The Workshop Model: Finding My Way to Their Independence

by GABRIELLE LENSCH PLASTRIK

In her groundbreaking work, In the Middle, Nancy Atwell proposes a workshop model of running the English Language Arts classroom.  She suggests that giving students control over the reading and writing that they are doing allows them to do more real and meaningful work.

Ever since first reading her book, I have agreed with the philosophy behind it.  Nevertheless, I have never been able to fully convert my classroom.  Almost weekly I ask myself why.  My methods teacher at Northwestern University’s MSEd program, Dr. Dagny Bloland, would say that teachers feel compelled to do the things in the classroom that were done to them, and that it is frequently easier to put oneself inside of a cage and swallow the key than it is to try something new and maybe uncomfortable.  For many people, these things are probably true.  A lot of teachers cling to the “sage on the stage” model of teaching, but anybody who has ever been in my classroom would tell you that that is not how it is.

For me, it has more to do with feeling pulled in hundreds of directions.  My students read independently for 35 minutes in class each week.  They work on independent writing projects for a 40 minutes a week.  We have a spelling and vocabulary quiz every other week.  I teach grammar lessons every week.  I plan drama activities every two or three weeks.  On top of all of this, I teach United States’ and European literature (2 different classes).  I feel compelled to switch to a workshop model, at least for reading, but I would lose the content that comes with teaching a planned curriculum.  By content, I do not mean skills, but the type of content that comes from following literature through time in a particular geographical region.

My students study US and European history in a course that parallels mine.  If I switched gears, would enough be gained to merit losing the parallel?  Is there a hybrid system that would work better than the one I have?  This is what I spend a good amount of my reflective time thinking about.  How can I possibly get everything done to everyone’s satisfaction when the students have so much freedom?

A few things are helping me bridge into more of a workshop in my classroom.  Jim Vopat, author of Writing Circles, led a session at NCTE’s 2009 convention on writing circles.  Writing circles are sort of like literature circles, but a little looser and a little more fun.  They allow students to be working independently, but eliminate the possibility of “I don’t know what to write about.” Students choose topics through a group selection process, but every student can choose his or her own genre, which allows me to teach a bit about genre.  After several topics, students each pick one of their writing circle endeavors to revise and turn into a finished piece.  This system is working better for most students than just writing and talking to me about writing.  Perhaps I will give some of the most motivated writers the option to opt-out of writing circles the next time around, but overall, I feel better about independent writing with writing circles.

Another thing that has helped me feel as though I can teach a curriculum and have a workshop is the idea of a guided reading list.  Last year, my students were allowed to read whatever they wanted during independent reading time.  This freedom was miraculous for my voracious readers who eventually did seek out advice and selections as Atwell and others said they would.  Unfortunately, the world will always have slackers, and I had students who did not read a single work that challenged them all year.  It is hard to grow without ever begin challenged.  At first, their reading habits cemented in me the need for a regular curriculum, but as I thought about it more, I realized that a list could be the answer.

This year, I gave each class a list of books that I recommended.  They had to look over the list with their parents and select 2 books from the list of great American novels or one author from the European novelist list (and read 2-3 books by the author).  When they’re done with my requirements, they can read whatever they want during independent reading time.  Most of them have found books that they have enjoyed, challenged themselves, or in the best cases, done both.  Next year, I may move to more independent reading work and fewer whole-class readings by moving some of the class readings onto the independent reading list.  This would free up time for conferences with students and allow students to read works at their own pace.  I could also assign more reflective writing in conjunction with independent reading.

If I went to a full workshop system for reading, I think that I would still need small groups of students to read the same book at the same time because, for me, discussion is a really important part of what happens in the English classroom.  If everyone is always reading a different book, it is hard to have meaningful discussions.  More physical space in the classroom would also make it easier as having stations for different sorts of work would be ideal.

I am slowly working toward giving the students more freedom mostly by discovering ways to mediate and guide that freedom.  The idea seems paradoxical, but it is working for me.  I would love to hear what is working for other teachers.

Gabrielle teaches English and Drama at a school for gifted students in Madison, WI.