Common Sense (though opinionated!) Tips for the Teaching of Writing - from a Writer,Teacher and Editor

Oct 13, 2026

Upload by Ophelia

A practical, teacher-focused guide to teaching writing with a clear message: writing improves through practice and effort rather than rigid, test-driven routines. It critiques “teach to the test” pressure, overly complicated textbooks, and approaches that drain authenticity from writing. Using analogies like learning to ride a bike, it argues for focusing on the whole writing process, allowing mistakes, and rebuilding confidence for teachers overwhelmed by standards and assessment cycles.

LanguageEnglish

CategoryLifestyle

FormatPDF

Pages100

Reading Time2 h 34 min

AccessFree to download

Introduction

Just Because You Teach It Doesn't Mean They Learn It

The Big Stuff: Three Important Principles of Writing

Dos and Don'ts for the Teaching of Writing

One Final Thought

Appendix

Digitized by the Internet Archivein 2022 with funding fromKahle/Austin Foundation COMMON SENSE (though opinionated!) TIPS for the # TEACHING OFWRITING from a # WRITER,TEACHERAND EDITOR especially for teachersfeeling confusedand overwhelmedin this eraof testing,testing,testing Copyright ◎2002 by Cottonwood Press,Inc. All rights reserved.No part of this work may be repro-duced or transmitted in any form or by any means,elec-tronic or mechanical,including photocopying andrecording,or by any information storage and retrievalsystem,except as may be expressly permitted by the 1976Copyright Act or in writing by the publisher. Requests for permission should be addressed to: Cottonwood Press,Inc.107 Cameron DriveFort Collins,CO 80525800-864-4297 ISBN 1-877673-54-4 Printed in the United States of America # Table of Contents 5 Introduction Just Because You Teach It 9Doesn't Mean They Learn It The Big Stuff- 25Three Important Principles of Writing 39Dos and Don'ts for the Teaching of Writing 73One Final Thought 75 Appendix # Introduction AFRIEND RECENTLY SHOWED ME A COPY of a bookthat is used more and more around the country to helpteachers teach writing.His school district has adoptedthis manual and its methods,in an attempt to improvestate test scores.The book is huge -hundreds of pageslong-and intimidating. Looking at it,I was appalled.If I knew little aboutwriting,this book would make me believe it is an impos-sibly difficult task.Worse,the activities would make students believe that writing is an impossibly difficult task. It is not.It takes practice,and it takes effort. However,so does learning to ride a bike.What if parentstaught children to ride a bike by first making them studythe instructions in a huge manual on bike riding?Whatif they gave countless lectures on sprockets and gears,balance,and exercise physiology?What if the kids didn'tever get to practice much,yet were monitored constantlyand given grades on their progress?(Do they fall downtoo much?Cry too much?Sway too much?)A gradingrubric would be used to note their progress. I doubt there would be a lot of bike riders out there. Learning to write is rather like learning to ride abike.You don't need to analyze the process endlessly.You just need to get up and try it.You need to makemistakes,fall off,get up and try again.You need to paymore attention to the whole of what you are doing thanto the pieces and parts. TRENDS As I travel to educational conferences,talk to teachersand look over the books and textbooks being offeredacross the country today,I see several trends.One is to“teach to the test”—whatever test that may be.In Texas itis the TAAS.In Colorado,it is the CSAP.In Minnesota,it is the BST.Teachers are so worried about standardsand assessment that they are searching for anything thatmight help their students perform better.It doesn't matterwhether or not the test actually measures anything valid.The test,rather than learning,has become the focus.Instead of having the goal of "helping students becomebetter writers,"too many schools have the unstated goalof “helping students become better test takers.” Another trend is to adopt textbooks that just windup making things hard.Schools look for books thataddress the requirements of the test,rather than theneeds of the students.A textbook that jumps throughhoops trying to meet the demands of tests all over thecountry almost always winds up making things needlesslycomplicated,confusing students and teachers alike.The COMMON SENSE textbooks give the impression that writing is almost a sci-ence,and then they proceed to warp the writing processinto shapes it can never hold. Then there is the “carefulness”trend.Textbook writ-ers are careful not to exceed a targeted readability level.They are careful not to bring up controversial issues,careful not to express a real opinion,careful not to useterminology that may set off different educational critics.They are

FAQs

What does the guide say is the key to helping students learn to write?

It emphasizes that learning to write takes practice and effort, not endless analysis. Teachers should have students get up and try, make mistakes, and try again while focusing on the whole process.

How does the book criticize “teach to the test” approaches?

It argues that tests become the focus instead of learning and that schools adopt materials designed to satisfy test requirements. This can make writing seem overly difficult and can confuse students and teachers.

What problem does the author see with some writing textbooks and instructional trends?

The author contends that textbooks often make writing feel like a science and warp it into rigid shapes. It also criticizes “carefulness” trends that avoid real opinions and create boring, bloodless writing instruction.

Oct 13, 2026

Upload by Ophelia