TPCK Questions

Topic Descriptive Writing

Problem: Students don’t elaborate or write descriptively while writing; however they do while talking to someone else.

Solution & Pedagogy: Provide students with more opportunity to interact while writing.

a.What is the PC knowledge for the solution? (i.e., how specifically do your pedagogical choices make the content in your problem more intellectually accessible? Be sure to think about how the student will experience the content given these instructional strategies.

The Pedagogical strategies that complement the content problem (descriptive writing) are active learning, cooperative learning, guided discovery, and direct instruction.
The PC knowledge for the solution is Interactive writing because writing is a social process. Interactivity is important because it “improves the learning value of the media”. Because of this the best knowledge is gained through active involvement, thus the theory “to learn is to do”.

However students need to be taught how to untangle their thinking so that they can focus on one topic in their writing to better inform their audience of the purpose for the writing. These items listed above support student growth with descriptive writing by allowing them to focus, organize, to elaborate and blog their response to the writing prompt. This will fix the problem because students can hear themselves speak on the topic or issue before writing so that they can get a clear understanding of their own thoughts. This helps them to write more descriptively because the verbal description will help with the written description by allowing students to visualize the images as they recall or expound on the writing prompt.

The activities provide the authentic audience with a better understanding of the writer’s thoughts thus increasing the motivation for the student because they will receive immediate feedback form the audience because the audience can better relate to the writer. I will engage students with the following interactive strategies:

Strategy 1

Untangling Thinking—This strategy will be used to get students focused on one topic and allows them to elaborate on a situation or elucidate on the topic. This is strategy is used at the beginning of the lesson or assignment to allow students to write or to orally present their response to the prompt.

Strategy 2

Cooperative Learning--This is done with groups of two or more depending on the specific cooperative group. I this case it will be done with two students to allow the one- on- one peer guidance needed to achieve the purpose of the writing lesson.

Strategy 3

Guided Writing—The students are asked to write a paragraph or a sentence, depending on the goal of the assignment. In this case the students will write a sentence. The teacher will ensure that each student has written a subject and a verb before they are returned to the cooperative learning model.

Strategy 4

Interactive Writing—The students are then asked to proceed in writing their sentences (using technology) and their peers are told to ask the questions (5 W’s & How) to help the student elucidate on the topic or writing prompt.

Strategy 5

Authentic Audience—Students are provided with ways to allow their audience to give feedback on their work.


b.What is the TP knowledge for the solution? (i.e., how does the technology you have chosen support the teaching strategies and methods you have chosen?)

Since writing is a social process, the technology helps with this lesson because it allows the students to practice this craft socially, and “learn by doing”, BEFORE they write and produce the final project for the audience.

The technology makes possible for effective teaching by shortening the time on the assignment. This makes the content “problem” more intellectually accessible by chunking the writing up into smaller pieces for the students and the students can focus their thoughts for writing their essay. At the end of the lesson they will know how to set-up a descriptive essay and write the final essay.

Content: Descriptive Essay Writing

Using Technology

Strategy 1

Stand and Talk Game- Voice Thread or Orally (Whole Class)

Voice Thread helps the student to focus on one topic because he or she is conversing with other students on a specific topic. This allows them to elaborate on a situation or elucidate on the topic orally. It untangles their thinking because this is a pre-writing exercise that does not intimidate the student with written words. The strategy should be used at the beginning of the lesson or assignment to allow students to prepare to write by orally presenting their response to the prompt.

Strategy 2

Cooperative Learning using Paired Discussion --Voice Thread Round 2

Receiving feedback from the audience before completing the entire assignment helps students refine their writing. Voice Thread additionally allows them to receive this immediate feedback because their peers are readily available to give comments or suggestions regarding the writer’s logic or thought process. Peer guidance is a powerful tool to help students master their writing goal.

Strategy 3

Guided Writing --Paired using Whiteboard/Markers, Chart Paper, or Notebook Paper OR Teacher Directed (Whole Class)

The Guided Writing strategy allows the student to see their oral words on paper or on the board and makes it a visual lesson. This can be done using Teacher Directed whole class instruction or by having students to continue to remain in a cooperative learning group for continued paired discussion and feedback on the written work.

Strategy 4

Interactive Writing using the Wiki Page

This strategy allows the students to take their written work one step further. The cooperative group is now increased and more students will view and comment on another students work. They are told to help their peers elaborate on the topic by asking specific questions to the writer. The affordances of the Wiki allows this to happen because the entire class is able to view and give immediate feedback so this produces shared ownership in their work and makes it transparent.

Strategy 5

Authentic Audience using Blogs

Now that students had the protected opportunity to refine their work they are ready to take it to a world audience and receive critical feedback on their thoughts and their written work on the topic.


c.What is the TC knowledge for the solution? (i.e., how specifically does this technology make the content in your problem more intellectually accessible? Be sure to think about representation.)

The technology makes the content easier to understand by allowing for differentiation for each child and by having them to choose their focus according to their own writing skill level. For example the use of voice thread affords the students the opportunity to focus their thoughts on a specific topic but in short spurts. The technology also allows the students to actively engage in the learning process to do that.

It also allows the content to be given in small digestible doses to the student through social interaction and allows the teacher to meet the student where they are (attention grabber) but also allows a challenge for the students so improve and expand thus resulting in a better understanding of the content (descriptive writing).