When I was in junior high and high school we learned the format of the five paragraph essay and we were taught to edit our work. We never kept math journals explaining math processes. I remember writing some about our science experiments in short constructed responses. Most of the tests I remember taking were multiple choice and short answer tests. The majority of the tests were about memorizing some content, taking the test and not working with the information again. I really can’t remember writing collaboratively but that doesn’t mean we didn’t do it. I do remember, however, falling back on the five paragraph essay when I started writing in college. It served me well.
While both of the views in our chapter do not incorporate much collaborative writing, I feel that my experiences as a writer corresponded more with the “empty vessel” view. There were probably elements of the “progressive” view in our learning but they didn’t make much of an impression as I can’t remember them. It seemed like most of the time we were memorizing information to “fill” our empty vessel. We didn’t use language much because the classes were in the form of a lecture where the teacher spoke and we listened. Our writing focus was to turn in a written product where the teacher was the audience and he/she evaluated our writing.
I have worked in collaborative groups as a graduate student and we have discussed topics. As result, I feel I have retained more information and applied my new learning with my students. Because these techniques have helped me with my learning, I feel that using them with my students will enhance their learning.
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