As
the project continues I’ve realized a number of things in response to
my first post. The retention rate of participants in the workshop has
been 100% and are gaining from the strategies I have planned for them
throughout the course of the first four workshops. The structures I’ve
set up for discussions around the readings have worked both to promote
an inquiry based learning environment, and create opportunities for me
to be able to impart with them some of the craft strategies I find in
the works we are exploring. They don’t find them condescending at all,
and in fact prefer being read to aloud, and reading to each other aloud
as well. In terms of comprehension, participants are great at
synthesizing material and looking for ways that craft and content come
together.
The writing that participants have been submitting has been so full of
courage in that they are choosing to write about sensitive material.
While they do need support in terms of grammar and some structure, it is
evident that they are making choices in scene selection, dialogue, and
reflection based on discussions we’ve had during workshop, although
these too need more development. My only regret is that we only meet for
five weeks, and students have two opportunities to revise their final
pieces, with not much time to do intensive whole class workshopping the
second time around. In order to compensate for this with this group, I
am offering editing support beyond the workshop, with the goal of
getting their final pieces published. My goal with the next workshop is
to offer more sessions to do more writing and revising in class.
Rosa
Rosa
Congrats on your retention rate Rosa!!!
ReplyDeleteWe share a lot of the same concerns about the lack of time to edit. I too will try to make up for it beyond what was expected.
congratulations, rosa. it sounds like you're really giving your all, and that your students are almost as engaged and passionate about the course as you are.
ReplyDeleteRosa, so glad to hear this workshop is going so well and your group is feeling so empowered and safe in the workshop space! Do you think this has to do with the size of your group? It seems to me that a workshop of four would really make everyone feel like a necessary part of the group, as well as foster closer, more trusting relationship with other participants. I can certainly understand wanting to produce polished pieces for publication, but I'm curious why it is important for the grammar and structure to be conventional?
ReplyDeleteVenus, are you planning to teach your workshop again?
ReplyDeleteLeslie, I think the feeling of safety really has to do with the fact that they all are explicitly aware that they have two important things in common despite all other differences: 1) they are all survivors of violence, 2) they all are itching to write their stories.
In terms of your question about language, my concerns about clarity are rooted in two truths:
1) Readers will be distracted by unclarity and their important stories risk not being read because of the this. I want to make sure they get read.
2) As an educator that has been able to obtain a high school diploma, a BA degree, a Master's degree, and am now obtaining an MFA, I know the importance of needing to have good command of the conventional English language. Without knowing this, I would not have been able to gain the access to the academic, social, economic, and political spaces that I have. I think it would be unjust to tell others who have not negotiated with these spaces from a position of clout, that are trying to gain access to the world of reading and writing, that conventional rules "don't matter," because they do.
Hi Rosa, Reading about your workshop experience and hearing you discuss it in class last week, I am so impressed that you created a space where your cohort feels safe and wants to write openly about their experiences. I know it is partly in your organization and planning, but I also know it is something you bring in your personage. You do have a warm and soothing quality about your speech and expression that I am sure added and aided the creation of the space your group is working in. I was excited to hear that this is the kind of work you would like to continue doing - I know you will be great at it.
ReplyDeleteDarin