What is most interesting about the  strategies and research laid out in Chapters 1 and 2 of Best Practices in Writing Instruction is how intuitive it all seems. It makes logical sense that students who write often about topics that engage them and receive regular support, instruction and guidance from their teachers would become better writers than those who don’t practice and don’t receive guidance from teachers.
It seems from this reading that we know how to improve kids’ writing. Write often, give feedback and instruction and use the plan, draft, revise method. The larger challenge appears to be incorporating these methods on a school-wide basis. The key to true writing improvement, according to Chapter One, is that writing instruction is consistently good in every grade. This seems counter to most of our experiences as students. More than anything else, the story of American education is about that one great teacher—the one that made a difference. But the model described in Chapter One of Best Practices is about expanding that great experience to a student’s entire educational career. And it makes sense. We all have great memories of that “one great teacher.” But was that really enough? Maybe it was for some of us, depending on our family situation or what additional things we had going for us in addition to that inspirational teacher. But a lot of kids don’t have much else. They need consistency. Not one great year and that’s it.
That said, I loved these chapters because they included clear, research-driven methods that really work. If kids write often, if they receive instruction and feedback from teachers as well as peers, if their work is celebrated by being displayed throughout the classroom and the school, if they plan, draft and revise, if they are allowed to make mistakes when those mistakes are leading them to higher-level writing, if they are allowed to write about what interests them, they are much more likely to improve as writers.
The challenge for teachers, I would imagine, is to find the time to write more and to get the support of the entire school. How else can you integrate writing into all subjects—at least in the middle and high-school levels—without the support of all teachers in all subject areas?
My favorite quote from Chapter 2 is in the conclusion. “Writing is such a complex task that it cannot be taught once and for all—that is, we are all apprentices in learning to write and in writing to learn.” The key to successfully implementing all of the strategies in Chapter 2 is letting the student drive the process. Let them make mistakes if those mistakes are leading them to experiment with more complicated grammatical structures. Let them reject revision suggestions if they feel strongly about it. Make it personal and make it engaging.
Which, of course, brings us to the Yancey piece. The most engaging writing that many students do is texting, Facebook messages and the like. This is the toughest idea for me, because I don’t think I’ve wrapped my head around how to incorporate all of the new media options out there into the classroom. It doesn’t seem like anyone really has yet, but it’s a fascinating discussion. It’s beneficial to be reminded that the role of writing has been evolving for as long as there has been a written alphabet. So it’s only natural that we struggle with how to define, embrace and teach the new media writing that kids participate in nowadays. But it is essential that we strive to find ways to embrace it. I’m less optimistic than the author that young people will find ways to turn this new community-driven communication into something positive. That’s not because I don’t have faith in young people. It’s because I don’t put too much faith in anyone right about now. But I would be thrilled to be proven wrong, kids.
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