking forward to continuing to work with you over the next few weeks!
I love the following quote:
ReplyDelete"However, isn't it our task-as educators-to prepare students for to effectively tackle any writing task appropriately without our modeling and coaching. An awareness of audience and purpose in our absence, regardless of task, seems, to me, important to establish."
I think this is the hardest thing about our task. We're building skills that students will use for situations unlike everything they have seen in the classroom! They probably won't be analyzing poetry in the real world (they'd be so lucky!) instead they will be breaking down what their co-worker meant in that email or what language is appropriate and in what context. Awesome reflection and great question for inquiry!