100WC - The Start of Student Feedback

What?

Last week I signed my class up to 100 Word Challenge. This is a weekly writing exercise where students receive a prompt and must use it to write 100 words. The students must have 100 words, no more, no less. The prompt could be a picture to motivate the writer, or part of a sentence which has to be used in the writing. This changes weekly. 

Students get the prompt at the start of the week and use their homework time to draft, proof and edit their piece of writing. Once they have completed their draft they create a doc in their Google Drive and publish it to this. I have created a class writing blog called 8GMc 100WC where students put their finished writing and then submit it to the 100WC site.

So what?
Students get feedback from people around the world, and also from each other. All of the pieces of writing submitted for 100WC are accessible by a wide audience. Students could get feedback from teachers or students in other countries, or from their peers on the class blog. Without discussing feedback I had some students already comment on each other's writing.

This is giving the students more of an audience which I hope will help improve the quality of their writing. If they know it could be read by more than just me it will hopefully give them a greater purpose and generate more pride in their work.

100 Words is not too much for a student to write either so they should finish this weekly. In the first week a student who had not written anything all year was the first to complete the task. See here for his writing.

Example of feedback on blog

Student Comments

Now what?
As you can see from the original student comments they aren't very meaningful. The goal now will be to teach the students how to write and leave a more constructive comment. I will also need to get the students reading each others writing on a more consistent basis. This will either be timetabled into Reading and Writing programs, set as a task for homework, or just have blog commenting time.

I think this shows evidence for:

Criteria PTC1

Establish and maintain effective professional relationships focused on the learning and well-being of ākonga.

Key Indicators:

Engage in ethical, respectful, positive and collaborative professional relationships with:
• ākonga
• teaching colleagues, support staff and other professionals
• whānau and other carers of ākonga
• agencies, groups and individuals in the community

Criteria PTC6

Conceptualise, plan and implement an appropriate learning programme

Key Indicators:

i. articulate clearly the aims of their teaching, give sound professional reasons for adopting these aims, and implement them in their practice

ii. through their planning and teaching, demonstrate their knowledge and understanding of relevant content, disciplines and curriculum documents

Criteria PTC7

Promote a collaborative, inclusive and supportive learning environment

Key Indicators:

i. demonstrate effective management of the learning setting that incorporates successful strategies to engage and motivate ākonga

ii. foster trust, respect and cooperation with and among ākonga

Criteria PTC8

Demonstrate in practice their knowledge and understanding of how ākonga learn

Key Indicators:

i. enable ākonga to make connections between their prior experiences and learning and their current learning activities

ii. provide opportunities and support for ākonga to engage with, practise and apply new learning to different contexts

iii. encourage ākonga to take responsibility for their own learning and behaviour

iv. assist ākonga to think critically about information and ideas and to reflect on their learning