Memorandum Reflection

The memorandum I recently submitted turned out to be a very doable project. At first, it seemed like it was going to be extremely overwhelming, but I soon realized that when taken step by step, it wasn't too bad at all. It really helped to have the inquiry group for assistance. I cannot imagine having to read all of those articles on my own, so knowing that the members in my group were extracting the key elements out of each article really helped.
I began by trying to find the main points in each article I read, then read the annotations from my group members to find their main ideas as well. From there, everything went really smoothly. My information fell right into place, and with a little proofreading I was basically set. What I found to be very helpful as well, was the day in class where we had to read our papers aloud and let our group members discuss. The group's feedback wasn't the most important thing I got out of it, however hearing my paper read out loud was very beneficial. I made a lot of changes in my paper just due to that simple task and I have made a decision to read all of my papers out loud from here on out. Overall, I think this memorandum went very well, and not only that, but I learned a great deal also.

Correctness

The part I found most interesting was the section about writers being afraid to just write because they are so hung up on writing incorrectly. This makes me think of a teacher I had in high school who would turn her student's papers back with red corrections everywhere, and that was soley what her grading was based on. I think that there is a lot more to a piece than just the grammar. I think about the article I read on migrant workers' children in schools and how they struggle with this same problem, which makes them not enjoy writing. I think that enjoyment with a piece is so important in making it meaninful and purposeful to both the reader and the writer. I think as a future teacher, it is important that we look at the content of a paper, and not just spelling and verb tenses. I am definitely not saying that I feel these errors should go untreated, I just feel that when grading a paper, teachers should look at what the writer is actually saying, as well as the grammar, but the content is what should hold the most weight. Mini lessons and things of that sort can be done to grade soley on grammar, punctionation, etc. An essay is not the time for that. Students need to feel comfortable when they are writing and this can inhibit them from doing that. A good solution I always liked was having students do quick writes, also known as free writes. This gives them opportunities to focus only on what they are trying to say and not worry about being graded on spelling and things of that sort.

**Learning~From~Research**

So far I have read three articles...the first one was a little difficult to read, but the next two made much more sense. What I have gained from these articles thus far is that teachers are currently moving away from the "old way" of teaching writing. Before it was very cut and dry: brainstorm, draft, edit, revise, and finalize. Research is now showing that this is an okay method for some students, but not everyone is going to learn best that way. Teachers are now trying to incorporate different styles of teaching that may be better for the students who don't learn best using the traditional method that was taught. These new curriculum include strategies such as combining process with product. Teachers are focusing more on letting students have the opportunity to draw on their own experiences. Research has found that students often write better, and with more substance, when they are able to write about things they know. These are just a few key concepts that are being looked at right now, and may change the way teachers will be teaching in the future.