A forum for a graduate-level writing class- Hopefully to be enjoyed by fellow educators and writers alike!

Friday, February 8, 2013

I Want YOU To Create Writers


            One of the greatest misconceptions about teaching writing is that all students are writers. Reality check: they are NOT. Now, before I lose readers who are about to assume that I am a pessimistic educator, let me just say that all students have the POTENTIAL to be writers, but it is up to their teachers to mold those identities.
            A typical learner can become a writer without much fuss. She sees the way her teacher models sentence structure, punctuation usage, voice, and the like. She is able to apply these techniques to her own writing in one form or another. Throughout her school career she will continue to develop her writing and maybe (hopefully!) even enjoy it. But don’t let this scenario fool you. This is certainly not the case for all learners. Not even close.
            There are, and always will be, those students who cannot brainstorm a writing topic. Cannot transfer their ideas to paper. Cannot apply the style of a mentor text to their writing. Cannot decide where to go next. Cannot, cannot, cannot. To change the CAN’T to CAN, teachers must be aware of alternative forms of instruction that are designed to help those students who need a little extra push in their writing instruction. The answer: GUIDED WRITING!
            Guided writing is a direct, purposeful form of instruction. In a 20-minute session, a small group of students partake in a short, high-interest experience that invites dialogue among the group. Next, the teacher introduces a writing strategy, encouraging students to discuss ways in which the developing writers can incorporate this strategy into their own writing. Then, the students are given time to write independently, using this new writing technique. Gibson (2008, p. 325) refers to the teacher’s guidance as  “leaning in”, or a way to provide immediate assistance and ways to problem solve to students AS THEY WRITE (not during the revising and editing stage, not after the student has already given up and moved on to a  ‘safe’ writing choice). Finally, and perhaps most importantly, the students are given an opportunity to share their writing with the group. Suddenly, writing has a purpose! It doesn’t go straight from the student’s desk to the teacher’s grade book- it is a tool to share one’s thoughts with others!
            Struggling writers NEED this. They need the discussion of writing ideas. They benefit from the cue cards to guide each. and. every. step. They feel safe to write knowing that immediate support is available if needed. Within the confines of these close quarters is where writers are made. With each lesson, students begin to take ownership of the strategies they learn. There is no thought of, “Wow, the author uses such descriptive language. I could never do that.” Now, students can think, “Hey, my friend just did a really good using similes in her sentences. I can do that, too!”
            Gibson said it best when he wrote, “Young writers need instruction. They do not improve their writing skills simply because teachers require them to write” (2008, p. 324). And in some cases, writing instruction must be broken down to its smallest units to support the learning of our struggling students. So I challenge you: select a small group of students. While the rest of your class is writing independently, pull them aside to talk, write, probe, and share. Follow the format and refer to the tools that Gibson provides for you here: An Effective Framework for Primary-Grade Guided Writing Instruction. You and your newly-formed writers will be glad you did.  

3 comments:

  1. So I have written 2 long responses that seem to be booted out ..... this is a test....

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  2. So maybe I wrote too much before. Here is a succint version. Your argument speaks to my heart and mind, too. The need for guided writing was the conclusion of my dissertation 8 years ago and ongoing action research since then has confirmed again and again its potential to support ALL students. Your voice on this campaign give me hope for the future as STILL, guided writing is FAR less comment than I would hope!

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  3. Jess the picture that you found is absolutely perfect for this post. Students absolutely do need to learn how to write and guided writing instruction can be an essential aspect of teaching them. Thank you for sharing all of the reasons why this is such an important and powerful tool in teaching students how to write!

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