¶ … teacher has in helping students develop their writing. Traditional methods of grading and scoring children's writing are being replaced in the modern educational system with feedback and constructive criticism of the work, rather than a trophy grade or labeling score. This study reviews literature previously compiled on the subject of feedback in the development of children's writing, as well as conducting original research with a small group of students and teachers that helps evaluate the role of feedback in writing, as well as determining what types of feedback are the most effective.
Overview & Evaluation of the Project
According to a seasoned author of the British Educational Research Journal, "Education without educational research can be governed by dogma, superstition, tradition and other forms of prejudice about what will work well and be 'good for' those involved in the educational process." (Murphy 1996) Education is an ongoing process, and even the most experienced teacher remains a student as well. It has always been the goal of parents, teachers, and mentors to provide the best start to life as possible for young children. Education is the foundation for a productive, successful life, and the ability to craft and comprehend language is one of the greatest skills learned during the school years. It can be a challenge to motivate students to write, as well as a challenge to help them develop their abilities in this area through any means. It has been discovered through years of trial and error, as well as carefully formulated research, that feedback is essential to the learning process of students. In the area of creative writing in particular, students may find it difficult to develop skills when presented with a letter grade or numerical score as their only source of feedback. Students must receive feedback that can actually answer their questions and keep them on a path to literary success. It is the major goal of this study to examine the effect of a teacher's written feedback on creative writing and how this aids children's progression in creative writing. This project aims to investigate the effect of a variety of written forms of feedback used to mark children's work, and how these effect the quality of subsequent pieces of creative writing.
4. LITERATURE REVIEW
A great deal of research has been done regarding the effects of teacher feedback on the development of creative writing in children. In reviewing the literature on this subject, a common thread can be found declaring that traditional methods of feedback may not be the most effective methods available for encouraging and developing children's writing, and that a more inclusive approach must be taken to best serve the needs of children. The following review of literature will give an overview of current theories relating to how teacher feedback affects children's progression in writing.
The author of the book Children's Minds (Donaldson 1989) warns teachers and other mentors involved in the education of children to avoid labeling students as a failure, which is a common occurrence in many traditional methods of "grading" children's work. "If the child is defined as a failure he will almost certainly fail, at any rate in the things which the definers value; and perhaps later he will hit out very hard against those who so defined him." (Donaldson 1989) Marking a child's writing assignment with a grade that represents failure may be a way of defining that child himself as a failure. Children must be respected in their creativity and achievements. However, it is also harmful to children to provide them with false or meaningless praise in the name of avoiding negative definitions. A child will often be the most accurate judge of his or her achievements and progress, and therefore it is very important that the feedback given to children be a way to help that child genuinely achieve more and strive for higher standards for his or her own sake. Studies have shown that there is a direct correlation between early reading skills and self-image (Donaldson 1989), meaning that it is not only the feedback received which influences the child's self-esteem and motivation, but also actual achievement. The ability and skill level of the child must be assessed with both sensitivity and objective accuracy; mistakes, errors, and shortcomings of the written work should not be ignored for the sake of the child's feelings, but rather used as an opportunity to guide progress and constructively critique the work. Unfortunately, there is no specific formula for teaching and feedback that ensure this ideal is reached in the classroom. Teachers must accept that errors will occur and respond to them in a constructive way;...
Convergent questions seek one or more very specific correct answers, while divergent questions seek a wide variety of correct answers. Convergent questions apply to Bloom's lower levels of Knowledge, Comprehension, and Application and may include questions like "Define nutrition," "Explain the concept of investing," and "Solve for the value of X." Divergent questions apply to Bloom's higher levels of Analysis, Synthesis, and Evaluation; are generally open-ended; and foster student-centered discussion,
Best practices that help students with learning disabilities consistently focus on early intervention not only for educational benefit, but also because early intervention promotes greater social skills ability and development among children (Wong & Donahue, 2002). The sooner a child is integrated into the mainstream system and learns to "cope" with any perceived "deficits" the more likely they are to build healthy and long-lasting friendships that will help them as
Chocolate Chip Cookies and Rubrics: Helping Students Understand Rubrics in Inclusive Settings by Elizabeth W. Hall and Susan J. Salmon explains the importance of using rubrics in the classroom and contains useful information about the use of rubrics for the teachers and students alike. The article effectively explains the usefulness of rubrics for students in understanding the performance expectations of different assignments, as a self-evaluation tool for assessing their strengths
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As I began to realize that I was expecting less than they were capable of I realized that some of my preconceived notions about the teaching profession were coloring my viewpoint. One example was the day a preschool student from the regular education class came to me and handed me a book that she wanted to read to me. I was surprised but let her open the book and begin reading.
As such students at similar levels in both categories were grouped together to ensure optimal benefits for all participants. When evaluated on a practical level, it was found that communicating the benefits of the program to refugee communities was critical to success. Parents in these communities needed to understand that the program offers a pathway for their children towards success and employment, as well as an effective future in the
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