In Class Writing - Roselle Gordon
As a teacher who's students often struggle with writing on a whole, it is important to find techniques and strategies to engage and encourage them to write. The expectation that writing should be fun sometimes go unrecognized as many teachers focus on the end product of what they want their students to produce. In class writing
activities encourage creativity. They give students a chance to brainstorm ideas
and come up with their own individualized pieces on what they want to write
without being pressured to follow a model. They write from their own
experiences without a restricted time frame. Through the organizing step,
students build their detective skills as the gather and analyse information
needed for their pieces. Critical literacy takes place here also as they are
guided to problem solve and listen to various opinions.
·
An example of an
in class writing prompt that encourages creativity and critical thinking is: Shifting viewpoints
(role-playing). When the student has developed some understanding of their
idea, they can look at it from another person’s point of view. This is done by
role-playing someone who disagrees with your conclusions or who has a different
set of assumptions about your subject. Make a list or write a dialogue to begin
to reveal the other perspective.
Engaging students in fun and creative writing activities can be a powerful way to encourage their writing skills. In-class writing prompts, like shifting viewpoints, promote critical thinking and creativity. I look forward to incorporating these activities across different subject areas.
ReplyDeleteYour example of using role-playing in the classroom as a strategy the encourages creativity and critical is something I will undertake in my future classes when teaching writing.
ReplyDelete