Beyond the Red Pen: Clarifying Our Role in the Response Process

The article discusses the challenges faced by teachers in response to student writing, emphasizing the need for effective commenting strategies that empower students.

Characters:
- Mrs. Thomas: A high school English teacher frustrated by repetitive student errors in thesis statements and supporting details.
- Mr. Bell: Another English teacher engaging with Mrs. Thomas.
Recognition of Challenge: Teachers often feel ineffective in reaching all students, leading to frustration in managing writing feedback.

Two students, Tom and Trish, discuss receiving feedback from Mrs. Thomas.
Feedback Issues: Common critique across various papers, unclear references, students struggle to understand terminology (e.g., “thesis,” “awk”).

Bryan's objective: Understand effective responses to students' writing through two research studies of teacher-student dynamics.

Nancy Sommers’ view: Teacher responses must prioritize students' original purposes instead of imposing teacher's beliefs.
Specific Comments Vs. General Observations:
  - Research indicates students prefer comments that explain effectiveness and shortcomings of their writing.
  - Gary Dohrer: Effective responses correlate with classroom instruction.
  - Catherine Lynch & Patricia Klemans: Students find feedback more useful when they understand the reasons behind it.
  - Richard Straub: Students resist major structural changes and prefer micro-level editing.
  - C. W. Griffin: Positive tone in comments enhances student receptiveness compared to a sarcastic tone.

Donald Murray's Insights: Highlighting the relevance of conferences, suggesting guiding questions for students about their writing process.
   - Example questions include:
     - “What did you learn from this piece of writing?”
     - “What do you intend to do in the next draft?”
Emphasis on listening and letting students guide discussions during writing conferences.

Investigate students' attention to comments.
Ascertain students' understanding and perceived utility of feedback.
Context: Molly taught sophomore English focusing on American literature and diverse writing forms across a semester.

Grades given based on standard commenting techniques.
Randomized selection of 6-12 comments from each student essay for questionnaires.
Questionnaires included:
- “What does the comment mean?”
- “How will this comment be helpful for future drafts?”
Analysis of student responses sought to identify comment understanding and utility.
Comment Appearance Categories:
   - Word Comments: Single-word feedback (e.g., “frag.”, “good”).
   - Symbol Comments: Marks used to indicate errors without textual explanation.
   - Combination Comments: Use of both words and symbols for clarity.

Praise Comments: Recognition of effective writing elements (e.g., “nice transition”).
Question Comments: Inquiries about the writer's intentions or clarifications needed.
Instructional Comments: Guidance on improvements needed, promoting reflection.
Answer Comments: Specific corrections indicated through symbols with explanations.
Attention Comments: Symbols with no explanatory text aimed at drawing attention to errors.

Students often view responses as corrective rather than developmental, primarily focusing on grades rather than a tool for writing enhancement.
Research noted high rates of negative feedback in teacher responses across various educational levels.

Recognized misalignment between teaching philosophy and feedback style, leading to confusion among students.
Need for clear communication on response styles, ensuring students comprehend and value feedback over mere grading.
Insights gained toward fostering more constructive, empowering dialogues around writing.
Implementation of post-commenting conferences to discuss and clarify feedback, making the process more interactive and helpful.

Investigate teacher alignment between instructional goals and response effectiveness.
Methodology: Similar to Molly's study but detailed and numbered comments for comprehensive data analysis.

Class visits to observe instructional strategies and student engagement during writing exercises.
Student interviews highlighted their attitudes toward feedback and desired comment types.

Students acknowledged expectations from teaching but struggled with executing goals in their essays.
The study aimed to mitigate assumptions about students' understanding of teacher symbols and the intrinsic motivation for improvement.

Recognized vagueness of certain instructions prompted need for explicit guidance.
Importance of a supportive feedback tone that motivates rather than commands.
Implemented portfolio reflections for students to visualize their growth and goal-setting in writing.

Reflect on motivational styles and commenting practices in writing responses.
Ensure students have opportunities to revise, enhancing engagement with feedback.
Allocate class time for writing to facilitate real-time dialogue about their work.
Emphasize specificity and clarity in comments to improve understanding and utility.
Encourage a culture of constructive feedback that maintains student self-esteem while prompting growth.
Utilize mini-lessons and conferences as effective tools for targeted instruction and feedback support.

Teacher-student interaction is vital for developing a supportive writing environment.
Moving toward more effective response practices enriches the educational experience, enhancing both student writing quality and teacher effectiveness.