Assignment #6 Chapter 2 Writing workshop

In the vignette about Mrs. Zumwalt's writing workshop(Tompkins. 2008. p.41), I witnessed that children can develop their writing skills and creativity to be a more fluent writer more effectively than other formal-conventional writing class. Writing workshop is a classroom application of the writing process, and its approach is an innovative way to encourage children to write about what is vital and real for them. (Calkins, 1994; Fletcher & Portalupi, 2001; Overmeyer, 2005; Lucy McCormick Calkins, 1986) Simply put, children are given apportunity to write on self-selected topic and do independant writing, and this must be one of the most convincing way to boost up their self-motivated and self-controlling in the classroom.

There are typically four series of activities in managing the writing workshop class, they are the sessions of writing, sharing, minilessons and reaing aloud to children. Children spend almost of time on writing and sharing their writings to their classmates and taking feeback in open talk, being involved in minilessons from teachers in which teacher can give them some information about the author reading the model writing aloud. In the overall procedure, it's really important that teachers must understand the purpose of each approach and plan activites to fit their goals, choosing what kind of project they will give to children. Also, considering the workshop place could be a very dynamic and somewhat noisy atmosphere since students would be working on different assignments or stages, teachers should monitor children's learning and lead them going in the right way.

Reference:Tompkins, G. E. (2008). Teaching Writing: Balancing Process and Product. NJ: Pearson Education, Inc.

Here are some interesting articles about this chapter.
http://www.teachersfirst.com/lessons/writers/index.html

Response to Nan-Hee Jung:
She mention about Tompkins states " No matter which way teachers use writing workshop, its great benefit is that children become familiar with the ebb and flow of the writing process and experience the exhilaration that all authors feel as they publish their writing and share it with readers" (Tompkins, 2008). She think teacher is necessary to give opportunity to students and consider about writing process or teaching method. And she said 4 components of writing workshop (writing, sharing, minilessons, and reading aloud to children) can give feedback to students. I also agree with her.