Review Reading #3 In the Middle - Nancie Atwell
ISBN: 978-0-325-02813-2
ISBN-10: 0-325-02813-3
Publisher: Heinemann Publishing
Publication Date: 2015
Here is my third 'Letter-Essay,' this time reflecting on 'In the Middle.'
Dear Reader,
In 2014 I was
introduced to Nancie Atwell's work in the way of three photocopied extracts
from her 1987 publication ‘In the Middle.’ It seems silly to comment but I had
never experienced, in all my university readings and countless books I
have sitting on my book shelf about the teaching of English, a plan so simple
in its brilliance that it is without replication. I will continue to purchase
books and read articles about teaching, literacy, English teaching, and writing
instruction, etc. – it just seems to me that Nancie Atwell’s workshop approach
provides a place for everything I have learnt to hang from (insert umbrella or
coat hanger analogy here!).
I read the extracts
from ‘In the Middle’ and then purchased both the 1987 and 1998 editions. I was
delighted when only a short time later a third edition hit the shelves
(serendipitous or what!?). I was heartened to continue this journey with
Atwell. Her philosophy and methods remained at their core the same, but in the
2015 iteration Atwell relaxed some – instead of the ‘nevers’ that populated her
workshop model in its earlier stages there was a call for flexibility, a trust
of teachers to know when to comment on student writing and when to hold back, encouragement
to utilise some of the scripts and scenarios provided in the text as a support
but to continue the development of rapport with students and to assist them in
working in a more student centred environment.
The teacher
is not redundant in the workshop model but is more indispensable than ever.
They are the ultimate guide - meeting their students’ needs directly and
immediately and it is this aspect that I feel could enhance the current
classroom model. Accountability has made all actions ‘transparent’ to a point. It
is easy to view the quality of feedback that teachers are providing students on
the grading sheets that are returned to students after a task is marked. But, I
cannot see or ever really know if any of it means something to a student and the
way that tasks are currently completed (task outline provided, student
completes task with some support or in isolation, the tasks are handed in and
marked which could take from 1-3 weeks, feedback is written by the marking
teacher, the task handed back to student with a numerical mark as well as
written feedback, the student looks at mark and may look at the comment
briefly, students move onto the next task). The next task is of a different
nature and the feedback provided on the previous task is no longer available,
nor is it relevant, students start the process again, from the beginning, for
the next task.
Student
growth is possible in the workshop model through immediate feedback. It is, of
course not possible to thoroughly read a piece and provide written feedback
within a few minutes but it is possible to sit with a student to problem solve
an aspect of their writing and set them on a path of experimentation with
clarity and focus. Students are accountable for creating their best work, they
develop efficacy and independence when composing and ultimately authority as a
writer. Written feedback is provided periodically by the class teacher and it
is accompanying by a short conference explaining the mark up and comments –
time consuming in a regular classroom perhaps, but in workshop it is the core
business of the day.
What stands
out for me in Atwell’s ‘In the Middle’ is how much value is placed on student
writing. A very expansive scope and sequence details what types of texts
students study from K-8 so students access a wide variety of genres. Students
study exemplar texts, are taught specific skills to support their work in
particular genres via explicit instructional chunks – mini-lessons and then,
they get down to it, and write. And write. And write. Students are on their own
schedules for their composition but are given a bit of a nudge if they aren’t
making progress. The teacher acts as a rudder, steering students through
difficulty and confusion, answering questions whilst reinforcing protocols
around the workshop. Writing is celebrated through students compiling
portfolios of their best work to explain to their parents during Parent/Teacher
Conferences whilst setting goals for the next semester. Students also
contribute to the long running publication, ‘Acorns’ which is a compilation of
student writing. This is all supported by, you guessed it, reading workshop.
All editions
of ‘In the Middle’ are mammoth, especially the third edition which is
absolutely jammed packed full of practical strategies, organisational
templates, scripts to inform teacher/student conferences, student writing, and
anecdotes. It is a beautiful story of Atwell’s teaching career to this point
and the impact she has made upon both her past (including her daughter Anne who
now teaches the school) and present students at the Center for Teaching and
Learning. The striking honesty, ‘The teaching didn’t come easily either…,’ ‘…my
uncertainty about how to about how to talk with kids about drafts of their
writing…,’ gives way to poignant reflection such as; ‘freedom of choice does
not undercut discipline or rigor,’ ‘I saw them take chances…,’ and ‘I watched
them take time, as they wrote and planned their writing outside of school as
well as in’ are a testament to change as a difficult but worthwhile journey to
take and the continued success of the school and the growth in the students
present reinforce what a difference it can make.
Yours,
K