We’ve learned a whole lot about the “Writing Process”, and about reading strategies.
We can teach our students with methods that produce much better results.Brain-based research holds enormous potential for helping us reach more students.
There are materials and professional development opportunities that can help us get the job done!
The reading and writing required on our new assessments require all of us to learn and teach reading and writing strategies in all major content areas.
The Not-So-Good News
Language Arts/English teachers can’t do this alone.
Writing, reading, listening and thinking skills are the job of every teacher.
Far too many educators have had very little training related to the “Writing Process” and reading strategies. This is particularly true in middle schools and high school.
Some research indicates that as little as 2% of a student’s time is spent writing. Far too much time is still spent merely filling in fragments on worksheets.
We have not prepared our students for the Age of Information and the skills that the world of work requires. Too many of our methods were designed to meet the needs of an Industrial Era.
We can’t cram the writing process; the ability to write effectively must be developed over extended periods of time.
More Good News...
We now know much more about the reading and writing process, different learning styles and the way our brains operate.
We know that good reading and writing are the results of good instruction.
We know there are strategies that can help us comprehend what we read.
We are aware of the process of writing.
Textbooks have changed at every grade level. Most textbooks now include more visual aids, a better presentation of facts, and greater emphasis on the higher levels of critical thinking.
A multimedia approach can be used to enhance our ability to transform the presentation of information.
You can teach strategies to help students work collaboratively with the writing process.
As we teachers learn how to become facilitators of learning, we will learn how to shift the responsibility of learning to our students. We can interact, inspire and motivate, providing effective models for learning.
