Improving Student Writing

Chapter one reminds us of how complex writing is.  When I begin to think about writing and all its complexities, my head begins to spin.  When I want to write about writing I echo the authors of BWM when they say, "the writer doesn't always know before hand how to begin, much less to proceed, (p.9)."   I believe it was Mel Levine that once said, writing is the greatest orchestra the mind will ever conduct.  BWM says writing is hard because it is a struggle of thought, feeling, and imagination to find expression clear enough for the task at hand (p. 9).

As a teacher of writing and a supporter of teachers who are teaching writing, these are some of the big nuggets I'm walking away with from chapter one:

• Writing is something writers are always learning to do (p. 14)
• Analyze, not critisize--error marks the place where education begins (p. 14)
• Teachers need to build common expectations of good writing
• Educators need multiple strategies for teaching writing (p. 15)
• We need fair, authentic writing assessment (p. 15)
• Firsthand experience with the practice of writing can help a teacher recognize the kinds of problems students have in improving their writing (p.16)
• Writing can support all disciplines (p. 16)
• Find a core group of teachers who write and who are enthusiastic about it (p. 16)

So What?!
So what do these challenges and nuggets mean for me?  How can I help our school address these challenges?    We gather as a K-3 PLC with a focus on writing once a month.  I know it needs to be more, however, teachers are involved in other PLCs as well.  So... where to begin, starting with common expectations of good writing would spark for interesting conversation.  I need to learn more about our teachers as writers.  Do we have teachers who write consistently and who are enthusiastic about it?  If we are not a community of writers as teachers, can we foster a community of writers in our classrooms? 

I feel like the more I read about writing, I only have more questions and less answers. :)