A Wing East Diaries

Title: Why They Can't Write: Killing the Five-Paragraph Essay and Other Necessities

Author: John Warner

Date Read: July 10, 2019

Two Snaps

I teach English Language Arts and had noticed this book getting some discussion on Twitter. I was intrigued. Warner works as a college professor teaching writing to first year students. He argues that much student writing is merely "imitations" of writing. For Warner, writing is both a skill and a process that allows us to think and to respond to the world around us. He believes that writing makes us better humans.

Warner's thesis centers around what he believes are the systemic barriers to creating better student writers: grade fixation that intensifies poor mental health; unrealistic "real-time data" parent portals creating hyper-surveillance; standardized testing that favours memorization over thinking; and educational fads.

"For so long, school has been about performance divorced from learning; so it's difficult to find value in anything other than an A."

(Warner, p.134)

Warner contends that the writing act develops empathy:

"Every piece of writing is an occasion for students to think deeply about themselves and the world around them. The assignment creates an opportunity to practice intellectual engagement."

(Warner, p. 157)

The second half of the book addresses what valuable writing experiences look like and provides some good examples to try, while also acknowledging the systemic barriers still in place.

Warner argues that grades are "antithetical to learning." They are demotivating, unfair, and imprecise. Warner believes that students who feel accepted and empowered will be more engaged and committed to learning. He even quotes the neuroscientist and learning expert Dr. Maryanne Wolf:

"Reading is not natural. Human beings were never born to read. The acquisition of literacy is one of the most important epigenetic achievements of homo sapiens."

(Wolf, via Warner, p. 139)

As a reader and a writer, I know that words are hard—that writing is a process that requires patience and time. Words matter: I need to teach myself and my students to be writers in a way that is, as Warner insists, focused on the process. I'm starting here with Warner's essay Kill the 5 Paragraph Essay.

Title: Grading Smarter Not Harder: Assessment Strategies that Motivate Kids and Help Them Learn

Author: Myron Dueck

Date Read: July 7, 2019

Two Snaps

I was at a conference where Dueck was the keynote speaker. He's funny, energetic, and clearly cares deeply about building fair assessment practices in school. I purchased this book and devoured it.

He begins with the assessment conversation. How does our traditional grading make the gradebook a tool that sorts and ranks our students rather than focusing on learning?

Dueck outlines four lessons he has learned:

1. Grading smarter also means teachers have smaller workloads
2. Teachers need to think like coaches
3. Learning is more important than grades
4. It's about relationships

Dueck addresses five key issues: grading; homework; unit plans; retesting; and creativity. Regarding grading Dueck questions punitive grading practices like zeros and late penalties. These behaviours compromise the accuracy of our grading— we are grading behaviour, not the student's ability to learn.

"The zero has a devastating effect on students and their grade point averages. To recover from a zero, a student must achieve a minimum of nine perfect papers. Attaining that level of performance would challenge the most talented students and certainly would be impossible for students who struggle in school."

(Doug Reeves via Dueck)

The zero, when factored on a 100 point scale is mathematically inaccurate. It's "an academic death penalty." No student can recover from multiple zeros and still manage to pass.

Regarding homework, Dueck questions the grading of it. Grading homework has unintended consequences— we are grading for completion, not understanding. We cannot monitor homework completion in a valid way. His unit planning suggestions are incredibly helpful, and I am intrigued by the way he supports test retakes. He correctly identifies that in life, most of us become masters of something by repeated effort.

I was struck by his continual reminders about the variables that affect learners: socio-economic status, learning disabilities, stress, violence, nutrition. He cares about his students.