For the Love of Feedback
My writing received an 84 out of 100.
According to Grammarly.com, my writing deserves a solid B. My use of rare and unique vocabulary is below average, the writing is a bit unclear, yet very engaging, and the clarity is slightly off.
A solid B.
Can writing assistance tools help writers build confidence?
I recently published my reflection on the importance of teaching culturally relevant texts in high school English classrooms. I sat on this reflection for over five years, and only a handful of colleagues had read it because I lacked the courage to publish it for all eyes to see. As I write this, the Grammarly assistant reminds and recommends and encourages me to pause and reflect and revise my work.
I am writing to explore, alongside a group of instructors of English, the value and limitations of online writing assistance tools. The same fear which fuels my hesitancy to publish much of my work is at the forefront of this process, but I don’t want it to stifle my voice. Online writing assistance tools offer teachers additional support to help students strengthen their writing, but these tools do not replace the teacher.
When I tried it myself
Going back to my writing, I reviewed Grammarly’s report, moved through the suggested feedback, and found the process rewarding. My appreciation for the process stems from the ability to sift through the feedback and take action. The biggest takeaway was the opportunity to pause and revise my work. Students will benefit from immediate feedback and suggestions, but it is my responsibility to coach them through sorting and making sense of the input. The recommendations may overwhelm students, but it is up to educators to ensure the process does not silence them. The revision process, seemingly tedious at first, strengthens arguments and ideas, but students benefit from modeling and coaching.
After my experience with an online writing assistance tool, my goal as a teacher is to nurture that same courage in developing writers since they are more vulnerable to “unclear” feedback and suggestions.
What about those scores?
Scores and grades prove daunting for students if they do not understand the feedback or do not receive actionable and relevant recommendations. As we move through the first week of school, I notice that some students struggle with standard errors, and this leads me to wonder what the best tool to support them would be. The process reminds me that the act of writing and rewriting outweighs the score.
But how do I pass on this revelation to students? The ideas in my reflection are more than just a grade, so I need to help students see past the score and focus on strengthening their writing through the feedback. I plan to help them achieve this by writing and rewriting as they receive actionable feedback, either from me or an online assistance tool.
Online writing assistance programs are here to stay, so it is up to us, as educators, to nudge them, the artificial intelligence assistants, in the right direction.
