Improving Written Expression in the Classroom
The Importance of a Written Expression Workshop
Why must we consider organizing a workshop on written expression?
The basic idea of the workshop is to find a time, a space, and a theme for pupils to develop a written text, and for the teacher to actually help them do so. The objective of the workshop is to develop comprehension strategies. The most important points to consider when organizing the workshop in the classroom are:
- The subjects of writing: These should be varied and motivating over the course. It is a good idea for the students to decide on the theme of the writing.
- The role of the teacher: The teacher is no longer the authority who decides what to do but becomes an advisor to the students. The teacher dialogues, reads, and provides guidance for each student. This meeting is called an interview and is the high point of the exercise, as it is when the student thinks with the teacher about what they are doing and thus can improve it. The steps of the interview are diagnosis, reading, and guidance or instructions. Interviews should be real, common, and oral.
- Drafting process: The most important objective of the workshop is for the student to develop relevant and personal composition strategies. It is an individual process, and each student has a unique way of working and should make their own way at their own pace. The teacher should encourage each student to find a valid working method. No generic guidelines exist for all students or all texts. The steps to work through the composition process are to analyze the communication situation, generate ideas, organize ideas, draft, review, and rate.
In summary, the workshop is one of the most powerful and interesting activities to encourage students to write and to acquire habits that make it possible to work with the written language.
Teachers who have not mastered this technique are often scared to put it into practice with large groups.
Is it Necessary to Correct Written Expression?
Correction is one of the most important methodological issues of a written expression class. Students always expect to be corrected, and it is requested, regardless of whether they make the corrections. School tradition has forged the roles of teacher and student work, and a way to determine correctness that makes it difficult to modify them. Writing teachers have assumed these roles, which cause students to expect teachers to correct them, and we feel obliged to do as has always been done. This hinders the game set that promotes learning of written language:
First, the student cannot assume responsibility for the error, and correctness depends on the teacher’s criteria. They will hardly be able to develop autonomy and write without any help. Secondly, correction is a thread in the overall process of typesetting. Students have to learn to self-correct. Finally, the current form of correction requires too much dedication from teachers and little attention from students, so it can hardly be considered beneficial.
Some tips to improve the efficient correction of the written text are:
- Understand correction as a didactic technique that may be voluntary, diverse, and participatory.
- Correct only what the student can learn.
- Correct any aspect of the text and the process of composition.
- Give practical advice.
- Correct when the student has written and had time to cool off.
- Allow time in class for students to read and discuss the teacher’s corrections.
- Flag errors and ask the student to find the right solution.
- Have private talks with the student about their written work orally.
- Make known tools to self-correct.
- Correct drafts of the text. Encourage students to revise and redo their writings.
- Increase the quality of writing, even if it lowers the quantity.