Living Life Twice

When introduced to the classroom,  the Writer's Notebook has the potential to exert a significant influence on the written efforts of all writers within that learning environment:  Fostering Creativity  Idea Generation:  The notebook serves as a repository for ideas, observations, and inspirations, allowing writers to capture and develop their thoughts. Used in this way the writer retains ownership over ideas.  The notebook becomes a gathering place for precious and fragile ideas; -Ideas that might need time to growin the writer's mind until such times as they are ready to be expanded upon. Used this way the notebook becomes a treasure chest for potential ideas.  Experimentation: The notebook provides a safe space for writers to try out new techniques, styles, and voices, promoting experimentation and innovation. The unique character of each writer has an opportunity to flourish. A true sense of agency develops.   Developing Writing Habits  R...

I have recently been working with two groups of young writers in my capacity as Writer in Residence at a local primary school. Among these writers I have discovered writers who are experimenting with the writing of song lyrics. One writers has brought himself a new notebook solely for the purpose of capturing his emerging lyrics. He has another notebook dedicated to the collecting of stories and observations. I love how he recognized this need for specialization in his writing. Two others writers have been collaborating on the writing of song lyrics and have also put some of their words to music at home. These writers are making decisions regarding their personal writing projects and their sense of agency and volition is being revealed to theeir fellow writers.  Their focus upon writing lyrics and using dedicated notebooks has reminded me of a special notebook I was given as a gift. A notebook clearly designed to celebrate music in all its forms. The deliberate and intentional focu...

Writing research data shows children provided with opportunities to write every day begin to compose even when they are not actually writing. In other words, they begin to think about their writing beyond the confines of the classroom. Writing moves away from just being a 'school thing.'  There is immense satisfaction gained from hearing students, who upon entering the classroom first thing in the morning announce, ‘ I know what I’m going to write about today ’ They indicate clearly that they understand the power of writing. They are demonstrating they think as writers do. Unless students have this daily opportunity to write they will not develop the ability to think through their writing. They will not fully understand the process of writing. Donald Greaves suggested that young writers require a minimum of four days per week to write for their own purposes. This, he believed assisted the ‘learning to think’ process to develop. It is therefore important to approach the teaching...

This is a lengthy post... I have had requests to publish my recent keynote address from the Beyond The Bell, Literacy Challenge Day in Hamilton, Victoria. This is a slightly abridged version. I therefore ask, -should you choose to use any part of this address, that you duly acknowledge the source. The World of the Visibly Literate Educator 'Thank you for this special opportunity to speak today and share some observations gathered across a teaching life steeped in rich literate experiences. -A life that has nourished my passion and enthusiasm as a lifelong reader and writer and self-confessed, curious learner. The following words of American educator and writer, Regie Routman in her book, ‘Literacy At The Crossroads’ sing to me over and over again.   ‘If we want our students to be thinkers, researchers, collaborators, readers, writers, and evaluators, then they need to see us thinking, researching, collaborating, reading, writing and evaluating. We...