Why Writing
For over 35 years, the NWP has chosen to make the teaching of writing the centerpiece of its approach to educational reform. Why focus on writing? Writing is, of course, an important key to academic and personal success. In schools, writing is often a gatekeeper and is central to achievement in academic subjects and success in examination programmes. And in our increasingly information-driven global economy, writing is inescapable in the conduct of business, on the Internet, and in the cultural arena. But there are more important reasons for focusing on writing. Writing is thought made visible. When we write, we are able to gain distance on our thoughts, stand back from them, assess and revise them, and look for patterns in our thinking over time. Writing supports metacognition. Writing also allows us to exchange ideas with a wide range of people and to communicate across distances and over time.
In an effective writing classroom, though, writing is improved through attention to all the language arts. Good writers read carefully, listen attentively, and explore ideas through talk while in the midst of writing. Effective writing classrooms are highly interactive places where students use and practice language, develop language awareness, and build confidence as language users. In this way, improving writing improves both thinking and language use across domains and content areas.
For over 35 years, the NWP has chosen to make the teaching of writing the centerpiece of its approach to educational reform. Why focus on writing? Writing is, of course, an important key to academic and personal success. In schools, writing is often a gatekeeper and is central to achievement in academic subjects and success in examination programmes. And in our increasingly information-driven global economy, writing is inescapable in the conduct of business, on the Internet, and in the cultural arena. But there are more important reasons for focusing on writing. Writing is thought made visible. When we write, we are able to gain distance on our thoughts, stand back from them, assess and revise them, and look for patterns in our thinking over time. Writing supports metacognition. Writing also allows us to exchange ideas with a wide range of people and to communicate across distances and over time.
In an effective writing classroom, though, writing is improved through attention to all the language arts. Good writers read carefully, listen attentively, and explore ideas through talk while in the midst of writing. Effective writing classrooms are highly interactive places where students use and practice language, develop language awareness, and build confidence as language users. In this way, improving writing improves both thinking and language use across domains and content areas.