It is a real temptation to want to just do the work for a student, especially for one who is struggling and when we can see a clear path through the writing but the student can’t. We want to spell those words, provide just the right vocabulary suggestion, put in that comma or semicolon, or suggest a different sentence structure. But keep in mind that the ownership of the writing needs to remain with the student. They have to stay in the driver’s seat, even if they are driving erratically or off course. One way to keep ourselves in the back seat is to put the question back to the student. If a student asks how to spell a word, ask them which letters they can provide. If a student asks if a sentence is a run-on, explain what a run-on is and some ways to correct it, and then ask the student to correct. If a student can’t think of a synonym, hand him or her a thesaurus. Remember that we aren’t editors but rather facilitators of a process. Keep away from writing on the students’ papers and from manning their keyboards. Keep your hands off the wheel; resist the temptation to drive the students’ writing. Hold the line in promoting writing as an active process in which the student must be present and must remain in the driver’s seat
You are absolutely right. It is too easy to be a "back seat" driver, especially when you see how hard some students work. They get so close to where they need to be, yet something is always lost or left out. From this day forward, I promise to keep the steering wheel in a student's hands. Overhelping is not a good way to go.
ReplyDeleteI worked with a student recently that I've worked with before. The essay was a very descriptive and interesting piece of work. However, the student had many minor errors in verb tense and singular vs. plural word choices. I showed her the difference in the 1st paragraph and as we reviewed her essay, I would ask her "Is this happening now or in the past?" or "How esle could this be said?". The student then began ibndependently making adjustments without any prompting.
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