Week 5

In Chapter 4 of Writing Essentials, Routman introduces the optimal learning model for writing. This model has four phases and starts with the teacher demonstrating to the class and gradually as the class continues through the phases of the model, the responsibilities for writing will be handed over to the students. In order for this model to work the teacher must first create a safe learning environment for their students to feel comfortable enough to share ideas and take risks. Once this classroom environment has been established, the teacher begins the model by demonstrating to the class by writing their ideas and saying them out loud to their students allowing them to see how ideas are created. The second phase of the model has the students participating in the demonstration by sharing ideas, and collaborating together as a class, the third phase requires the students to practice what they have just seen demonstrated by the teacher with guided help during this time, and the last phase of the model has the students writing independently and practicing what they had learned through the lesson.

I think this model is a very powerful tool to use as a teacher during writing. I believe it is so important as a teacher to have a classroom that students feel safe, relaxed and able to share their thoughts and opinions out loud without feeling judged by other students. I also think it is very powerful to have the teacher demonstrate what is expected of the students before having them practice it on their own. Writing can be a very difficult subject for many students and one of the hardest parts about writing is knowing what is expected of you as a writer, or formulating ideas and putting these ideas down on paper. I have always been the type of student that needs to see examples of what is expected of me, this way I have a clear idea in my head, instead of worrying while I am writing if I am on the right path, or if i have completely misunderstood the directions.

Writers Workshop is something that is used in the Seattle Public Schools, and mirrors Routman's optimal model of learning. In Writer's Workshop, students are called over to a meeting area, where the teacher stands in front of the class with his/her whiteboard behind them. The teacher will introduce the day's lesson and then demonstrate the lesson in front of the class. The teacher will formulate his/her ideas and write them down, as if they were doing this on their own and not in front of a group of students. Together the class will either come up with an example of the lesson, or they will watch as their teacher creates an example for the class, and the teacher is expected to show themselves struggling as a writer though this example. Then the class is asked to go back to their seats and begin writing with the teacher walking around the class and helping the students further formulate their ideas or work on their writing pieces. The students will then continue to work on their pieces of writing during the following lesson and eventually the students will choose what stories they want to correct and make final drafts of on their own. Then the class will have a "celebration" sharing these drafts and the stories will be "published" in the hallways for others to write comments on.

I plan on using this model in my classroom, I like the idea of having the whole class formulate ideas and brainstorm before sending them off to tackle the writing on their own. I think that by working together as a class, students may think of things that they may not have thought of on their own, and they may feel more comfortable about the assignment. Writing can be very daunting for many students, myself included, and by using this model the responsibilities as a writer are slowly passed over to the students by the teacher. I believe this would help alleviate anxiety and give the students a chance to have more fun writing, and hopefully over time the students will begin to enjoy writing and not see as it a struggle.

Another powerful point Routman made in this chapter was for teachers to hold high expectations for their students. If students are held to these expectations chances are they will rise to the occasion, and through using this optimal model of learning the teacher can give the students clear examples of the expectations and will help the students by first demonstrating these expectations and then slowly handing over the responsibilities to the students so that the students do not find these high standards to be daunting.