Within my experiences during WRT 392 we have learned many ways in which we can help encourage students to believe and trust in their writing. Having students feel encouraged in their writing will help them in a vast majority of ways. The students will feel more inclined to do the assignments which will thus help their writing grow which in turn will allow them to be more prepared for writing beyond high school.
From the NCTE we learned that “writers grow when they have the opportunities to expand upon and not merely transmit content knowledge”. This means allowing and teaching students to have meaning in their writings, giving them opportunities to expand about the things they’re writing about. Giving them in-depth writing experience such as this will allow them to have opportunities to spend time, work on multiple drafts and see how their writing has changed over time.
Another way we have learned to try to engage the students within their writing is the creation the a Teacher-Student Rubric. With a Teacher-Student Rubric students and teachers are involved within a community of feedback with each other. In a community of feedback, teachers become learners too, because they inquire with learners about why writers make the choices they do. This also allows students and teachers to gain a more personal and friendly relationship which can help encourage them and make them feel important and like they were involved in the rubric making process.
Teaching students the different kinds of writing processes will also allow them to think and write like writers more effectively. It is important to let students know that there is NOT just one specific writing process that they need to follow. In order for students to develop their writing and be encouraged about it teachers must allow their students to know this. While it is necessary for teachers to tell their students that there is not just one specific writing process they must inform them of many other possible processes. This includes making an outline, research and many others.
Teachers must also teach students past the test and allow them to having meaningful writing assignments that they can feel engaged and passionate about. This is important because I will set them up and prepare them for writing beyond the high school level. If students are strictly giving standardized based writing assignments they may feel unmotivated to do their writing. But if teachers give the students controversial, cultural and diverse topics these students will feel more inclined to be involved in these assignments.
If teachers can learn and understand how to incorporate these teachings to their students they will allow their students to feel more inclined and more encouraged with their writing assignments. Doing this will let them think, act and write like real writers which will only help them grow.
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