New Thoughts on Teaching the Writing Process

One idea that developed from Joe’s demonstration lesson about writing routines and processes has stuck with me. As we shared our writing routines and processes, it came to my attention that we, teachers, write very differently from the way we teach our students. For example, my process is very recursive. I write a paragraph, revise, edit and then move to the next paragraph. Despite my process, I always insist that my students complete a full draft before revising or editing. The writing process that I teach is very structured and linear: brainstorm → draft → revise→  edit→ publish. In reality, I think the writing process is more cyclical. This realization spurs me to approach writing in a new way in the upcoming school year. In particular, I would like to try the following:

• Help my students reflect upon their writing routine and process.
• Affirm my students’ routines and processes, especially the ones that yield positive results.
• Model various writing strategies, such as setting goals, free-writing to uncover ideas, etc.
• Encourage students to try different routines, such as listening to classical music as they write, writing on the floor instead of sitting at a desk, to name a few.