November 2007 — News
Print this article | Email this articleClick here to receive your FREE subscription to T.H.E. Journal
Case Study: Writing with Technology
One of the great advantages for me is that because the feedback is unbiased and self-explanatory, students don't feel that I am harping on one thing or another or being "picky" when it comes to grammar and word usage. It removes some of the negative feelings that students have toward their teachers when they receive papers back with red ink all over them. If the computer is telling them the same thing as their teacher, they figure it must be true. This kind of reinforcement helps ingrain the lessons I have already been sharing.Even low-performing students managed to do well, and that alone gave them the incentive to work on their writing skills. For me, personally, it was great to see an improvement in their dismal attitudes toward achievement. Now they liked English.
Well, sort of.
They certainly liked competing in a public arena with their peers and, more importantly, with the computer. By the end of the semester, most students had earned 5s or 6s, with only a few still earning mostly 4s.
Alongside the remarkable and consistent progress I observed in my students' writing skills, I was able to spend more one on one time with the students who needed additional attention. My experience with the Criterion service has me convinced that incorporating an online writing evaluation tool into any writing curriculum certainly qualifies as a best practice.
Read More:
About the author: Cristina Ramirez a teacher at Belen Jesuit Preparatory School in Miami, FL.
Proposals for articles and tips for news stories, as well as questions and comments about this publication, should be submitted to David Nagel, executive editor, at dnagel@1105media.com.
Cite this Site
copy text (above) for proper citation
