Living Life Twice

Noticings are a writer’s life source... Part of the writer’s role is to draw attention to the details of the world. For this reason writers need to develop a capacity for keen observation. Think for a moment what this means for teaching student writers. Teaching writing needs to delve way beyond structural considerations.  If teaching energy and focus remains solely on the mechanics of writing, the writing will remain functional at best. It will undoubtedly lack voice and precision.  A teacher who assists the developing writer to grow as an observer, to connect strongly to the world in which they operate, provides the student writer with vital skills they can apply, not just to the writing they undertake, but to learning in general. Developing the writer as observer, creates an all-round curious learner. To teach writing in this way, empowers the writer, empowers the learner. In order to achieve this, the writing teacher must practice detailed observation in orde...

A recent request for poetry resources for primary students has prompted me to consider some of the resources I use for this age group.  I have developed an extensive list of resources over the years. I keep many of these books in my poet’s suitcase. http://alanjwrightpoetrypizzazz.blogspot.com.au/2008/09/poets-suitcase.html  and regularly share these resources as an initial poetry tasting with students. The idea behind this approach is based on the belief that young poets need to read a lot of poetry in order to successfully embark upon the writing of poetry. I want to do more than immerse them in poetry, I want to ‘dunk’ them in poetry and all it involves. An observant young poet told me this week after spending an hour investigating and researching a plethora of poetic forms, - ‘When you write poetry, you can make your own rules, but then you have to stick to them.’ This is the kind of awareness we need to develop among our inexperienced poets. So, here...