What I Think Should Always be in a Writing Workshop.

  

 The two strategies that I chose are the use of structured routines through workshops, and the sharing of writing in the classroom. As a teacher, having a set structure for the class where the students can fully immerse themselves in literature is very beneficial for everybody involved in the learning process. It makes the process of writing a lot more approachable for the students, and it helps the students become more interested and open to the idea of literature. On the other hand, sharing your own writing with other people as a student can also be something that helps the student think about their own writing in a reflective way, and to think critically of not just their own writing, but the writing of others. Strategies like having a set routine that's immersive and sharing the writing with the class certainly work separately, but using them together in a classroom setting makes them work even better. First because they help promote writing as an accessible tool that is not just useful in the classroom. And it also makes the classroom a safe space where people can explore their abilities with writing without worrying about their ideas being seen in a negative light. 

    The workshop method for teaching English literature is something that I commented on my last post, and today I want to talk about it again because I think that it is very possitive in so many ways. What is good about workshops is that they are very malleable, and they can adapt not just to the needs of the students but also the educator's needs. Things like independent reading or writing time are things that are proved to be helpful for students, and having these types of activities in a periodic way can help the students immerse themselves in literature and start to view writing and literature in a poisitive light. In "Creating Confident Writers" after Andy read the Koyczan poem to this students, the author comments something that I find really interesting, he says, "Andy models genuine appreciation for the words they just heard and invites srudents to snap along with him in a nice protocol of appreciation... they find themselves in an authentic community of learners who are invited and encuraged to celebrate words in many forms." (Hicks 7) I think that this example of Andy reading the poem and making them snap along with him is really nice, and it shows how incorporating reading with the class during the workshop is makes the whole classroom a lot more open and friendly to the idea of literature, and it helps the students see the classroom space as a lot more than just that. 

    I think that the only thing that always needs to be included in workshops aside from the writing part iteslf is the sharing of this writing with the class or with a small group of students. This strategy is incredibly beneficial for students, I would even say it is a crucial part of the workshop. This is because being exposed to other people's minds and ideas through their writing gives the classroom experience a different layer of understanding to the students. It helps them reflect not just on their own writing—because reading out loud can teach you a lot about how you write— but it also helps them reflect and be accepting of the ideas of other people, which is just as important as reflecting about their own writing. This sharing of ideas doesn't just have to be the student reading out loud what they wrote, it can also be the teacher asking questions that promotes the student thinking about their writing in a reflective and critical way. The author of the book mentions that, "reflective talk about writing can and should find space in our teaching; it can be scheduled arounf the writer during confnerring time, or with a whole group of writers during a mini-lesson instruction." (Hicks 11) What matters is that the student is sharing their writing and they're critically thinking and reflecting about their writing.