The Writing Process

The Importance of Writing Well

It goes without saying that writing well is an important life skill. In our society, we use writing to communicate our thoughts, opinions and ideas in our workplace, in relationships and in life. Writing well goes both ways, so that both the writer and the reader can understand each other. Students at all levels should understand that the ability to write well empowers them to spread ideas that can have an impact on their communities and the world.    

Current Methods of Teaching Writing

I teach students how to write in a very methodical and structured way. Students learn the basic structure of a paragraph and a  five-paragraph essay. I also teach students about the mechanics of writing and how to improve their writing through editing and revising. I teach under Common Core centered and PARCC focused circumstances and I have to prepare my students to meet these standards.  

Types of Writing to Add to My Curriculum

My school district uses the Common Core Standards, which cover all the different modes of writing - that is narrative, expository, and persuasive writing. There is no set curriculum for writing. I would like to infuse more of a writer’s workshop philosophy in my classroom by providing time for students to write creatively with their choice of content. I would like my students to take more risks with their writing so I need to provide the space for them to write memoirs, diary entries, blogs and other creative formats.  

The Aspects of Writing Process that I can use in My Classroom

I would like to incorporate more peer feedback and sharing in my classroom. I believe that doing this will help to build a community of writers where students support and learn from each other.

Response to the Articles and Videos

I got the sense from reading The Writing Workshop Working Through the Hard Parts (and They’re All Hard Parts) that the authors, Wood Ray and Laminack (2001) portrayed Writer’s Workshop in a more positive light than the writing process. They seemed to criticize what they termed as “down-the-line” emphasis where teachers faithfully take students through the steps of the writing process- prewriting,drafting, revising, editing, and publication- focusing more on doing each step of the process and the product rather than on the writers. They contended that students in writing workshop use all the steps of the writing process but they don’t do the steps of the writing process because the emphasis is on the writer using, rather than doing the process to get things done. They emphasized the difference between do and use represents a shift in how teachers go about teaching writing (Wood Ray & Laminack, 2001, p.4).

I would argue that the using and doing the writing process are not mutually exclusive because writers need to learn how to handle both the choice of content that is offered in a writer’s workshop and how to respond formally to writing prompts. As educators we need to create a balance so that students can get exposure to different best practices in writing. Students need to also know that they will not always get to choose their content, but they can still write take risks to be creative in their writing. I admit that I need to incorporate more time in my classroom for students to write freely about the personal and meaningful content of their choice. This does not mean that I’m going to get rid of the structured writing process that I take them through in learning how to write paragraphs and essays. Balance is key.  

References

Wood Ray, K., &  Laminack L.L.(2001). The writing workshop: Working through the hard

parts (and they’re all hard parts). Urbana, IL: National Council of Teachers of English.