Write of Passage

     I want to use this particular post - continuing on the chapter I blogged about prior to this one - to elicit more feedback and commentary from readers than rambling and speculating on my part. I mentioned in my prior blog that I felt as if some the creativity and achievement on behalf of the students were not just a product of a question-oriented facilitator, but their "ideal" type of status as students. In his work, Burke will explain the importance of the question-driven assignment, lay the question-ridden assignment out (including examples from students), and finally discuss the amazing successes brought on by the students' creativity and his focus on questioning. I am not skeptical of the methods behind the madness, or the results, but the end products seem to be too good to be true, especially from predominately independent work. I'm just trying to imagine the ninth and tenth graders I tutor to produce writing and thinking like that merely with guiding questions and follow-up conferences. . .

     I don't mean to critique the work, but I want to see if my inexperience as an educator is what could be contributing to my skepticism; I feel as if Burke offers his question-driven units as full-proof plans, but I don't really get a sense from this text that he has had a number of major hurdles or challenges in order to implement his units. I can't help but think about what in their backgrounds also helped motivate the students and elicit such higher-order thinking and writing. . .

     This is really directed for current teachers. Please, if you could, view the sample work (and corresponding assignment sheets) below and let me know your thoughts:
- Do you think the curriculum model itself offers itself to this standard/stature of work?
- Do you think using senior AP students was the best example in testing his question-driven unit?
- What do you think would be some typical procedures or starting points for (younger) students who may need more guidance to elevate to the type of writing and thinking Burke's students are doing?

*The sample documents are below


:)

Example of unit assignment for AP seniors (primarily to be done independently)

Example of senior AP work

Sample writing by AP senior