Peter Elbow On Writing

Prof. Myrna Monllor Jiménez
Prof. Helen Avilés
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LlL5W2qA0EA
Peter Elbow: Publications

Writing as giving in
Resistance
Compliance
Resisting the conventions
e. e. cummings
Elbow’s Movie of the Mind
“Movie of the Mind” http://myweb.wvnet.edu/~jelkins/writeshop/writeshop/movie.html
Writing Experiences
Free
Writing
Journal
Writing
Think
Pieces
Cut-andPaste
Technique
Essays
Portfolios
Peter Elbow
 advocates students writing with power
 believes students need to feel safe in the
classroom, in order for them to take risks
 proposes building a foundation to provide the
safety needed to write
 self-esteem
 strong sense of self
 praise
Elbow’s Four Levels of Audience
Relationship

Private Writing

Writing that people share, but listeners don’t respond to

Writing that receives a positive response or feedback

Writing which receives criticism
Four Levels of Audience Relationship
 Sharing of writing can be done in groups or pairs, or
individually with the teacher

At the level of positive response, both peers and the teacher
can ask questions to help and guide the writer

Students also need to share at least 3/4 of their writing
Elbow’s Grading Contracts
 Contract establishes that if you do all the writing work
the teacher assigned, you get will get a B


With the collaboration of his students, Elbow
establishes what A writing is
Excellence is the key to getting an A
To get an A or a B
 Students need to:

do a lot of writing
 provide evidence of drafting, peer editing, revising
 they need to make substantive changes so that they
prove their skill at revising
Voice
“When people read their writing out
loud, they can tell immediately when
something doesn't work. They'll
stumble, they'll change a sentence,
they'll say, "wait a minute, let me say
that differently" because it's not
speakable. They learn an essential
fact about voice, but they learn it with
no teaching. They learn it with the feel
of their mouth and the sound of their
ear.” Peter Elbow
Other Requirements
 “perplexity of writing” and “movement of thinking”
 considers grammar and spelling as part of the final
draft’s evaluation
Not
Graded
Low Stake Assignments
 get students to keep up with the assigned reading/work every week
 Help students become active learners because they get involved in
the subject matter of the course
 Help students find their own language to explain what is being
discussed
 Serve as a scaffold (Vigotsky) for high stakes writing
 Provides the teacher with a better understanding of the student’s
writing progress
Low Stake Writing: Benefit for Teachers
Provides input
about students’
progress
High Stakes Writing
Commenting on Students’ Work
 Extensive research has shown that when students read our
comments, they frequently misunderstand what we have
written
 there is no right or best way to respond to student writing
 ask for a short piece of “process writing” or “writer’s log” or
“cover letter” with any major assignment where the students
will explain how they got their ideas, which parts were more
difficult, what parts were easy, what their intention was, what
changes they made
Responding to Writing
 A rubric helps to make comments that refer directly to what
the assignment required
 Read the whole text before commenting
 Focus on two or three problems at the most
 Frame comments in a positive way
What Elbow does?
Comments as a reader, not
an editor
Grading
1. Marks paper lightly with
pencil, never ink
2. Writes comments on a
separate paper
Responding
Asks students to respond
to his comments by writing
for 5 minutes
On Grading
Hard Grading
• Demanding
• Specific
• Movement of thinking
• Demonstrate learning
Think
Pieces/Freewriting
• Fewer categories
• Check/Check +, Check
-
• No penalty for in-class
writing
• Mistake free for hard
grading
Creating a Positive Writing Environment
Pat Schneider’s Writing Alone

5 Essential Affirmations that Elbow agrees with
“ 1. Everyone has a strong, unique voice.
2. Everyone is born with creative genius.
3. Writing as an art form belongs to all people, regardless of
economic class or educational level.
4. The teaching of craft can be done without damage to a writer’s
original voice or artistic self-esteem.
5. A writer is someone who writes. “
http://www.amherstwriters.com/ElbwIntr.html