Objectives:
- To assist students individually at any stage of the writing process with any writing assignment 14
- To model the revision process for the students
- To encourage the students use of the computer for writing and revising
- Personal computer (If the school has a computer lab, this is ideal because as you work individually with students they can work on their own or with the classroom teacher(s).)
- A floppy disk for each student with his or her pre-writing or draft work saved on it
- When working individually with students but without an interpreter (see Working without an Interpreter below), student should also bring a printout of the draft.
- It may be necessary to book the school’s computer lab in advance.
- Working with the classroom teacher(s), write a timetable of “appointments” with students. The ideal session length is fifteen to twenty minutes. Avoid working with one student longer than thirty minutes, as this is intensive work for you and the students and you will both lose your ability to concentrate. 15
- You and the classroom teacher(s) may wish to divide the students among you so that as many students as possible get individual assistance during the period.
- Begin by making sure that you, the student, and the interpreter are in the most effective positions. In most cases and especially during the first session with a student, it is best if you sit at the keyboard. This frees the student to think only about his or her writing and not about the technical aspects of using the computer keyboard. The student should sit on one side of you with access to the computer desk for use as a writing surface. If you are using an interpreter, the student and interpreter can establish positions that they find comfortable. It is usually effective if the interpreter sits on the side of you opposite the student, providing you do not block their views.
- Although your work with the student will be dependent on a number of factors, especially the student’s writing skill level, the goal(s) of the assignment and the quality of the draft, it is best to concentrate on content and structure and leave grammar and punctuation (unless problems hinder readability) for later.
- In general, conduct the one-on-one session as an “interview.” That is, guide the student’s revision work by asking the student questions, such as:
- What is the main idea of your entire essay?
- What did you mean by this word?
- I’m not quite getting this idea; can you think of another way to write this sentence?
- What’s a way you could make a connection between these two paragraphs?
- Whenever possible type in the student’s words (via the interpreter) word for word, as if you are taking down dictation.
- Unless you and the classroom teacher(s) have chosen to focus work on a certain essay section or writing skill, begin by asking the student to identify which paragraph is most unsatisfactory at this point.
- Most, but not all, young writers want to have their introductions fairly polished before they feel comfortable moving on to the body of the essay. If this is the case, work on the introduction first, but remind the student that as s/he writes the body of the essay, s/he will learn more about the topic and might need to make changes to the introduction, especially the thesis. (See Workshop Five: Essay Introductions.)
- When working on body paragraphs, focus on paragraph unity and paragraph development with questions such as:
- How could you make this first sentence tell us the point of the whole paragraph? (unity)
- Which sentences or ideas don’t quite “match” that main point? (unity)
- Do you think you should change them (how) or take them out? (unity)
- Can you think of a sentence or two to add to this paragraph to make it more convincing? (development)
- I’m not getting a clear picture of this idea. How could you make this clear? (development)
- Are there any descriptive words you could add to make this more interesting, even exciting, for the readers? (development)
- At the end of the session, summarize the steps taken and work accomplished and encourage the student to apply these techniques to other paragraphs or assignments.
This will help the student’s writing in key ways. First, the student will see an immediate “translation” of his or her signed “text” into written English, which will help improve the student’s own translation skills. Second, the student will begin to see writing as a form of communication that is actually not far removed from spoken/signed communication. Third, the fact that a written product is visible almost immediately will encourage the student to be less hesitant to resist revision.
- When a student is profoundly deaf and does not read lips, it is possible to use the computer to ask questions and discuss the writing. Place the keyboard between you and the student so you both “talk” on the screen.
- You and the student should point to and make markings on the printout of the draft, as this is easier than switching between screens.
- At the end of the session, be sure to save your “dialogue” as a new document so that the student can review the session.
14 Working individually with the students polishing rough drafts at the end of the year is a perfect capstone to their participation in the DESK Program. However, this kind of work is extremely beneficial done as frequently as possible as time, facilities, and funding allow.
15 Even ten-minute individual sessions can be productive if you focus on one or two essay elements, such as adding detail or revising topic sentences. In fact, revising only one paragraph is not only satisfying for the students but effectively models revision techniques they can use on their own for the rest of their essays.
16 Although not as efficient, working one-on-one with a student without an interpreter is quite possible. I frequently do so with my college students who cannot always schedule an interpreter during my office hours or decide on the spur of the moment to get extra help.
Workshop 6 / Workshop 7 / Workshop 8 / Workshop 9 / Workshop 10 / Credits
