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Somehow, over the many years of public education, it was decided that children could best learn to write by first mastering the basics of spelling and grammar. Unfortunately, this mistaken assumption has been proven false by best practice, yet word searches, spelling lists and the teaching of the parts of speech, still dominate our Language Arts and English classrooms. The fixation on spelling and mechanics – or memory and error – hamstrings writing fluency, so even excellent students feel they, “can’t write.”
College graduates will admit this, even after pursuing some of the most demanding college coursework and degrees. Why? Because we don’t value fluency over basics, and we lose the opportunity to create writers. The best teachers in all content areas understand that informal writing helps them understand how students learn, and allows them to share their written ideas with their classmates. This process not only compliments writing, it builds content knowledge and understanding since writing makes meaning. Another reason for the insistence on spelling and mechanics is that academic and business writing is “formal” so educators feel obligated to teach formality at the expense of fluency. Also, many feel creative writing and writing to learn waste too much class time, which is too bad since this is what’s required to build fluency. What I’ve learned is spelling and mechanics are best taught through writing in which students are invested – for example, if a student wants to share a thought with a peer, she’s more willing to listen to – and remember -- how a properly placed comma or period will better convey her idea. Fluency and confidence go hand-in-hand. Confident writers are willing to take on formal writing, so time initially spent “free” writing brings dividends. Students quickly improve spelling and mechanics once they feel confident in their abilities. We need to build writers the way teachers of art and music do: they encourage, not discourage, students to try. They use hands-on experiences and don’t focus on error. I once overheard a conversation with a high school art teacher who asked why a student didn’t take her basic art class. When the student said he couldn’t draw, the art teacher told him not to worry. “No one knows how to draw at first,” she said. “It’s my job to help you.” Helping our students develop fluency throughout the school day will make them better writers and learners, and it’s time to rethink how we do it.
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Acclaimed novelist John Irving, whose Last Night in Twisted River opens with the beautifully written account of the drowning of a young man, said that he begins his novels with the last sentence then writes backwards. I was struck by how interesting an approach that is. His acknowledgment is rare in that authors generally have a focal point or idea that they write around, whereas Irving’s is a linear progression, even if it is from end to beginning. One wonders how he then creates the rest of the work: does he imagine scenes, characters, or link images? It’s obvious that he has a strong narrative voice that guides the process, too.
As writers, it’s important that we find a way to develop an idea or inspiration in a way that works naturally for us. Irving’s voice is strong because he’s figured out his story line and has confidence in the way he wants to tell it. I’ve found that when I’m not sure, my words lack energy and crispness, and my voice is stilted, insincere. My best remedy is to stop and image the person I’m writing about by asking, “Who is this person?” In this way, I try to visualize a real person in action. I look for how the person might dress, walk, talk and why it all comes together in this way. I’ve learned that the big mistake is to fight my inner eye and try to only select those traits that fit the story. Inspiration, like a bubble rising to the surface, bursts into my conscious thought; if I were to ignore the others to follow, then I’d do a disservice to the narrative voice inside me. It has taken a while to trust the narrative or, in my case, the first person voice that likes to visit me, but I'm glad I do. Confidence in one's voice makes writing so much more fun, unpredictable and rewarding. Irving’s unusual backwards design reminds me that our voices -- and our trust in them -- are unique to writers who listen well. Interestingly, the goals for creating readers (self-motivation, fluency and critical self-awareness) are the same for writers. Giving a writer time, encouragement and choice of topic is essential—no matter what level of instruction—to achieve the same goals. By using a writing workshop approach that includes the use of a writer’s notebook, the blank page anxiety that all writers face is eliminated.
A writer’s notebook is a combination of a daily journal and launching pad for ideas that helps writers build written work from the ideas and observations in them. As a journal, it records thoughts and feelings that when used daily, helps them transcribe thought to paper—a key component of developing fluency. When writing becomes as easy as talking, the student is much more receptive to writing instruction. The process to build a writer’s notebook varies from elementary to secondary levels, but the similar idea is that it is the writer’s private place to explore feelings, thoughts and emotions as well as to develop thinking. Generally, a notebook split into two sections works best. One part is for private journal writing done daily, and the other is for class notes or assignments. Every day, without a prescribed topic, students write about themselves and their lives. These entries can be as mundane as what they did prior to coming to class or as passionate as venting about life. In either case, these are not read by the teacher, but a grade is given for exerting effort during the five minutes of class time (usually the beginning) to quietly write and no just sit and stare at the ceiling or out the window. Later, a journal entry can relate to reading, a class assignment, or an observation that can lead to a short written piece. Taking students to observe the action in the school library where they are asked to note what they see, can then lead to a short essay retold from their notes. What’s amazing is that creating both readers and writers is the same process and the beauty of it is in its simplicity. |
AuthorKafalas' fiction captures the wonder, sadness, irony and joy of life. His characters are unlikely heroes who find courage and inspiration in the lives of others. His writing belief is that less is more—his characters can tell their stories better than he can. 
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