As I've been thinking and working through my inquiry questions, I have struggled to move from the big, theoretical questions to the more practical, classroom applications. This is not an uncommon problem for me. I think in theory and global relevance, and then when it comes time to teach something tangible and well, useful, I struggle. I'm bad about overcomplicating.
Karen's demo today addressed a lot of the same questions I grapple with in my classroom. I believe, very strongly, that creativity must be at the heart of our writing, no matter what the genre, form, or audience. We are creative beings--makers, if you will, and the best of our work (whatever that may be) is the stuff that grows out of our individual passion.
What I'm saying is that I don't think there's difference between creative writing and "formal" writing. Because at the source, we are creating. Every time. Now to figure out in-class activities to reinforce this...
Emilia -
ReplyDeleteI find that I struggle with the same issues, especially when it comes to writing in my own classroom. I eschew formula when I can and despite the fact that I have not truly explored "creative" writing with my students, much of my academic writing is based upon the idea of exploration. We begin to develop questions (point A) and then I set them off to explore the possible answers (point B). Most of it stems from literature that we are reading (novels, short stories, poems, etc.) What ends up being written is messy because it is process. The lengths vary as does the content and I set them up with support as much as I can without dictating what I want them to show me at the end. I tell them that I am not even really concerned with whether or not they have an answer as long as there is a true line of thought and depth of exploration. It is the thought process that I am most concerned with. It makes rubrics tricky but it puts the onus on the students to leave the superficial and deal with depth. It is frustrating for them at times. In the end, however, the work is truly their own. The real work comes in the revision stages. I don't know if there is real value in the way that I am doing this but I do not want to create "fast food" writing lessons with no soul.
Emilia,
ReplyDeleteI have been running into some similar situations/thoughts when it comes to my inquiry. I have been thinking about how we can motivate students in this huge picture and the theories behind it, but what about everyday practices in the classroom? Hmmmm… I think this is something we should talk more about.
The idea of us all being creative beings is something that I forget frequently. Realizing that we can’t all do things the same way and sometimes letting go with our students if they want to do something differently than we do it is so important. I also got some good insight from Karen’s demo on using our creative free writing to guide more formal pieces. Looking at all writing as a creative form is a great way to go about teaching writing. Allowing students to put their flair into all types of writing makes it all more fun and interesting!