This Literacy Narrative Assignment was inspired by four pedagogies: Expressive, Process, Collaboration, and Diversity. Additionally, since the example given to the students to read focuses on Digital Literacy, there is a 21st Century component to the assignment as well.

I was moved to create this assignment for several reasons, but the most important one was that as an educator I have always found that the writing that seems to intimidate students the least is autobiographical writing. Also, that for my ELL students, they have a wealth of experiences related to reading and/or writing in America. These personal truths are often deeply moving because their narratives are rooted around feeling marginalized and how they overcame that to experience triumph . . . whether that victory came in the form of passing a proficiency test or testing out of a special reading class.

This empowerment that comes from expressing their personal truth is connected to the idea of voice and therefore, the Expressivist pedagogy that is anchored by the theorists like Peter Elbow. The students are encouraged to write from their memory and share a significant experience, whether it be negative or positive. They connect with themselves and society to offer their most authentic voice, without being constrained  with a more formal approach to language and writing.

However, although I very much want them to share their voice, and believe in encouraging them to cultivate their voice, I also want them to “buy” into the process of writing, because personal narratives won’t be the only type of writing they ever do . . . inside or outside the classroom. So, that is where Process pedagogy comes into play. Within this assignment, students engage in pre-writing, drafting and revision. Steps that will help them become better writers over time, but only if they engage in it. Incorporating aspects of process theory into a theoretically “fun” writing assignment seemed to me the best way to have them engage with those steps.

Meanwhile, the peer review component speaks to Collaboration pedagogy and the notion that by interacting with one another, students will strengthen not only their writing skills, but their critical thinking skills as well. Not only do I believe that collaboration works in this regard, but I also feel that it is one of the most transferable skills that we teach in the classroom. Yet, it is up to the instructor to provide strict guidance for this endeavor. Unfortunately, peer review does not come naturally to everyone. Especially students who struggle with their own writing. Therefore, I always include a peer feedback template and insist that they adhere to it.

Since everyone’s story is different and no two voices are alike, this assignment also has ties to Diversity pedagogy. As I stated previously, literacy means a different experience for the ELL than it does for a native English speaker, a native English speaker with LD, or a man versus a woman. So, this assignment offers a contact space, where different authentic experiences can be shared through writing and discussed through collaboration/peer review.

Lastly, because the assignment does incorporate an example of a narrative that happens to be a Digital Literacy Narrative, another door is opened to students . . . one that would most likely appeal to the 21st Century Learner, who also happens to be a Digital native. They could choose to also write a Digital Literacy Narrative in the traditional sense, or over time, as I evolve this assignment, I can see it morphing into a multi-modality project that could  go from essay to blog or vlog. Additionally, I have added an option to do the literacy narrative on an experience with social media.

In closing, I would like to say that I feel this project is pretty well-rounded. It incorporates several theories with some best practices including pre-writing, drafting, revision, peer review, and journaling.