Raising Students Expectations

This reading discusses a lot about the need for students, teachers, and the school to raise expectations. Expectations for students are limited because we choose them to be this way. Students are capable of doing incredible work if the teacher believes in them, and teaches them the appropriate and necessary skills to do their best work. Giving the students the needed skills and attributes to become successful writers is the first step to see the work they can do. Competency leads to confidence which will lead to students wanting to write, and when students want to write and are not forced to write, that is when we will see their best work. Expectations for writing need to be high, not for just the quality of the work that the students have to turn in, but also the quantity. The amount of writing that is done needs to be decided and turned into a routine by the teachers for the students. As long as the teacher displays an effective model of what a good writer is and does, students will not complain or struggle with doing increased amount of work, because they are enjoying writing. Following the Optimal Learning Model, is an

She asked the writer to share his piece with her as she was attempting to understand what he was trying to say. She then said “Observing teachers later told me they were flabbergasted when my first comment to Cory was a positive one: I can tell by this sentence exactly what your story is about… That’s what good writers do (Routman, 2005, p.79).” The effect that her statement made to Cory was such a life-changer in his writing, all because of one positive compliment. So another key take away is that always as a teacher start any conversation, or critique with a student with a positive comment, because a positive comment about their schoolwork may be the only one they get their entire day, week, school