Author: roquela

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Marking with the 5:1 Ratio with Jaz Papadopoulos

When I mark in Speedgrader, I like to use the highlighter / annotations tool to leave comments. One of the reasons for this is that it makes grading a lot easier for me – I highlight things that I liked and things that earn marks (Great imagery! or Inciting incident; rising stakes; resolution). I believe that these sideline comments offer students specificity, and thus are more helpful for students who want to recognize and hone in on their skills. 

But more than this, the comments help me fulfill the 5:1 ratio for positive feedback.

A 2004 study by researchers Marcial Losada and Emily Heaphy explored team connectivity and business performance. The results showed that the highest performing business teams had a 5:1 ratio: five instances of praise for every one instance of critical feedback. 

This is actually a rule I learned while working as wilderness therapist for “hard to reach” youth – we, as staff, were required to give a child 5 instances of positive feedback before trying to make a behaviour adjustment. (5:1 is actually a very low ratio in this context – other studies suggest that for folks with challenges around connectivity, the successful ratio is more like 16:1).

It can be enticing to focus on places of improvement, especially in a capitalist society that demands productivity, and even more so when it’s 2 a.m. and I’m looking at 300 pages of second year poetry that all seems to heavily rely on ABAB rhyme schemes and I just want to tell them all to STOP RHYMING. But, this research shows that criticism undermines self-confidence and initiative, meaning that though the recipient may change their behaviour, the motivation will be compliance rather than genuine effort. 

“Only positive feedback can motivate people to continue doing what they’re doing well,” the Harvard Business Review writes, reflecting on this research, “and do it with more vigor, determination, and creativity.” And that’s what I want to build in the writers of tomorrow, right?! Vigour! Determination! Creativity!

As a TA, I want to encourage people to know and build on their strengths. The self-confidence and success that comes with being good at something also acts as fuel to improve the things that aren’t so good. 

The 5:1 ratio is also noted in research about happy couples, FYI. In an analysis of married couples’ likelihood of getting divorced, the single biggest determinant was the ratio of positive to negative comments, 5:1 being ideal. (Divorced couples showed a ratio of 3 positive comments for every 4 negative comments.) Even though this study is from the ‘90s and done by a dude and is probably super heterosexual and otherwise generally inapplicable to my life, 5:1 still seems like a good ratio to me.

The last reason why filling up the comments with 5 positive for everyone 1 critical remarks works for me is…it helps me see the good in students’ work. At 2 a.m. when I’m shuffling through 300 pages of ABAB. If I have to highlight the use of imagery, enjambment, words choice, metaphor, and originality before I’m allowed to harp on the dang rhyme scheme, I’m way more likely to give helpful comments and a reasonable grade.

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Engagement, Understanding, Independence

Strategies for Engagement, Understanding,
and Independence in the CrWr Classroom, with current TA and educator Amy Higgins

Are you tired of the same-old same-old instructional activities? Wondering how to facilitate productive discussions in the classroom? Seeking suggestions for meaningful, engaging lessons?

Making Thinking Visible: How to Promote Engagement, Understanding, and Independence for All Learners by Ron Ritchhart, Mark Church, and Karin Morrison is the resource you need! This book offers offers user-friendly strategies that help guide your students’ thinking and structure the class conversations. You can also find many of these instructional activities detailed online:

A few years ago, while teaching in the K – 12 system, I was lucky enough to attend a professional development session facilitated by Ron Ritchhart, co-author of Making Thinking Visible and Senior Research Associate at the Harvard Graduate School of Education’s Project Zero. In this session, I learned that “routine” is a key word when it comes to Visible Thinking. As a teacher, my impulse is to continually introduce new strategies, lesson formats, and learning activities. I want to keep my students interested, after all! However, when certain instructional activities become routine, teaching and learning improve. Once routines are established, I spend less time giving instructions and more time prompting students to go deeper in their thinking. Similarly, learners focus less on understanding the expectations of the activity, and more time grappling with the subject matter itself.

The Visible Thinking routines detailed below are incredibly simple, flexible, and adaptable to various contexts. I have used these routines in Kindergarten, asking students, “What do you know about our playground environment? What do you wonder?” And, later, “What have you learned?” I’ve used the routines in Grade 2, asking students what they observe, think, and wonder when viewing images of various Canadian landmarks. I’ve used them in Grade 5, guiding students through “think-pair-share” exercises as part of an inquiry into immigration. And they work in the post-secondary classroom too!

Here is an outline of some of the core Visible Thinking routines, along with suggestions for using them in the Creative Writing classroom:

  1. Interpretation & Justification: What Makes You Say That?

    This is a simple strategy for guiding students’ engagement with a piece of writing — whether they’re workshopping a piece written by a peer or studying an exemplar of a particular genre or form.Simply ask the students two questions: “What’s going on (or, What do you notice) in this piece of writing?” (Interpretation). Followed by, “What makes you say that?” (Justification).These simple prompts are a quick and easy way of encouraging students to expand upon their ideas and stretch their thinking to the next level. And it’s a great “back pocket” response for those moments when you’re not quite sure what to say!

  2. KWL

    K stands for “What do you KNOW about this topic?”; W stands for “What do you WONDER?”; and L stands for “What have you LEARNED?”
    When you’re introducing a topic  — poetic devices! elements of fiction! types of creative nonfiction!  — ask students to record their responses to the first two questions; they can do this individually, in pairs, or in small groups. After exploring the topic, ask students to fill in the third column, sharing their learning. This is a low-prep exercise that encourages reflection, and it works for any topic.

  3. Think-Pair-Share

    When introducing a topic of discussion, allow students some time to silently think about their answer. This is particularly important for students who need a bit more time to formulate a response.Then, invite students to discuss their idea with a partner. This ensures that every student participates actively, even those who may hesitate to speak in front of the whole group. Also, it gives students a chance to test out their viewpoint and articulate their thoughts, while possibly revising or refining their ideas in response to their classmate’s questions and comments.Finally, offer students an opportunity to share with the whole group. This discussion format is very effective for encouraging more reticent members of the group to speak up!

  4. I used to think … Now I think …

    Another fast, simple, end-of-unit reflection: ask students to respond in writing to the prompts “I used to think …” and “Now I think …”. This encourages students to identify what they’ve learned and the ways in which their thinking has changed. After having students record their responses in writing, you may ask them to share aloud in small groups or with the class.One variation: have students record their ideas on sticky notes, then combine them to make a class chart, as pictured below:

  5. Observe, Think, Wonder

    This is another strategy to guide students’ encounters with literature, whether they’re reading a classmate’s work or looking at an example of a published piece. Simply ask them to reflect upon the following questions: “What do you observe?” “What do you think?” and “What do you wonder?” These prompts can help you guide students to look carefully at the work, develop thoughtful interpretations, and generate helpful and provocative questions.

  6. Compass Points

    Introducing students to a new idea, explaining an assignment, or helping the group work through a problem? Keep in mind the four compass points:

    E – What EXCITES you about this idea / project / issue?
    W – What WORRIES you?
    N – What do you NEED to know?
    S – What is your STANCE on this? And / or, what SUGGESTIONS do you have to offer?

Whether discussed aloud or offered as writing prompts, these questions will help to guide the conversation in a productive direction!

For more ideas, visit the Visible Thinking website:

http://www.visiblethinkingpz.org/VisibleThinking_html_files/03_ThinkingRoutines/03g_CreativityRoutines.html

Happy teaching!

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On Conversations about the Work

We writers, as it turns out, love talking about writing. I remember being in my first creative writing class – I had just abandoned my business degree to chase down (and possibly trample) my dreams. I nervously approached my creative writing instructor, for whom I had deep respect and whose book I adored, to ask for more: More feedback! More marks! More validation of my creative genius!

What’s more, I wanted to defend my poem which was inspired by the philosopher Slavoj Žižek and was about contemplating the Deepwater Horizon oil spill and mass extinction while pumping gas. I wanted feedback on the various sound effects in said poem (Was Eee-er, Eee-er or glub, glub more precise for a gas pump?). I wanted an A+ on my portfolio and not an A- (because I have no school money and need awards). I also wanted him to look into my soul, and say, ‘Ah, yes! I see you fellow writer.’

So, this is all to say, I’ve been there as a student. Now, as a TA and teacher, I’ve been on the other side of the conversations about creative work. I can say with great certainty, that at some point it will happen to you.

You may get approached after class by a nervous/tearful/frustrated student, with their 72% piece in hand. You may get a student from your Intro to CrWr class who has written a rough first draft of a YA mystery novel about the Large Hadron Collider and tiny black holes that swallow pets, and they are so excited for you to read it and give feedback. You may also get a student that is convinced that you don’t get their vision and/or that the assignment is clipping their creative wings (Resource: Three Office Hour Scenarios, Strategies, and Phrases to Use). You will also encounter microaggressions, and problematic, offensive statements within creative work (Resource: Engaging with Problematic Statements in Creative Work (or Not!)).

Reflecting from where I stand now, I own that I have been on both sides of ALL of these conversations. When I engage as a teacher, I hold in my heart that one meeting I had way back in the beginning of my creative writing education (Me: CrWr hatchling, making bold career choices, and with my list of unreasonable asks. My teacher: no idea what was coming).

In that meeting, I don’t remember his specific feedback, but I do remember his patience, generosity, encouragement, and his readiness to connect. Maybe half-way through blurting my way through my questions, half-formed dreams, and starting an impromptu workshop on sound effects, he said, ‘Hey, I want to show you something.’ He went to his bookshelf and pulled out his first poetry chapbook, and handed it to me. I flipped through it. “What do you think?” he asked.

“It’s great.” It was a gift to see where he had come from. The writer who had made that first chapbook, one word after the next, continued writing, thereby, constructing the writer that he would become. What I didn’t say was that it was kinda mediocre work. “How did you make it?” I asked.

He told me that he and his friend had fun cobbling it together in an afternoon using scraps of poetry, an X-Acto knife, random angsty doodles, and a photocopier.

“Everybody has to start somewhere,” he said, as if to say, I hear you, writer. Look, I’ve been there too. Keep going!

And since you’ve read this far… A poem [WITH INSTRUCTOR FEEDBACK] written in 2010 about contemplating the Deepwater Horizon oil spill and mass extinction while pumping gas, also inspired by the philosopher Slavoj Žižek.

“Apparatus”
Squeeze Pump Hose Box
Eee-er, Eee-er, Eee-er
[SOUND EFFECTS DON’T WORK WELL IN A POEM]
Zero Eyes Roll Back
Reee, Reee, Reee
Sea Man Drill
Spill, Glug
-Stop-
[HMMM. THIS ONE FEELS RATHER THIN BY COMPARISON TO THE OTHERS. PLAYFUL BUT SORT OF UNDERFED.]

***If you want to honour your bold, hatchling writer-self, please post a line from your early days in the comments.***

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Resource: Three Office Hour Scenarios, Strategies, and Phrases to Use

Dear TAs,

In our October face-to-face session on “Conversations about the Work,” we dug deep and discussed common conversations that come up (particularly during office hours), then we crowdsourced strategies with TAs, Mentors, and Instructors.

Here are three scenarios you may encounter, and strategies to positively and productively engage.

If you get approached after class by a nervous/tearful/frustrated student, with their 72% piece in hand. (With zero tolerance for yelling, intimidating behavior, and student misconduct!)

  • Acknowledge that this is important to them, and say that you need time to review the work, rubric, and feedback. Ask them to do the same, and request that they generate 3 specific questions about their work (i.e. not ‘why did I only get a B-?’).
  • Take a deep, calm breath.
  • Make an appointment (Ideally, 72 hours in the future).
  • If you are a TA, connect with the instructor to let them know. They are a great resource! They have these conversations all the time. They support each other going into these conversations as well.
  • Prep for your meeting (review the work, rubric, and feedback)
  • Go into the meeting feeling grounded.
  • During the meeting, hopefully, the student has prepared questions. Asking questions relevant/useful to their work is an extremely valuable skill, I would argue, more important to their writing development than the answers themselves. But, having said that, if they ask a really great question that you don’t know how to answer, it’s ok to say, ‘That’s an excellent question! Tell me more about what you’re thinking.’ Or ‘I don’t know. I’ll think about it, and get back to you.’
  • Use active listening and ask follow up questions:
    • I hear that […]
    • I appreciate […]
    • When you said […], did you mean […]?
  • You can only mark what is on the page, and not the brilliant idea in the author’s mind.
  • After the meeting, check-in with the instructor if needed.

If a student asks for extra feedback (beyond the parameters of the class)

A student asks you to read/give EXTRA feedback on a [short story, screenplay, novel, chapbook, portfolio, crwr application] that isn’t one of the assignments.

First, this is a wonderful moment. This person feels supported by you, and values your opinion of their work. Most likely, though, you’ll have your own writing to write. Here are something strategies to positively lean into this moment:

  1. Acknowledge the request.
  • Thank you so much for asking.
  • That means a lot to me.
  • I really connect with your work, too.
  1. How you might say no.
  • I can’t because it is a conflict of interest. The policy is that I can’t offer you additional feedback, and not offer the same to all the other students. It may be perceived as favouritism.
  • Sorry, I can’t take anything else on until I’ve completed my thesis.
  • I’m not taking-on manuscript consultations at the moment (this is a legit side-hustle).
  1. Give them hope by highlighting other avenues for feedback!
  • Another student asked me the same question, is it ok if I connect you with them and you can exchange work? (Help them find a peer/writing group within the class. There’s always someone to approach! Or put a call-out on Canvas).
  • Connect them with shut-up and write, or similar meet-up group.
  • Publications! A great next step is publishing/working with a professional editor. I think that piece x is really strong, consider sending it out.

If a student is convinced that you don’t get their genius and/or that the assignment is clipping their creative wings.

First, are you like me? Because I make no claim to understand my own creative genius. My genius wakes me up in the middle of the night with ideas like: “Write an Eat, Pray, Love, Fight Club screenplay in the voice of Gabriel Garcia Marquez!” And she fully doesn’t show up to work most days (no matter how much I try to tempt her with small, complicated cakes). [Elizabeth Gilbert on Genius].

Second, assignments are the perfect places to work the craft (especially when one’s genius is fatigued from late nights and sugar crashes). Perhaps, a masterpiece idea has no business in a 500-word assignment aimed at practicing dialogue and subtext. BUT developing these craft skills is crucial preparation for the big work.

It’s also worthwhile to note that some of the world’s most meaningful, beautiful writing has survived the most monstrous oppression and violence.

So… strategies…

  • Acknowledge that their work is deeply meaningful to them. This person has a vision. Get excited for them. Suggest that perhaps the best way to get behind their work might be to pull out the rubric, and discuss where they can build their craft skill in the context of the course (which will serve their larger goals).
  • Ask them to brainstorm creative ways to meet the requirements of the rubric (i.e. strategies to develop more nuanced, believable characters through a character interview).
  • Suggest they write and share a precis. Then be curious. Ask questions, and give them feedback on clarity in the form of ‘From my reading, I didn’t understand [x].’
  • If they don’t budge, recognize their autonomy. They made their choice (Not do what’s asked in context of the course. Do whatever they want!). Let the instructor know.
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Resource: Engaging with Problematic Statements in Creative Work (or Not!)

In our October face-to-face session on “Conversations about the Work,” one shared concern was how to engage with Problematic Statements in Creative Work. Microaggressions and problematic and offensive statements are everywhere. This will be a much, much longer, harder conversation that needs due consideration and space. For now… Here are suggestions if you are willing to have these conversations. If, however, you are negatively impacted by the content, one option is to have the instructor intervene. I have definitely done so – something that I felt I had to carry alone (because I love my job and care about my students!) became a moment of connection and mutual support.

Ask for Clarification:

  • “I want to make sure that I understand. When you wrote [X], were you saying that […]?”
  • “Can you please clarify what you mean by [x].”
  • “Can you tell me what you were you hoping to communicate with [this line, that comment, etc.]?”
  • Questions from journalism: Why are you the person to write this story? And why now?

Explore Impact:

  • “Who do you imagine is the audience for this piece? And how do you think they will receive it?”
  • “When you are writing about [x], what impact do you think it has? And why?
  • “I’m concerned that some might take that to mean [x]. What might be another approach?”
  • “I understand that you intend to convey [x] and I believe that your intentions are good, and perhaps consider that it might have the unintended consequence [y].”
  • “I see your intention, what do you hope this adds to the conversation around [x]?”

Send Resources & Insight (more to come!)

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