"What does it mean to write? What does it mean to write well?"
The students stared at me as images of hieroglyphics, cuneiform, and Navajo blankets and wrote some responses that writing conveyed information in a physical form. We discussed symbology and coding and, predictably, the conversation remained largely sterile. Equally predictably was the sterile tone of the year's writing process. My instruction focused on "training" writing. Students crafted thesis statements, learned to proof-read grammar, and cite quotations to support arguments or literary analysis. Yet this never qualified as "teaching writing." I was simply training students to write the acceptable answers for solid Regents and SAT scores without regard for what it meant to actually write. At the end of my first year, the question that now defined my instruction adjusted. "Is writing a science or an art? How can it be taught?"
It is this focus which must serve as a core to my undefined philosophy. If writing is a science, I have perhaps developed effective strategies for teaching it. Students examine solid writing and can even develop their own criteria for what strong narrative writing looks like. Students can utilize graphic organizers to formulate lengthy argumentative essays. However, the result is robotic, reducing students to automatons with no real distinguishing voice within their writing. Yet this approach is unsatisfying. There seems to be little creativity or individuality in this approach and reduces writing to a sterile and academic task which is entirely utilitarian. If students are writing under these conditions, are they truly writers or simply regurgitates of formula?
My ideal instruction would involve on teaching writing as an art. While certainly standards exist such as content, form, style, and technique, this process would allow for students to experiment with writing, to engage in the feedback process from peers and instructor, and would see their writing evolve based on self-designed standards. However, I recognize my current inadequacies to teach this style of writing. Additionally, I am concerned as to the potential for backfire in terms of test scores if students are not to some degree trained in the "science" of writing.
I hope this philosophy branches out.
Kyle
I am rewriting this comment because I clicked out and lost it...
ReplyDeleteSo, this seems to be my struggle as well. I will be the first to admit that I am absolutely training my kids to write. If I don't, who will?? When they came to me, they couldn't craft strong paragraphs, didn't know what a claim or a thesis statement was, and lacked the skills to use strong evidence to support any kind of argument they made. I think, though, after reading about the story units, maybe this would be what helps solves this issue? Even if the unit is only 2 weeks long, that's 2 weeks we get to teach our kids that creativity is allowed in writing, welcomed even! Maybe then they would be able to dip some of their creativity into their argumentative writing.