If teachers are to teach writing well, they must see themselves as writers . . . good writers . . . confident writers . . . growing writers. Teachers that write with their coworkers, and bond as a staff, also have higher achievement in their student reading and writing scores. While most teachers have the “no time” excuse, snap-shot writing can be introduced as a way to quickly write and share important ideas in our lives and teaching. When staff shares their ideas through “snap shots,” it is a time for celebration of writers and a time of bonding as a team.
Students need to see that their teachers are growing writers as well. We are always in the process of learning and growing. When we share our writing with our students, we show them that we write for many different purposes, but it always helps expand our thinking. Students need to know the connections between reading and writing . . . books and authors . . . readers and writers. They need to understand the purpose for writing as well as have a valuable audience for which they are motivated to write. When we read various texts, we need to model how we watch what authors do and how they craft their pieces. Books can be an excellent springboard for getting writing started and having organization for writing.
One of the most practical ways to teach writing is to explicitly model it for our students. In essence- we should practice what we preach. It is important for students to watch us struggle and solve problems. Our students need to observe how we plan, practice, think, and write. If we write our example before we show it to students, they miss some of the most important parts of learning how to be writers. We need to show them the entire process.
Writing is a recursive process rather than just linear. Good writers go back and continue with their previous writing rather than constantly starting new ideas. They revise and refine. Teachers need to envision themselves as writers- having real writing experiences in front of the children, showing children how writers think, and most importantly celebrating the writer’s growth.
Some questions to ponder about this chapter:
• Would my staff be willing to write together as an effort to create bonds and collegiality?
• Do I do “snapshot writing”? How might it be implemented into my classroom?
• What process do I use as a writer? What are my “practices”?
• Is my writing life apparent to my students even when I’m not directly teaching?
• What are some characteristics of growing writers?
I found your questions thought provoking. I have used snap-shot writing in my classroom--although it has only been recently. I think teachers, myself specifically, believed that to write meant to write a page long story. Recently it occured to me--though professional development days and classes such as this--that short bits of writing can be effective as well. I do not demonstrate writing for my students--which is a fault that I hope to correct.
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