Memo # 5 for I-search Project

After talking/visiting the local middle school teacher, I did develop many questions about the educational system in general. But one of the questions that I came up with that has to do with my project is, how does computers help the children that are having more difficulty writing?

                This question came to mind because in this particular middle school they received a grant that allowed all of the students to have Google Chromebook Laptops. This teacher was explaining to me that it was a little difficult at first to integrate the use of the laptops with the curriculum in all the subjects. But after a little bit of time it became easier, and the ELA teacher that I spoke with said that she was able to use it when her students had to write in class. She explained to me that she noticed that some of the students that had trouble writing by hand were perfectly fine typing on a computer.  Now this wasn't the case for all the students that had trouble, for the students that were still having difficulties that were able to come before school or after school to receive extra help from the teacher.

                Before I finish my research I would like to find a book or an article that focuses on students using computers/typing to help them become better writers. This is extremely interesting to me, and the steps that I am going to take to find out more about this, is going to the library and checking to see the books they have in stock, and I will also go on the library website to look up articles/look for books that can be shipped to my schools library from other schools.

                Also to UPDATE everyone with my primary interviews, I was able to interview my mother’s friend’s daughter that is a High School Junior. I did this just to try and get a more detailed information of what writing is like for a high school student.  Also my old middle school teacher was not able to interview with me, but I was able to reach an old high school teacher of mine (who is still teaching in the high school).  I am glad I got to interview with him just because it was a totally different vibe then when I interviewed with the middle school teacher.

                 I am very glad that I choice this particular topic, it was a very meaningful topic to me and so far I've learned more than I ever imagine I would.  

Memo #4 for I-Search Project

I am so happy with the people that I have chosen to be my primary sources. I interviewed all but one already, the last person I have to interview is my old middle school teacher, and I should be able to interview her some point next week.  But I have to say I learned the most by interviewing a local middle school 6th grade English Teacher. She was so nice and so eager to answer my questions, she even allowed me to sit in on one of her classes. She explained to me in great detail what her class and what her school does for students that have difficulty in writing.

Interviewing my neighbor and her sons was also beneficial. Interviewing my neighbor answered questions that I had about teaching writing to mentally handicapped students of the middle school age group.  And talking to her sons opened my eyes to how students feel about writing in the classroom now.  Her son in middle school was more willing to talk to me in detail then her son that is in high school (which I kind of figured would happen).

After talking with all of these people I have many different questions about teaching, most questions don't really pertain to the topic that I am writing about though. But it is always good to develop new questions about the future career that I am pursuing.  The next things that I have planned is to interview my old middle school teacher, and to also find another high school students to interview. Maybe by doing that I can try to find someone that will talk to me in more detail about what he or she is learning about writing on the high school level. Also my next plans are to continue to read and locate more secondary sources on my topic. I am still hoping to find materials where I can use more then a paragraph or two from it.      

Blog Post 2.5 for I-Search Project

The original sources that I looked up was a book and a couple articles....  "Small-Group Reading Instructions" by Beverly Tyner and Sharon E. Green. The book seems to be mainly focused about group reading in a classroom but there is small sections about writing in groups.

The Articles that I am reading right now are "Teaching Reading and Writing to Struggling Middle School and High School Students:The Case for Reciprocal Teaching" Wayne H. Slater and Franklin R. Horstman. This article talks about the ways that teachers can better prepare students that are struggling in both reading and writing. I will focus just on the writing parts of this article.  And the other article that I am reading, is called "Achievement Goal Orientations and Self-Regulation in Writing: An Integrative Perspective" by Avi Kaplan and Einat Lichtinger. From what I've read the point of this article seems to be the possible differences between students from different types of learning environments and with different levels of writing achievement. 

I received several more books from the school library before going on break, most of those books were focused on reading difficulties in a classroom, and because my project focuses only on the writing difficulties for students that are on different levels then others, I couldn't use those.  But out of the several books I rented, two of which had chapters that focused on writing and the difficulties that some middle school students can have with it. I also found some helpful chapters and paragraphs on the techniques that teachers can use to help these students more. Those books are called "Creating Literacy" by Thomas G.Gunning, "Differentiated Literacy Strategies" by Gayle H Gregory and Lin Kuzmich

I will continue looking up books and articles on the library website, using keywords such as, "Writing" "Difficulties" and "Middle School". I would search for the last word because that is the age group that I want to focus on. This week I am also going to do some of the interviews for my primary, one of the teachers that I will be interviewing is actually going to let me sit in on one of her classes so I can see hands on how she teaches writing and so she can show me the techniques she using to help the students that are on different levels.