Chapter 14

Summary:


Lindeman begins by describing some of the popular ways of evaluating student work-- namely, standardized testing. She comments on the fact that the people who have instituted these tests really are trying to help the educational system, albeit in a roundabout way. This section also describes the CCCC's goals for evaluating student work, which are more in-depth and thoughtful than the more traditional testing method.


The next section of this chapter focuses on Shaughnessy's method of diagnostically reading student's papers. This is a very useful and practical way for teachers to judge their student's writing, while still helping them to actually become better writers. This system requires that teachers note the types of common errors their students may use, as well as why they might make these errors. Diagnostic reading assumes that errors occur logically and deliberately and that a careful evaluator can help begin the process of reteaching that logic.


The rest of the chapter mostly discusses the most effective way to use comments for teaching writing at the drafting level. There are specific steps given that can be beneficial to teachers using this method.





Response:


My favorite part of this chapter was the section on comments. I have never really thought about how much a teachers comments can either help or hurt their student's writing. The attitude of the student is also discussed through the long example of the frustrated fragger. I have often felt this way when I have gotten my own papers back. In fact, I had a teacher once who I really, really loved. We had a close relationship and I loved her class. She thought I was a great writer and I always received A's on anything that I wrote for her, but the paper would still come back covered in spidery, indecipherable code. I never looked up those abbreviations and I never asked her what all of those marks might mean; I simply took my A and rolled on. Yet looking back, I see that I was shortchanged in a way because this teacher could have helped me to become a much better writer instead of allowing me to remain stagnated.