A Flutter of Ideas: Providing Real-Time Feedback to Student Writers

Written by: Gretchen Monroe, Lincoln Christian School, Nebraska Writing Project – NETA State Ed Partner

I’m slightly obsessed with monarch butterflies.

These days I’m lucky to have time to watch them, but when I do, I’m captivated.  Recently, I learned that they travel as part of a “flutter”–distinct in their multigenerational beauty, catching the breezes as they make their way south.

The beauty of teaching writing is seeing all of the different ways that students travel in their thoughts while writing.  Voice, rhythm, flow–much like the monarch–are individual, but work towards a common result. But sometimes they need some support to know how to get there; it’s not intuitive, and there’s only one of me.

I first learned about Padlet five years ago.  As I conduct the breezes of thoughts daily through six class periods, I need to know how my students are thinking and growing.  With Padlet, students can drop a digital sticky note into a collaborative space and let me know what they are learning, thinking, or doing.  Whether they are seeking feedback on a position statement, practicing sentence fluency, dropping an idea or two about a unit, or even giving feedback to each other on their writing, those notes help me to monitor their progress.

Given a written prompt, they can post, and I can see what they are thinking right now.  Sometimes I have it in a live feed projected on the screen in my room, and I can walk back and forth in front of it, talking about what they are typing.  They love that.  A formative assessment with real-time feedback helps them to fly uniquely, but we get there together.

Sometimes I can’t wait for that Padlet post.  I’m an impatient teacher! The thoughts going in and out of my head are faster than the wind through the leaves.  Or the perfect moment hits – BAM! Every student in the classroom is focused, working, and having those great conversations that keep you going as a teacher. (Who doesn’t live for those moments???) I’ve been known to quickly pull up “screen mirroring” on my phone, connect to the projector in my room, and walk around with my phone to zoom in on individual student work.  There’s nothing quite as magical as the moment that they realize their work is on the screen.  They’re so proud, and I love the instant acknowledgment of work as an example.

Google Keep is my best friend (but don’t tell Padlet).  It’s like my own personal garden of sticky notes within Google that I can share with students–or they can share with me–to keep track of their progress on writing.  Create a note, give it a color or even an image, and let it fly out to the whole class.  In their own time, they will post their own note, and it will show up in my Google Keep.

As writing teachers, we are all heading out to support our students in our beautifully individual ways, generating works from our students that can unify them even as they find their own voices.  I think of technology as a means to help me to know if they’ve landed, or they are adrift in the breeze.  There’s only so much of one teacher to go around, but digital tools help me to know how students are doing quickly and effectively.  It’s a wonderful thing to know what they are doing.

Flutter by, my students.  Just don’t leave me behind.