BWC: Writing Tips

Last week we had the opportunity to meet with a few ladies that have a great deal of experience in helping kids to apply themselves in the area of writing. They had heard about our BWC program and were eager to help us with our research and instruction of the Boys at Ridgeway. A few of the tips that shared with us made a lot of sense and I am looking forward to applying them to my instruction and assistance at the BWC.

#1. Jotting down critical kernels: If you are having trouble helping a student get started with their writing, one step that they shared is to have the student answer a few questions about their thoughts toward the subject matter. As they share their thoughts, you as the instructor should jot down ideas or thoughts that they share. EWHen they are done talking, you share with them the kernels that you heard them share. THen you can challenge them to write about two of them. This will help them focus their thoughts and help them indicate a great jumping off point to get started with their writing.

#2. Oral Rehearsal: By challenging the student to rehearse orally what they plan to write can help them organize their thoughts before jumping in. As they talk about their thoughts, it is important not to correct their verbiage. The ladies that shared with us indicated that incorrect verbiage is very frequent and common with students of this age and this will be corrected as they grow and mature. To grill them on incorrect verbiage at this age can derail the thought process and defeat the purpose of getting them to think imaginatively and attempt to write. Allow them some freedom and encourage lots of descriptive words and imaginative thinking!

#3. Body Language: Apparently our body language goes a long way in wether the students feel defeated or not in their writing skills. If we sit up close to them and hover over them, it is not uncommon for a student to feel smothered and corrected. This usually produces feelings of inadequacy as the teacher looks to correct them and spoon feed them answers. If we are to take a more open approach and sit back giving them a bit more space, they are more likely to feel a bit of freedom and trust form us. Giving them the space they need to spread their wings as writers and thinkers is what they need as long as they know we are there and care about the work that they are doing.