Why schools need technology to teach writing: Jeff Scheur at TEDxGunnHighSchool

Summary

The speaker recounts an incident where a student's confidence was almost shattered by poor writing feedback. He highlights the current flawed system of writing education, where students receive minimal and rushed feedback, and suggests technology could revolutionize writing instruction by providing creativity, immediate feedback, and personalized learning. He criticizes standardized tests for their negative impact on writing skills and advocates for a more collaborative and authentic approach to writing assessment.

Takeaways

• 📚 The speaker almost destroyed a student's confidence by not considering the student's perspective on their own work.
• 🔍 The script highlights the issue of students not receiving adequate feedback on their writing due to the high volume of papers teachers have to grade.
• 📉 The speaker points out that writing scores on standardized tests like the SAT and ACT are consistently low, indicating a systemic problem in how students are taught to write.
• 📝 The current process of writing instruction is likened to a conveyor belt, where students are passed from grade to grade without improving their writing skills.
• ⏰ Time is a critical factor; teachers do not have enough time to provide meaningful feedback on student writing due to large class sizes.
• 🤝 The script suggests that technology could revolutionize writing education by providing immediate feedback, adapting to individual needs, and promoting collaboration.
• 💡 The idea of using technology for authentic assessment is proposed, where students can type their own responses and be evaluated based on previous responses.
• 🚫 The speaker criticizes the use of standardized tests for writing, arguing they do not accurately assess a student's writing ability.
• 👥 The script emphasizes the importance of collaboration in the writing process, suggesting that students should be able to evaluate each other's work.
• 📈 The speaker shares his experience of using technology to help students with grammar, showing that it can be an effective tool for personalized learning.
• 🌟 The impact of technology in education is significant, as evidenced by the rapid adoption of the speaker's tool and the millions of questions solved by students.

Q & A

What was the issue with the student's paper that Mr. Sawyer mentioned?

The student's three-page paper was one long sentence with no commas, periods, or capitalized words.

How did the student, Tony, feel about his paper?

Tony felt proud because he had never turned in a paper before.

What is the percentage of students below grade level in writing according to the script?

73 percent of students are below grade level in writing.

Why are writing scores low on standardized tests like the SAT and ACT?

The low scores are due to a lack of effective feedback and practice loops for students to improve their writing.

What is the 'conveyor belt' analogy mentioned in the script referring to?

The 'conveyor belt' refers to the process where students are passed from grade to grade without the resources or time to improve their writing skills.

What is the common piece of feedback students receive on their papers that indicates a deeper issue?

The feedback 'blend your quotes' indicates that students need to learn to integrate evidence into their writing effectively.

Why is the current approach to writing education described as inefficient in the script?

The current approach is inefficient because it involves teachers grading papers with limited time, leading to rushed feedback that students often discard without incorporating into future work.

What is the potential role of technology in revolutionizing writing education according to the script?

Technology could promote creativity, provide immediate feedback, adapt to individual strengths and weaknesses, encourage collaboration, and offer accurate and authentic assessments.

How does the script suggest using technology to improve writing education?

The script suggests using technology to create interactive and personalized learning experiences that provide immediate feedback and adapt to student needs.

What is the issue with standardized tests for writing according to the speaker?

Standardized tests focus on identifying errors rather than finding solutions, which is not conducive to improving writing skills.

How can technology help students with grammar and punctuation as described in the script?

Technology can provide interactive exercises that allow students to practice grammar and punctuation in context, receive immediate feedback, and focus on specific areas where they need improvement.