Pedagogy forum, Week 4

I have been wondering ways in which to encourage future students in workshop, as instructor, while still giving valid criticism. I feel that I have the tendency to not be mean or give criticism without reason, but that I do not encourage the positive enough in student work. In talking to fellow poet, Nick McRae, he stated that he was actually the opposite—that he was more encouraging and less critical (constructively) when it come to other’ s work. We were attempting to talk over the delicate balance of rewarding and critically illuminating some aspect of writing to a student or even fellow classmate that they may not have had experience with yet. Neither of us came to a clear answer on how the balance could precisely be achieved, but I vowed to be more encouraging when it comes to student drafts. When thinking about future students in my own classroom I feel that I can be more beneficial to them and perhaps bolster their writing or their want to write if I posit my criticism in a more encouraging light.