Affective Dimensions of Writing

Q. Do you think of yourself as a writer?
A. Nope.

Q. How do you prefer to express your ideas (through drawings, photographs, writing, etc.)?
A. I usually prefer talking with the aid of scrawled diagrams and waving hand motions. When that isn't an option, I usually write.

Q. What kinds of writing did you do recreationally as a child?
A. I loved writing stories. Mostly I liked illustrating the stories but I had to write them first. I was also encouraged to write in my journal weekly which I enjoyed.

Q. What kinds of writing do you do recreationally now (texts, Facebook status updates, emails to friends, journals, etc.)?
A. I enjoy writing in my journal. I frequently send text messages as well. I keep in touch with friends through various writing outlets (including emails, blogs, and facebook).

Q. What kinds of writing assignments did you have in school that you particularly enjoyed, and why did you enjoy them?
A. My freshman English teacher had us write in a composition book every day. We could usually write whatever we wanted but some days he had us do "streams of consciousness". With this assignment, we would just write whatever words popped into our heads. It didn't have to be complete sentences or anything fancy, just whatever we were thinking.  I found that this type of writing was very refreshing. I didn't have to think about how I was writing or what I was writing, I just got to focus on what I was thinking and why my thoughts moved in the pattern that they did. Grammar and spelling don't come naturally to me but in this kind of writing, it didn't matter.

Q. What kinds of writing assignments did you have in school that you disliked, and why did you dislike them?
A. I pretty much disliked every other writing assignment. I am a concise person and so writing long/wordy essays is quite the stretch. I find the vast majority of the writing that teachers expect you to do superfluous.

Q. How will your answers from the previous questions influence how you structure opportunities for your students to write (or otherwise express their understandings) in your discipline?
A. I like the idea of not penalizing students for grammatical and spelling mistakes and looking past that to the actual content. Maybe noting on the writing how they can improve but not factor it into the grading. I also like not putting a limit on how much or little they should write. I will definitely give them suggested lengths (e.g. should be about 2 paragraphs) but they will not be a requirement. As long as they have well developed ideas on paper, the length doesn't matter.