Write or Wrong? Teaching Writing Virtually

 Just recently I started working on my plans for upcoming lessons in writing. As per usual, many thoughts floated into my mind as I worked through what seems like "the usual" flow. This wasn't the first time that the same thoughts arrived, but I realized if I keep thinking them... it's worth writing them down and sharing. 

Even as I reflect now, this is what writing truly is- ideas and thoughts. How can we possibly teach thoughts and ideas to our students? There seems to be a wealth of "expertise" in the teaching world about "how to teach writing effectively" but again I ask, is there truly a correct way, or is one way more effective than another? I've been searching for this answer for probably my whole career so far. as I've always found the art and science of teaching writing the most difficult of all subjects (especially the language arts) to teach. 

Certainly there are specifics such as mechanics that students need to know. I enjoy teaching these aspects the most because they are concrete skills that can be taught in a variety of ways. For example when teaching grammar, I first read a book about the part of speech from the "If You Were A___." series. Then I use Pear Deck to have an interactive practice and/or Jamboard to have students apply the part of speech. Students always get their own independent practice afterward as well. From there, I make it a point to remind my students to apply the part of speech to their own writing. For example when we worked on adjectives, their challenge was to use more adjectives in their next writing piece. 

The most difficult part is the writing of ideas for students, and frankly for me. We have units of study (Narrative, Expository, Opinion, Poetry,) and sure I teach the writing process, however when students ask me "what should I write about" my answer is almost always the same. The ideas have to be their own. If an author is not inspired by their topic (be it fiction or non-fiction) it will be apparent in the final piece. My goal is to be a thinking partner for my young authors, not their word bank or answer box. In order for us to develop as writers, we need to work on our own writing, not have someone perform the work for us. As often as I turn to my other professional friends for advice, at the end of the day my writing is just that- mine. The same has to go for our students as they become writers. 

As I continued to look through my plans and think about the different "must do" skills I want them to learn or review, I realized that the most important element of the plan was time for writing- just writing. Just as independent reading time is a large component of Readers' Workshop, having time to write is equally as important. I admit that I am still learning about Writers' Workshop, but what I do know is that choice, and time for writing lie at the heart of the method. 

So perhaps just as I advise my students to let the ideas flow, perhaps as a teacher of writing I should take my own advice. Having a plan is necessary, but I also want to let the sessions guide themselves and focus on what my students needs are, not the list of skills I know they need to progress. Their writing will progress over time and develop, we just have to trust the process as authors and teachers... 

Final thoughts- Keep encouraging students to write; the topic does not matter. Keep the plan simple- allow time for writing. Keep being a thinking partner not an answer bank. Keep up your own writing. The best way to inspire young writers is to model and set the example! Finally, keep enjoying writing!