ABSTRACT
I have noticed that one area in which my students struggle is with their writing. Because this is a general statement I wanted to pinpoint an area in which my students were struggling with most. Specifically, I wanted to pinpoint a step of the writing process that not only gave my students more anxiety and frustration, but an important step needed to help them create meaningful pieces. Through observations and discussions with my students, I have found that they struggle the most with forming ideas. Getting started with a piece of writing seems to be the most difficult step for them. Once they have ideas down, they are more willing to choose a topic, explore it, and craft a meaningful piece- that’s if I was able to guide them past their fear of a blank page. Roberts (2002) points out that prewriting is the most neglected step of the writing process. Although this isn’t shocking, I can understand how neglecting the prewriting step has led to students’ frustration with writing and to pieces that lack meaning and clarity. According to Murray (as cited in Ulusoy, 2006), prewriting is the most important step of the writing process and a good writer should be spending 85% of their on-task effort on this step. Average and lesser writers spend virtually no on-task effort at the prewriting stage. If I expect my students to excel at writing, I have to give them strategies and time to develop their ideas. I need to give my students time to work through their frustrations during this step and allow them time to quick rushing their progress. But I also needed to find new engaging ways for my students to explore their writing ideas. Through this research, I have found that with more use of technological platforms (ie. Flipgird, Google Documents, and Skype) during the prewriting stages of the writing process (and more time is given to this stage), students are able to formulate their ideas more clearly, are better prepared to begin their writing, and are more confident with their writing. |
Compelling Question:What impact(s) will the integration of technology in the prewriting stages have on my students' writing process and products?
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Rationale
Writing can be a grueling and time consuming process. Especially when ideas are not fully formed before diving into the drafting process. By giving students ample time and multiple avenues to work out their thinking in the prewriting stages, students enter the drafting process with clear intentions which can ease their anxiety and give them more confidence. When frustration levels are down, students may still find the writing process grueling and time consuming, but with the confidence gained in the prewriting stages they will be able to see the process as rewarding as they begin creating meaningful pieces of which they can be proud.
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