Teaching Young Writers About CHOICE

POST UPDATED February 2021

I have never woken up in the morning thinking, -today I’ll write a persuasive essay, or maybe an exposition! 

    Genre is not an initial driver for my writing. It always begins with the spark of an idea. 

    It surprises me how the teaching approach to student writing is so often driven by the singular pursuit of a specific genre. In too many classrooms writing is taught using genre silos to artificially segregate writing. 

    We witness everyone writing in an identical fashion. The same genre and alarmingly, quite often, the same topic. The teacher retains a deathly grip, remaining in total control of writing all the way to the bitter end. This approach appears to be driven by a fear that if they don't approach writing in this way, it will somehow get out of control. Learning, true learning cannot be controlled. We can only set up the condition in which it effective learning occurs. 

    When a student approaches and opens the conversation with -I want to write about fishing, the logical response is, How do you see yourself writing about this?  Immediately, we establish in the mind of the young writer the notion of choice. Choice is good...

A good follow up question for the young writer might go like this...

So, what have you seen that is like what you are hoping to write?

CHOICE motivates efforts to write and this in turn builds CONFIDENCE and consequently the desire to stay ENGAGED is heightened for the writer.

    Each day I eagerly approach writing. Usually, I have a sea of possibilities surging around in my head. I expect words to arrive, even though the form may be unresolved. Topics and issues that have been consuming my conscious thought from the previous days and hours compete for attention. I remind myself -writers make decisions!

    I once had a memorable conversation with author and illustrator, Terry Denton as we stood waiting for our respective children on Fisherman’s Beach, Mornington. 

    Terry’s words have remained with me across the intervening years. He shared his experience of how writing ideas came calling; remarking that ideas revolve around in his head, like clothes in a tumble dryer. They mingle with other ideas. When they’re ready, the ideas get taken out- fresh, and ready to use. It was a great analogy for the rehearsal writers experience.  

     So, I ruminate. I rehearse. I ponder possibilities and this propels me into the writes of the day. I think about the writing idea provoking me and ask myself,  -How do other writers choose to write about this topic/ issue? Do I want to follow their lead, or do I want to write about this in another way, another form?

    Essentially, it's issue before genre; topic before form. I have a raft of choices about what to write and how to write it. I may choose a particular shape and form for this writing piece, or I may compose a hybrid text that crosses several genres. Ah, the power of choice! The question for me as a writer is, - what’s appropriate for this piece of writing? What do I want to achieve?  And, who will be reading this? (audience considerations)

    I understand how important it is to share these thoughts with student writers. I must strive to make my process visible to them as a more experienced writer. 

    Young writers deserve the same level of choice when it comes to their writing. I want them to know what it feels like to think about their writing intentions and then feel empowered to act upon their options as writers.  Choice empowers the writer.

    When we share the many truths of our writing lives with students, we create a lasting effect on their writing lives.  We encourage the growth of the metacognitive writer.

     I was recently challenged on social media regarding my position on choice. I was told, 'free choice is a highway to nowhere.' I must respectfully disagree with this contention. Choice implies ownership and ownership suggests personal responsibility. So choice does not come free of constraints. Providing students with choice should never lead one to believe a teacher suddenly abrogates responsibility for teaching HOW to write. This objective remains at the very centre of teaching writing. Choice is a powerful thing for a writer to have at their disposal. A young writer needs to be shown how to use it to effect the best possible outcome.

    I wish to conclude with this powerful statement from Fountas and Pinnell regarding choice:

'It is important to recognize that effective writers do not write in a genre just to practice it. They choose the genre that will best convey the meaning they intend. Of course teachers introduce new genres to students so that they learn to write in those genres, but the ultimate goal is establish a repertoire of genres from which they can choose. It is important to establish the desire to write in a genre by making it interesting and enjoyable.’

 

Fountas and Pinnell ‘The Continuum of Literacy Learning.’