Beyond Kumbaya: Exploring Writing Together > Kella Hammond

I have a little secret to share before I get too philosophical: I approach the teaching of writing as a writer, first and foremost. When I work with a student on his or her paper in the KU Writing Center, I try to remember what it’s like for me to share my work with another reader, how I best receive feedback, and how to reflect on what worked or didn’t work for a particular piece of writing after it’s been published.

 I was reminded to do all of this and more when I recently read The National Commission on Writing’s May 2006 report, Writing and School Reform. Dr. Patricia Lambert Stock, Professor of Writing, Rhetoric and American Cultures; English; and Education at Michigan State University, highlighted six effective instructional practices to challenge and support authentic student writing:

• Encourage students to bring the languages, experiences, and images of their home communities into the classroom to be used as resources in service of student learning;

• Position students and teachers as co-inquirers and co-learners, a process that allowed teachers to model inquiry, study, and learning for their students;

• Ask students to use writing to collect, analyze, synthesize, and communicate information and opinions;

• Call on students to draft, compose, and revise a variety of writings for a variety of audiences, purposes, and occasions;

• Require students to use all the language arts (listening, speaking, reading, writing, and thinking) all at once and all together in the service of learning and sharing their ideas; and

• Encourage students to make some of their writing public beyond the classroom, so as to gain a better understanding of how literacy works in the world (2006, p. 12).

Yet, the point that fascinates me the most right now is the second bullet:

Position students and teachers as co-inquirers and co-learners, a process that allowed teachers to model inquiry, study, and learning for their students.

I think the more we can show students that writing is truly a collaborative process, one that we actively take part in and often fumble through, the better. I enhance my teaching when I write alongside my students because I receive an opportunity to remember what the writing process is like firsthand — not as a reader-observer, but as a writer-participant.

We can “co-learn” with our students by sharing what we’ve written, especially the drafts that we know are not finished or look picture-perfect (yet), facilitating honest conversations about what our varied writing processes look like and which approaches set us up for success, and asking students to determine what effective writing looks and sounds like not only in the classroom but also in the workplace.

     The wonderful part of “co-learning” is that this phrase assumes that both parties may share and impart knowledge. Of course, our students have so much to share with us. As writers who not only write essays but also compose their work in the office, e-mails, the blogosphere, social media websites, and text messages, our students are writing with a fervor and openness today that leads us to important conversations about the role of writing in our classrooms, careers, personal lives, and society at large.

     As novelist E.L. Doctorow once said, “Writing is an exploration. You start from nothing and learn as you go.” The more we as educators remember what it’s like to “start from nothing” the better we will be at scaffolding the support, encouragement, and constructive feedback our students need. And while I believe that many of us already do what I’m suggesting, I think it bears repeating because every time I write for this newsletter, I realize just how hard (and impor-tant) writing is. Writing connects not only thoughts but also people, and what better way to do both of those pursuits than in community?

Kella Hammond is a Resource Specialist at the Kaplan University Writing Center.

[This article was originally published in our July, 2009 issue.]