Facilitating Learning in the Composition Classroom through Individualized Goals
Sharon M. Studenka
MA Language and Literature
Central Michigan University
E-mail: studenka7@aol.com
As I began teaching as a graduate assistant at a mid-size university I envisioned students eager to read, write, and discuss. But these illusions were quickly shattered by the question "What do I have to do to get an A?" and by the attitude of students who would rather be anywhere than in a required freshman composition course. I began to question myself and my teaching methods, until the middle of the semester.
I had my students fill out an informal midterm evaluation in which they critiqued the course and my instruction. Overall, their responses were positive and their suggestions for improvement were similar to my own feelings of what was not working well. I felt the students lacked the motivation to actively engage in the classroom and in the writing process. The goals I had established within the course syllabus, while on track with departmental mandates, were not meeting the personal writing needs of my students.
On the first day of the class I give students my expectations and goals for the course, but during my first semester as an instructor I had failed to acknowledge their individual expectations and goals. Through goal setting the students can meet the goals I have established for the course but also have more input into their own education. At first "such a class [was] challenging to manage because students [accomplished] their own purposes, [and received] individualized guidance" (Bower 180). However, by using their individual goals as an outline for their one-on-one conferences with me, they received the personalized instruction and met both course and individual goals.
When I realized that my students were not focused on writing as a learning tool and were not actively pursuing the attainment of the course's goals, I recognized a similarity between the lack of goal driven learning and my experience as an assistant coordinator of a literacy association. I was actively involved in changing the local adult literacy program from outcome based to goal based, and the program noticed a significant change. Previously our attempts to interest adult learners in a learning process based solely on outcome or improved reading ability failed. Students became disassociated with the learning process and many began to leave the program. After an intensive review process we changed the program format to goal oriented tutoring sessions by using the LitStart Strategies for Adult Literacy and ESL Tutors, which emphasizes a "focus on the foals of the student" (Frey 10). Based on the LitStart method a tutor asked each learner about his or her literacy goals, whether it was to complete job applications, sign their name, or read a novel. Based on their individual goals, tutors were able to tailor individual tutoring sessions toward the specific goals of the student and not the program. For example, if the learner's goal was to fill out job applications we centered their reading materials on job related issues, spelling and vocabulary focused on career terms, and a few minutes each session was spent on practicing completing job application. Our learners' success rates improved and they became active motivated learners.
When a composition student established the goal of learning how to write a thesis statement properly, we spent a portion of our fifteen-minute bi-weekly conference addressing thesis issues in relation to their current essay assignment. If several students in the same class establish similar goals they are grouped together for peer revision workshops and work on that particular issue or common set of goals. "Peer input and encouragement stimulate motivation andÄ lead to a positive attitude toward writing and a desire for revision" (Bower 182). Students who are already "motivatedÄmay neither attempt improvement nor enjoy a writing class" (Bower 180). I have a few students who fall into this category, specifically journalism majors, and the materials and assignments bore them. However, while they believe their writing is excellent there is always room for improvement and through individual goal setting they are able to create a stake within the course.
Through goal setting I increase the focus on the individual needs of my students. By giving them a goal, or the motivation, I can help them improve their writing, increase their motivation to learn, and turn them into active writers. Through addressing individual goals in conferences and peer workshops I am able to focus on the goals and objectives of the course with the class as a whole, and students receive individualized instruction not often found in other courses. By addressing their individual goals and those of the course they see an improvement in their writing and their willingness to learn.
References
- Bower, Laurie L.
- "Falling into a Motivational Style of Teaching." Eds. Tina Lavonne Good and Leanne B. Warshauer. In Our Own Voice: Graduate Students Teach Writing. Boston: Allyn and Bacon, 2000. 178-184.
- Frey, Patricia and Evey Renner.
- LitStart: Strategies for Adult Literacy and ESL Tutors. 3rd ed. Okemos, MI: Michigan Literacy, Inc., 1999.
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