Peter Elbow On WritingProf. Myrna Monllor JiménezProf. Helen Avilés

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LlL5W2qA0EA

Peter Elbow: Publications

Writing as giving in

Resisting the conventions

e. e. cummings

Elbow’s Movie of the Mind

“Movie of the Mind” http://myweb.wvnet.edu/~jelkins/writeshop/writeshop/movie.html

Writing Experiences

Peter Elbow

advocates students writing with power

believes students need to feel safe in the classroom, in order for them to take risks

proposes building a foundation to provide the safety needed to write self-esteem strong sense of self praise

Elbow’s Four Levels of Audience Relationship

Private Writing

Writing that people share, but listeners don’t respond to

Writing that receives a positive response or feedback

Writing which receives criticism

Four Levels of Audience Relationship

Sharing of writing can be done in groups or pairs, or individually with the teacher

At the level of positive response, both peers and the teacher can ask questions to help and guide the writer

Students also need to share at least 3/4 of their writing

Elbow’s Grading Contracts

Contract establishes that if you do all the writing work the teacher assigned, you get will get a B

With the collaboration of his students, Elbow establishes what A writing is

Excellence is the key to getting an A

To get an A or a B

Students need to:

do a lot of writing provide evidence of drafting, peer editing, revising they need to make substantive changes so that they

prove their skill at revising

Voice

“When people read their writing out loud, they can tell immediately when something doesn't work. They'll stumble, they'll change a sentence, they'll say, "wait a minute, let me say that differently" because it's not speakable. They learn an essential fact about voice, but they learn it with no teaching. They learn it with the feel of their mouth and the sound of their ear.” Peter Elbow

Other Requirements

“perplexity of writing” and “movement of thinking”

considers grammar and spelling as part of the final draft’s evaluation

Low Stake Assignments

get students to keep up with the assigned reading/work every week

Help students become active learners because they get involved in the subject matter of the course

Help students find their own language to explain what is being discussed

Serve as a scaffold (Vigotsky) for high stakes writing

Provides the teacher with a better understanding of the student’s writing progress

Not Graded

Low Stake Writing: Benefit for Teachers

High Stakes Writing

Commenting on Students’ Work

Extensive research has shown that when students read our comments, they frequently misunderstand what we have written

there is no right or best way to respond to student writing

ask for a short piece of “process writing” or “writer’s log” or “cover letter” with any major assignment where the students will explain how they got their ideas, which parts were more difficult, what parts were easy, what their intention was, what changes they made

Responding to Writing

A rubric helps to make comments that refer directly to what the assignment required

Read the whole text before commenting

Focus on two or three problems at the most

Frame comments in a positive way

What Elbow does?

On Grading

Creating a Positive Writing Environment

5 Essential Affirmations that Elbow agrees with

“ 1. Everyone has a strong, unique voice. 2. Everyone is born with creative genius. 3. Writing as an art form belongs to all people, regardless of economic class or educational level. 4. The teaching of craft can be done without damage to a writer’s original voice or artistic self-esteem. 5. A writer is someone who writes. “

http://www.amherstwriters.com/ElbwIntr.html