Catherine Burke LAE 3333 Ms.

Amy Piotrowski November 29, 2013 Case Study Throughout the course of the semester, we have been given the opportunity to read many essays from students in Mr. Filalos' class at Lincoln High school. From reading these papers, I have noticed that these particular students have great ideas. These students also tend to use from interesting sayings within their writing that make it much more interesting even when given a very dull topic. For example, when discussing the advantages of individual work as opposed to group work, one student continued to refer to himself as "the lone wolf." Since reading this essay, my classmates and I have waited with baited breath to read another essay from the elusive lone wolf. While the ideas presented by Mr. Filalos' students are intriguing, they lack any form of development. Instead, ideas are stated and left unsupported- resulting in lower scores from my classmates and I. This nonexistent development/support creates a sense of disorganization and confusing within the text, even when the student may be very knowledgeable regarding that particular topic. This lack of support is also shown through lack luster word choice at times. Instead of using specific terms, students continue to use words such as "stuff" without explaining what they are referring to. In regards to word choice, I also noticed that Mr. Filalos' students tend to use absolutes when writing persuasive essays. When writing essays of this type, students should avoid using words such as "always" and "never" as it may result in a biased tone.

When grading Mr. Filalos' students' essays, I tried to give positive feedback and include constructive criticism when needed. For instance, when an idea needed more support I would first discuss how good the statement was and how it could be vastly improved through the inclusion of more details and citations from the text. It is important to note that we, as future teachers, should take into account outside factors that could have had an impact on the quality of the writing (ex. time constraints, illness, etc.). As such, we should emphasize the positive aspects of the writing while also stating how this good writing can become extraordinary with a few alterations. From Mr.Filalos' visit to our class, I learned that all teachers are not the same. Some teachers are dependent upon their lesson plans (following them to the letter) while others, like Mr.Filalos, feel much more comfortable winging it. Before his visit, I was under the assumption that all teachers must treat their lesson plans as absolute guides for each class period, including a particular amount of flexibility. However, I soon learned that many teachers, Mr.Filalos included, are able to effectively teach their students without remaining within the confines of lesson plans. As he stated to the class,leon county does not require it's teachers to submit daily lesson plans. Instead, these teachers must submit overrall unit plans that are much more general and nonspecific- leaving room for adjustments based on the students, professor, or other factors. The most important thing I took away from Mr. Filalos' visit to our class was the fact that all teachers make mistakes and that we must simply roll with the punches. We must not let these minor mistakes during our initial years within the file deter us from becoming the great teachers was can be. From responding to the students' writing, I have learned that I must not come into grading essays with predetermined assumptions regarding their skill level solely based on grade level.

Writing by tenth graders at one school is very different from the writing of tenth graders at a different high school. We must, as future teachers, come into this grading process with a clean slate, free of biases and expectations that will never be met. I also learned that students require constant instruction regarding writing and overall essay structures. A student's writing is a result of individual talent and lessons on essay form. If a student received a lack luster education the previous year, we cannot expect them to be spectacular writers. As such, it is important to review the basics of writing at the beginning of each academic year- a lesson learned from responding to the writing of these students. Holistic scoring, as discussed in class, refers to scoring that gives an overall grade based on a multitude of areas. This grade takes into account support, form, language, etc. From reading and responding to the writing of Mr. Filalos' students, I have earned a newfound appreciation for holistic scoring. While this particular form of scoring may be much more time consuming, it does leave room for creativity and individuality within writing. At first I found it very difficult to grade this writing holistically but I then realized that I was more able to effectively grade this essay when I simply averaged the student's level of proficiency in each sub-genre. I feel that this sort of average is a much more accurate reflection of their skill set than a grade given based off of the grader's interpretation of the writing.