Dear colleague,
In a world where AI can produce “better” and faster and clearer writing than you and I can, does writing still matter? Is this something we should have our students do, all across the school day? And if so, why?
In this article, I want to share the earnest, robust approach I'm taking to cultivating the degree to which my students value writing.
First, we've got to make sure they are writing.
It's silly to mini-sermonize to my students about the Value of writing if we're not doing a lot of it in class. For the past several weeks, I've been defaulting all of our warm-ups to some form of writing:
- In AP World History, we often begin by answering short-answer questions related to the content we're learning.
- In my general-level World History classes, we've been practicing 10-minute “writing sprints” where I provide prompts and they push for a high word count. (Here are some examples from my slides this year.)
Now notice, none of the classes I teach are labeled in the curriculum as writing classes. But both share the goal of moving students toward mastering the knowledge and skills that the study of history requires. Writing, as I argue in an entire chapter of These 6 Things, is a reliable and efficient means toward content mastery.
But here's the biggest Value obstacle to writing: it's hard. Sometimes unpleasant. Reliably unrelenting in what it demands of the mind.
So how do I talk to my students about the Value of writing?
Key points in my mini-sermon apologetics to students this year regarding the Value of writing
Writing continues to be one of the most reliable and efficient means to transform the inner world of a human being. When I respond to a writing prompt, I quickly discover:
- What I know and don't know
- How muddy my thoughts are
- That it is difficult to get started
- That once I do get started, it gets easier
- That when I'm finished, it can be a good feeling to look at the work I've produced
That's a lot of practical value for something that takes relatively little class time and only requires that I put in my personal best.
Writing builds mental pathways. I talk to my students a lot about what is happening when we do the work of learning. In our brains, we're creating new pathways through the neuron forest. The more we tread the pathways, the quicker and faster we're able to traverse them. When we write, we're doing this with incredible power. All kinds of pathways are getting paving stones, getting lanes put in, getting faster and more streamlined. If I had to pick just one thing I want to leave my class with, an improved network of mental highways would be a strong contender.
Strength-building happens when we do the right work, and writing is that right work. In my mini-sermons, I like to use analogies from areas of life where students have experienced the power of effective practice. I reference sports, music, and art frequently. In these areas, when you do certain kinds of practice, you get quicker, stronger, better, more capable. I recently said to them that when I go to our high school football games and watch the team or the band perform, what looks impossible to me is possible for them. Why? Because they've put in the work and they've practiced.
When we write, we're practicing thinking. All of us are going to be required to think for the rest of our lives. What we want is for that thinking to be productive, fruitful, life-enhancing. Writing gets us there, one sentence at a time, just as push-ups build muscle strength and scales build musical fluency.
Finally, writing lets us explore our inner worlds. “You'll be done hanging out with me in a semester or two,” I tell my students, “but you'll always be hanging out with you.” Writing is about exploring who I am, what I know, what makes me tick. Writing activities like this Values Affirmation exercise are motivation-conducive in part because they encourage inner exploration.
These are some of the ways I've been mini-sermonizing to my students on the Value of writing. What are some of yours? Let me know in the comments.
Teaching right beside you,
DSJR
P.S. Coming tomorrow night: an hour-long conversation with Mr. Kelly Gallagher regarding his new book, To Read Stuff You Have to Know Stuff.
Kim says
Writing is by far the hardest thing we do in ELA classes. We are currently writing research papers.
I’m not sure that writing ability is the problem. It’s more like apathy. They don’t read to understand a topic, even if I scaffold it. Many write sentences that make no sense, especially when read aloud. And, finally, they do not mind the details: crediting the source, quoting exact words, placing the page numbers. It’s maddening.
This time around I’m giving a mini lesson based on the last day’s writing for every day we write in class, hoping they can see the same positives and problems in their own writing. So far, I’m not sure it’s made a difference. They act like revising is so hard when it’s never been easier than it is now with the word processing programs we have.
It can be so frustrating.
Dave Stuart Jr. says
Research papers are a whole different ball game — mad respect for fighting the good fight, Kim. It is frustrating but important work. My hope is that tomorrow you’ll take another crack and explaining why this work matters. Who knows who you will impact, just by you being you with your wisdom, wit, and passion?