By Lily Jones (Guest Blogger)A special thank you to Lily Jones, Education Content Manager at Teaching Channel, for giving us permission to re post her blog. Lily shares her tips about the instructional strategy called “Writing to Learn”. You can read her original entry, posted on Teaching Channel, here.
When we give students writing assignments, the purpose is often to share ideas and demonstrate understanding. We have students write persuasive essays to demonstrate their ability to make and support arguments, or write answers to questions that we use to assess their understanding. But, as Joan Didion explains, writing can also be a way to develop understanding.
Recently, Teaching Channel’s new professional development platform, Teams, partnered with Educate Texas to create a series of videos showcasing Common Instructional Framework. From these new videos, I learned about an instructional strategy called “Writing to Learn.” This technique encourages the use of low-stakes writing to allow students a chance to clarify their ideas and think critically. In this video, Andrea Culver explains how “Writing to Learn” allows students to process information without worrying about assessment or judgment.
I can attest that the low-stakes part is key. Whenever I struggle to start a writing assignment, I start with a free write — telling myself that I never have to show my writing to anyone. By taking the pressure off, I’m able to write more freely and figure out what I’m thinking. Through the very act of writing, I get clarity on my thoughts and prepare for writing a publishable piece (writing that other people will see). The same process can be used in the classroom by having students write to develop understanding in preparation for writing to demonstrate understanding.
When using “Writing to Learn,” students focus on just thinking and organizing their thoughts. They don’t need to worry about how incomprehensible their writing may come across — they can relax knowing that no one will evaluate this writing. Using this strategy teaches students that writing does not have to be publishable to be valuable.
Here are three ideas from Writing to Learn that you can try in your classroom today:
