Put Learning Back into the Writers’ Hands: Using Protocols to Discover the “Rules” of Writing

Put Learning Back into Put Learning Back into

the Writers’ Hands:the Writers’ Hands:

Using Protocols to DiscoverUsing Protocols to Discover

the “Rules” of Writingthe “Rules” of WritingSusan MowersSusan Mowers

Co-director, Lake Michigan Writing ProjectCo-director, Lake Michigan Writing Project

Grand Rapids Community CollegeGrand Rapids Community College

““Knowledge is socially constructed. That is, Knowledge is socially constructed. That is, encounters with other people’s encounters with other people’s understanding enable learners to gain and understanding enable learners to gain and deepen their own understanding.”deepen their own understanding.”

-- McDonald, et al., -- McDonald, et al., The Power of ProtocolsThe Power of Protocols

Episodic Non-Fiction: a new genreEpisodic Non-Fiction: a new genre

Introducing ENFIntroducing ENF

DescriptionDescription ExampleExample RubricRubric DraftDraft

The Back Story

The Back Story

79%

Comprehension

The Power of Communal Learning:Protocols

““My ideal act of teaching is to get people to My ideal act of teaching is to get people to have an experience, not just talk.”have an experience, not just talk.”

-- Elbow, “Breathing Life Into The Text”-- Elbow, “Breathing Life Into The Text”

My Research Questions:My Research Questions: Effect on writers’ understanding?Effect on writers’ understanding?

More quickly and effectively produce More quickly and effectively produce pieces?pieces?

Greater ownership?Greater ownership?



““The kind of talking needed to educate The kind of talking needed to educate ourselves cannot rise spontaneously and ourselves cannot rise spontaneously and unaided from just talking. It needs to be unaided from just talking. It needs to be carefully planned and scaffolded.”carefully planned and scaffolded.”

-- McDonald , et al., -- McDonald , et al., The Power of ProtocolsThe Power of Protocols

A Facilitated “Conversation”A Facilitated “Conversation” Levels the playing fieldLevels the playing field

Gives “thinking time”Gives “thinking time”

Establishes a community of learnersEstablishes a community of learners

All voices contribute to understandingAll voices contribute to understanding


““Many people have not experienced protocol, Many people have not experienced protocol, so it is natural to be nervous the first time so it is natural to be nervous the first time around.” around.”

-- Raeann, EN 102 student-- Raeann, EN 102 student


Jump-in ReadingJump-in Reading Read aloud - someone else “jumps in”Read aloud - someone else “jumps in”

No hand-raisingNo hand-raising

Optional participationOptional participation

Mark lines that are important or stand outMark lines that are important or stand out

Protocol Steps

Round 1: NoticingRound 1: NoticingQ. “What do you see?”Q. “What do you see?”

A. “I notice… .”A. “I notice… .”

Describe the content of the workDescribe the content of the workwithoutwithout making judgments of quality. making judgments of quality.

Protocol Steps

Round 2: Stylistic featuresRound 2: Stylistic featuresQ. “What writing techniques do you see?”Q. “What writing techniques do you see?”

A. “I notice… .”A. “I notice… .”

Describe the “writerly” aspects of the writing.Describe the “writerly” aspects of the writing.

Protocol Steps

Round 3: QuestioningRound 3: QuestioningQ. “What questions does this work raise for you?”Q. “What questions does this work raise for you?”

A. “I wonder… .”A. “I wonder… .”

Questions about the writer,Questions about the writer,the work, the purpose,the work, the purpose, etc. etc.

Protocol Steps

Round 4: SpeculationRound 4: SpeculationQ. “What do you think this writer is working on?”Q. “What do you think this writer is working on?”

A.A.““I think… because… .”I think… because… .”

Q.Q.““Why do you think the writer is working on… ?”Why do you think the writer is working on… ?”

What is the writer trying toWhat is the writer trying toaccomplish in this piece?accomplish in this piece?

Protocol Steps

Check your LearningCheck your LearningQ. “What effect did the protocol have on your Q. “What effect did the protocol have on your

understanding of the genre?”understanding of the genre?”

Write for 5 minutesWrite for 5 minutes ShareShare

Protocol Steps

Protocol Steps

““Protocols force transparency . . . and make Protocols force transparency . . . and make the steps of our learning visible and the steps of our learning visible and replicable.”replicable.”

-- McDonald, et al., -- McDonald, et al., The Power of ProtocolsThe Power of Protocols

Protocol Steps

““When you want to write in a certain form – a When you want to write in a certain form – a novel, short story, poem – read a lot of novel, short story, poem – read a lot of writing in that form . . . [I]t becomes writing in that form . . . [I]t becomes imprinted inside you, so when you sit down imprinted inside you, so when you sit down to write, you write in that structure.”to write, you write in that structure.”

-- Goldberg, -- Goldberg, Writing Down the BonesWriting Down the Bones

Protocol Timeline

Large group protocol (professional essay)• Create a Word document of protocol responses.

Homework:• Write a vivid “snapshot” of a scene.

CLASS 1

Protocol Timeline

Share “snapshots” in groups• Compare stylistic features of “snapshots” with protocol responses.Large group protocol (student essay)• Create a Word document of protocol responses.• Compare stylistic features of professional essay with student essay.

CLASS 2

Protocol Timeline


CLASS 2

Protocol Timeline


Homework:• Write 2 – 3 vivid “snapshots” connected with a symbol.

CLASS 2

Protocol Timeline

Small group protocols (2-3 different student essays)• Compare stylistic features of student essays with protocol responses.Share 2 – 3 vivid “snapshots”• Compare stylistic features of “snapshots” with protocol responses.

Homework:• Write a draft of ENF (5 scenes).• Writing challenge

CLASS 3

Protocol Timeline

Share 5 scenes in Writing Workshop groups• How do the scenes meet the genre criteria?• What could the writer do to improve the piece?

Homework:• Revise the ENF draft.

CLASS 4

Protocol Timeline

Student EssayStudent EssayScene 1Scene 1

Protocol Timeline

Student EssayStudent EssayEvolution of scene 5 (1)Evolution of scene 5 (1)

Protocol Timeline

Student EssayStudent EssayEvolution of scene 5 (2)Evolution of scene 5 (2)

Protocol Timeline

Student EssayStudent EssayEvolution of scene 5 (final)Evolution of scene 5 (final)

Protocol Timeline

““Instructors should encourage students to do Instructors should encourage students to do extensive reading in a particular form of extensive reading in a particular form of writing they will later be expected to writing they will later be expected to produce themselves.”produce themselves.”

-- Falk, “Language Acquisition and the Teaching and -- Falk, “Language Acquisition and the Teaching and Learning of Writing”Learning of Writing”

My Research Questions:My Research Questions: Effect on writers’ understanding?Effect on writers’ understanding?

More quickly and effectively produce More quickly and effectively produce pieces?pieces?

Greater ownership?Greater ownership?

Do Protocols Work?

Do Protocols Work?

79%

93%

Comprehension

Comprehension

Do Protocols Work?

““Every English teacher before told me what Every English teacher before told me what the genre is and what an example of it is, the genre is and what an example of it is, then told me to write on it. But with these then told me to write on it. But with these protocols, I taught myself what I was protocols, I taught myself what I was supposed to write.”supposed to write.”

-- Ethan, EN 102 student-- Ethan, EN 102 student

Do Protocols Work?

““If you stood in front of the class and told us to If you stood in front of the class and told us to write an Episodic NF, I would have looked at write an Episodic NF, I would have looked at you dumbfounded and unsure if you were you dumbfounded and unsure if you were even speaking English. . . .even speaking English. . . .

Calling a protocol a ‘necessary tool’ when Calling a protocol a ‘necessary tool’ when introducing a genre is a very appropriate way introducing a genre is a very appropriate way of putting it.”of putting it.”

-- Catalina, EN 102 student-- Catalina, EN 102 student

Do Protocols Work?

““Perhaps the most astonishing (yes, Perhaps the most astonishing (yes, astonishing) thing is that we are actually astonishing) thing is that we are actually contributing and learning (learning!) as a contributing and learning (learning!) as a class.”class.”

-- Celia, EN 102 student-- Celia, EN 102 student

The Power of Protocols

““The only knowledge you truly possess is The only knowledge you truly possess is knowledge you have somehow made.”knowledge you have somehow made.”

-- Sheridan Blau, -- Sheridan Blau, The Literature WorkshopThe Literature Workshop

Other Uses . . .Other Uses . . . Talk about student workTalk about student work Talk about literatureTalk about literature

Modify protocols forModify protocols foryour own use.your own use.

The Power of Protocol

Put Learning Back into Put Learning Back into

the Writers’ Hands:the Writers’ Hands:

Using Protocols to DiscoverUsing Protocols to Discover

the “Rules” of Writingthe “Rules” of WritingSusan MowersSusan Mowers

Co-director, Lake Michigan Writing ProjectCo-director, Lake Michigan Writing Project

Grand Rapids Community CollegeGrand Rapids Community College

Documents

Put Learning Back into the Writers’ Hands: Using Protocols to Discover the “Rules” of Writing