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sunshinemiss -> RE: punishments (6/9/2011 3:10:54 AM)
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quote:
ORIGINAL: Mumyoo
Writing Lines (particularly handwriting)
Reposting from another thread:
As an author and a teacher, I absolutely hate that writing is considered punishment.
Writing is a joy! It is self expression, it is creativity, it is a tool for many things. Writing for LEARNING, for EXPLORING one's emotions, for REMEMBERING one's day and life - that's different. But writing as punishment. That breaks my heart.
I assign journal writing to my students every semester. I encourage them to draw pictures, to cut things out of papers, to add movie stubs and advertisements and photographs and poems and turn their journal into a scrapbook of their lives. Some of them come to LOVE writing because of this. They come to love expressing themselves in English because they have never been allowed to really express themselves before.
I give them a journal suggestion every week - just a suggestion - like...
What would you do if your friend were pregnant?
What is the purpose of plastic surgery?
What are you life goals?
Talk about a happy memory in your life.
Write about a gift you gave someone and how it was to give that gift.
Some of them consider it a drag, I'm sure. In fact, I know it is. But there is a goodly percentage that love it or at least enjoy it.
*as an aside, I don't read their journals. I don't correct them. I allow them total freedom to write what and as they wish. I just check IF they did it. (They have a certain number of sentences / lines they have to write every week).
Writing to figure out why someone did something, to express what was happening inside, those are good tools for discovery, for communication.
Writing lines over and over as a punishment? How very sad.
sunshine behind the clouds.
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