Like Routman suggests, we need to bring the joy back to writing. To do this, we should steer away from the nitty-gritty of correctness, and focus on what is working in content..even if it only a sentence! It can be difficult to find the “good” in some writing, but we can fish for more by asking questions and showing that we are excited and interested in what they are writing. If we put away the red ink pen and take a more positive affirmative approach, we can set the tone and find the writer in every student. We should set goals with our students and boost their confidence to take risks. We have to show students it can be fun to write and their writing has much more purpose than to do well on the state assessment or to summarize the science textbook. Routman suggests that when we model, we shouldn’t be writing any more than what we expect the students to be writing. This makes sense! We should focus on our ideas rather than explaining conventions and spelling. To get students to give more through their writing, we have to take the initiative to tell a story that is animated, full of life, and meaningful to us.
This post sounds so positive about writing. It is so heart-warming thinking about "putting away the red pen" and boosting our student's confidence.
ReplyDeleteI am always struck by Routman's use of the word "joy" when it comes to writing. I wonder how many teachers and children see writing as joyful. I am currently writing a textbook, and I am trying to notice if I feel joy when writing. I do feel satisfaction, frustration, being overwhelmed, but I haven't actually felt joy. Maybe the joy comes after you finish writing!
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