Teaching writing is one of my passions.  I love to roll up my sleeves in order to get eye-level with my students to talk about their writing.  I love seeing the spark in their eyes and hearing the emotion in their voices as they talk about the piece of writing they’re working on or what they’re planning to write next.  And, then there are those times when it seems that I can’t find an entry point into a student’s writing or none of my suggestions are well received.  Instead, I aim at moving targets trying to find an angle that will get my students to extend their writing or to write pieces that are meaningful to them.  Recently, I’ve decided to be more proactive after reading a book that I will be reviewing for an online journal, soon. 

When I confer with students we start off by engaging in a conversation about what they’re writing.  Predictably, I initiate this conversation by asking:  So, how’s it going?  What are you working on?  I want the children to talk about their piece first.  Later, I will help them identify the meaning in their writing.  Then, I may paraphrase what they said to me and/or ask questions to get them to dig deeper and produce more writing. 

In the past I have made suggestions but have let the writer decide what and how to incorporate into his or her writing.  Whether or not they choose to go with an idea we’ve discussed is always up to them.  Recently, I’ve made one simple change in my conferences that seems to be making a difference.  I have started helping students brainstorm their topic by creating a graphic organizer on the spot.  Sometimes this organizer is a simple web with spokes for their ideas.  Sometimes it’s four boxes for sketching the beginning, problem, solution, and ending of a story.  Sometimes we’ve made lists of ways to show not tell about something. 

Students require varying and different levels of support so I don’t do the same thing with each student.  It all depends on what a student needs at a particular moment in his or her writing.  The resulting changes include an increase in student engagement with their writing and more tools to use for the future.  An inadvertent benefit of making this change is that I am spending more time with students about their writing rather than trying to rush through the class to see everybody every day for the same amount of time. 

Of course, the true test of whether or not what we’re teaching is sticking with our students is if they are transferring these tools and techniques to future writing.  That’s why it’s critical to remember to teach the writer and not the writing. 

What new ideas have you been incorporating into your writing workshop?  I hope you will consider sharing some of them on this blog.