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7th & 8th Grade ELA 2

Heather Garman & Matt Perron

Problem Identified: We noticed some students were reluctant to conference with a teacher during a writing workshop. We wondered if communicating silently would make them more receptive to feedback.

Hypothesis: If students who resist teacher help then received inconspicuous feedback via Google Docs would the student apply the feedback as measured by their classwork.

Data Collection: After a recent writing piece, in which corrections and feedback were given via a Google Doc we noticed some students applied the corrections if they were motivated to receive a good grade. However, the students who were more reluctant to conference orally showed no improvement by conferencing via the Google Docs. Success seemed to be predicated on the student’s desire to improve.

Actionable Step: Have the student type their written work in Google Docs and share with the teacher. The teacher can conference and make comments in the document whether they are sitting next to them or not.

Overall Findings/Impact: Mostly successful with the students who were already motivated. We found little success with the students who were not motivated to begin with.