Our Own Best Critics: Technology and Writing Feedback
My students need a document camera.
FULLY FUNDED! Mr. Jobs's classroom raised $892
This project is fully funded
My Students
Like any skill worth gaining, writing takes a significant amount of practice. But practice alone is not enough to help my students grow as writers in preparation for Advanced Placement exams this May. A good writer is forged from productive, critical feedback and meaningful self-reflection.
I teach African American History and AP United States History students at a large urban, all-girls public school.
The school is home to 1,059 students with an average daily attendance rate of 95%. Of this group, 7% are chronically absent. The racial balance reflects that of Philadelphia’s district-wide population. The school is mixed with a dominant Black and minority presence (school percent/state average): Black- 64/16, Asian- 15/2, White- 12/76, Latino- 9/6). About half of the student population qualifies for free or reduced price lunches. It is also important to note that 4% of students can be described as limited English proficiency and that less than 1% receives special education services. Undiagnosed learning disabilities are not uncommon. Despite challenges, the majority of the student population take college-prep level courses as they would in most suburban schools. What these students lack are the resources that help ensure learning growth. Lack of technology is a stunning deficit.
My Project
In my courses, I emphasize the idea that interpretation lies at the heart of engaging with history. The analysis of primary sources and written reflection and argumentation make it so that we rarely discuss historical problems or questions in terms of "right" or "wrong." I challenge my girls to formulate valid responses and rationalizations of history. Assertions students make are only as valid as the evidence that they can gather to prove any point. At first, most students struggle with the freedom that my course offers. It can best be described as Socratic in method. But, much like in my undergraduate experience, writing workshops and peer grading sessions empower students to build writing and reasoning skills through self-reflection, paired critique, and full group discussion. A document camera will hugely increase the impact these writing workshops by enabling me to model self-reflection in the writing process using student work immediately after they create it.
The feedback this offers students developing ANALYTICAL writing skills is priceless.
This modeling will offer the type of instant feedback that my students need to help them refine their reasoning and thinking through the writing process. As the number of students I teach increases each year, this has become a needed supplement to the type of 1 on 1 or small group workshops that offers personalized guidance through reflective writing. This activity will push my girls to become complex thinkers.
Nearly all students from low‑income households
Data about students' economic need comes from the National Center for Education Statistics, via our partners at MDR Education. Learn more
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