The real question this week: Where is the much-sought balance between structure and freedom? And how can such a balance realistically be achieved in the classroom?
Lundin provides the most ideological perspective. She believes that wikis can be used to give students unstructured environments and freedom that would otherwise hinder their writing. That is a great ideal, but to me, it doesn't seem likely. Because Gottschalk and Hjortshoj propose that students need structure in writing assignments. They need unambiguous prompts and should be given little guidance.
Given these two perspectives, Rice's guided notes wiki solution might seem like a great idea, but it only serves as a fill-in-the-blank exercise for students.
As I've noted before, every student has a different style. I believe students will flourish when they can write on their own interests. This will, at the very least, allow them to develop writing skills. In an ENL 101 class, this has to be one of the primary goals. Developing skills. Perhaps for a first assignment, students can be given free reign on topic choice.
That allows them freedom in an explanatory essay, and it shows them that writing itself is not to be dreaded. After the first writing assignment, as G & H suggest, we can go beyond simple assignments into more abstract/difficult essays.
Students - and we all know this personally - often lack the motivation to sit down and write. And when the topic is difficult or of little interest, motivation decreases even more.
I think wikis can aid in this, if only slightly. If used correctly, there is plenty of value to the collaborate effort of wikiing. And even guided notes can be valuable at times. But I'm still looking for that balance, as I'm sure most educators are.
I think G&H have it right when they emphasize progression over topical structure. But it all depends on the students, how much freedom they have, how much interest they have in their writing assignment, and how willing they are to learn.
The real question this week: Where is the much-sought balance between structure and freedom? And how can such a balance realistically be achieved in the classroom?
Lundin provides the most ideological perspective. She believes that wikis can be used to give students unstructured environments and freedom that would otherwise hinder their writing. That is a great ideal, but to me, it doesn't seem likely. Because Gottschalk and Hjortshoj propose that students need structure in writing assignments. They need unambiguous prompts and should be given little guidance.
Given these two perspectives, Rice's guided notes wiki solution might seem like a great idea, but it only serves as a fill-in-the-blank exercise for students.
As I've noted before, every student has a different style. I believe students will flourish when they can write on their own interests. This will, at the very least, allow them to develop writing skills. In an ENL 101 class, this has to be one of the primary goals. Developing skills. Perhaps for a first assignment, students can be given free reign on topic choice.
That allows them freedom in an explanatory essay, and it shows them that writing itself is not to be dreaded. After the first writing assignment, as G & H suggest, we can go beyond simple assignments into more abstract/difficult essays.
Students - and we all know this personally - often lack the motivation to sit down and write. And when the topic is difficult or of little interest, motivation decreases even more.
I think wikis can aid in this, if only slightly. If used correctly, there is plenty of value to the collaborate effort of wikiing. And even guided notes can be valuable at times. But I'm still looking for that balance, as I'm sure most educators are.
I think G&H have it right when they emphasize progression over topical structure. But it all depends on the students, how much freedom they have, how much interest they have in their writing assignment, and how willing they are to learn.