What Is Being Said?
"It’s also about helping readers connect to writers/characters/storylines that reflect their lives more directly and centers and normalizes human stories of a wider variety,"
“Students cannot see their own lives in the work they are asked to do and, thus, struggle through it,” ( Hales 3)
"Each class would have a nuanced opinion / idea of what voice meant to them, but we all concluded that it was about how, as writers, we set the tone of the piece, we chose words that authentically reflected how we felt, and when the piece required more objectivity and fact-based support, our writer’s voice was then about how we framed our research and support,"
“...as the student visions for more effective writing instruction include: (1) definite audiences and visibility of writing, (2) real-world purposes for writing, and (3) learning goals toward writing growth, i.e. 'why are we writing?'”
(Hales 12)
"Voice, a much broader concept, concerns the manipulation of such discoursal features as the way writers structure arguments, negotiate claims, refer to a literature, and criticize prior work, all of which are to be recognized by readers as legitimate and authoritative," ( Li 329)
"I explicitly told them that the weekly journal writing was a way for them to begin to explore their unique writer’s voice and perspective,"
"No one really talked to us about voice as much as they did structure, citation of sources, narrative format, and craft/structure of style and form,"
“How can we learn from student voices, their language and experience of schooling, to help them arrive at a fulfilling educational experience?” ( Hales 2)
"Humans are so varied and complex that the more accessibility we have to stories that span the human experience, the better off we are collectively and individually. When we can see our humanity in stories that we feel connected to, we feel validated,"
“However, they are bound by to the perceived norms of the community," (Bagheri 346)
“Reflexive I” is a powerful discoursal self that is created by the writer and that draws its authority through its explicit attention to autobiography and the use of “I” to locate the writer as agent within the research process," (Li 333)
“Writers are reluctant to show their true voice so as not to be judged by the audience," (Bagheri 350)
"I view “voice” as definitely an organic, ever-evolving driving force behind one’s writing, and my goal was to help students become more confident to express their authenticity and their truth/perspective and their emotions through the use of word choice, form, tone, style, and critical thinking and analysis of ideas (their own and/or others’)."
"We would discuss what they were trying to express and if I heard them say something that was authentic/earnest/genuine/revelatory, I would write down word-for-word what they said in my notes. At some point, I would share their words back to them and guide them to see that this was their authentic writer’s voice and guide them to incorporate not only that quote,"
“This conversation highlights a desire from students for an audience, a purpose, for their writing,” (Hales 12)
"What’s changing is that there are more doors opening to welcome in a wider perspective of writer’s voices that have normally been kept out of so-called mainstream culture."
"Such an interest in identity construction in academic written discourse results from the belief that academic writing is not as “impersonal” as was once thought to be," (Li 328)