Writing as Transformation: A New Paradigm for Content Writing Author(s): Jean E. Brown and Elaine C.

Stephens Reviewed work(s): Source: The Clearing House, Vol. 69, No. 1 (Sep. - Oct., 1995), pp. 14-16 Published by: Taylor & Francis, Ltd. Stable URL: http://www.jstor.org/stable/30185849 . Accessed: 24/06/2012 02:48
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Writingas
A New

Transformatio

for Paradigm Content Writing

JEAN E. BROWN AND ELAINE C. STEPHENS

it is called content area writing, writing to Whether or writing across the curriculum,the concept learn, of having students write in all academic disciplines has gained wide acceptancein recent years. A growing body of theory and research supports this movement. Some of its basic tenets are that writingis a way of knowing, of clarifybits ing ideas, of articulating andpieces of new information, and of synthesizing new information with concepts and ideas that are alreadya partof one's schema. Perhapsmost importantfor all teachersis the fact that writing is a means for achieving understanding the subjectmatter. of

The Process Approachto Writing

models thathelp them to proTeachersneed instructional mote and support writing in a systematic way. They also need to foster an environmentthat endorses writing as a learning tool. While some teachers are still discovering process writing and implementing it in their classrooms, others are looking for new ways to have their studentsinteract with content through writing. They have found that process approachesto writing are less than satisfactoryin promotingin-depth studentlearning. Certainly,process writing approacheshave given teachers a means to look at the various experiences that writers have as they compose. Process approaches also provide flexibility to both teachersand studentwriters.Teacherscan be active in the ongoing role of giving students feedback; students are able to see their work evolve as they move through the prewriting, drafting, and revision processes. This evolution of studentwriting is recursive,not linear. Too often, however, process writing becomes formulaic in the hands of teachers who seek to have their students write but are unsureof how to do it or when used by teachers simply because the structure gives them a sense of order

and control. In fact, although we have assumed that a process approach would provide a flexible structurefor teachersto use to supportcreativityand explorationin student writing, it has often been appliedrigidly.And it is this very rigiditythatgives studentstoo much of a sense of security and makes it difficultfor them to take risks in theirwriting. Rather than recognizing that writing provides them with the means to be involved in their learning, many students are wedded to easy formulas. In some classrooms, theme process writing is in 1995 what the five-paragraph was in 1965-a set routinethat fails to capturethe essence of writing. For many students, writing is an academic exercise that they endure;for those who accept its challenge, however, writing is an experience that gives them power over their learning. If content area writing is to become a productive tool, an alternative paradigmmust be conceptualizedto provide a more flexible approachto studentwriting. The Writing as Transformation Model we Currently, are working with content area teachers to conceptualizea new paradigmresultingin a model that we call Writingas Transformation. paradigm basedon the This is need to heightenstudents'involvementwith their writing.It addressesthe currentstateof contentareawriting,especially in academicdisciplinesotherthanEnglish. Teachersexplorextening this new model are findingit to be an appropriate As sion to process approaches. we work with contentteachers, they often tell us that although they understandthe concept and facets of this process approach,in actualclassroom practicethey focus primarilyon prewritingand drafting. They have their studentsdo little revision-significant revision being reserved for major assignments-and the teachers' role in this process is minimal. These teachers of reportthattheir"evaluation" studentswork usually comes at the end of the process and consists almost exclusively of gradingwith little commentaryor suggestions for improvement. They also indicatethat they rarelyhave any means of sharingor publishingstudentwork in theirclasses. 14

Jean E. Brown and Elaine C. Stephensare professors of teacher education at Saginaw ValleyState University,University Center Michigan.

Vol. 69, No. 1

Writingas Transformation

15

It is important to view these generalizedobservations not as a criticism either of process writing or of the content teachers who use it selectively. What is significant is that there are content teachers who have their students write we regularly.Furthermore need to recognize that their reasons for using writing are shaped by the content that they teach. They have students write in order to achieve an immediate interaction with content. For that reason, we believe that a Writing as Transformation model provides for content learning through varied types of opportunities writingexperiences.Perhapsmost significantly,it shifts the emphasis from the stages of the writing process to the impact that writinghas on studentsas they write to achieve differentgoals. The Writing as Transformationmodel (see figure 1) focuses on three facets of writing to learn:writing as intuition, writing as metacognition, and writing as change agent. These facets may function separatelyor in conjunction with each other;they are not stages nor are they hierarchicalin nature.They dependon the common foundation of the model-that is, on the recognition that authentic writing is the synthesis of thinking and feeling. The merger of thoughtand feeling has the potentialto combine substance with intensity, content with fervor, and concepts with ardor.The goal is to create a balance in studentwriting. When students have both cognitive and affective responses,they make connections.This type of mergerrepresents a fundamental perspective about learning-that informationbut learningis not an absorptionof transmitted rathera constructionof meaning that transformsthe students. The transformational power of writing is the basic tenet of a new paradigmfor writing. Teachers can apply this paradigmto give their studentsa rangeof writingexperiences throughwhich they can learn concepts, ideas, facts, and principlesof any academicdiscipline. Writingas Intuition The first facet of the Writingas Transformation model is Writing as Intuition. This facet builds on the instinctive desire of individualsto express themselves. Most children begin school with a naturalinterestin writing and an inherent flair for storytelling.They experimentwith puttingvarious kinds of marks on paper and then asking an adult or older child, "Tell me what it says." They understandthe tremendous power of the printed word to communicate messages and feelings and to make things happen,and they want to acquire this power. Unfortunatelyfor many students, this initial interestis squelched ratherthan nurtured in school; writingbecomes a series of rote exercises to satisfy class assignmentsratherthan a means of communication and personalexpression.Some young childrenlearnto separatein their minds the writing that they do as a school assignmentand the writing they do at home to satisfy their personalneeds to communicate.One second-gradeboy told us that he was a writerwhen he was at home but not when he was at school.

FIGURE 1 Writingas Transformation

SYNTHESIS OF THINKINGAND FEELING as Writing Intuition Responding Metacognition Reflecting Changeagent Creating

Sharing

Connecting

Writing as Intuitionmight be considered an "unschooling" of traditional ways of writing in the classroom. It focuses on the natural,functional uses of writing. In the classroom, Writing as Intuitionmay include making lists, writing directions, taking notes, recording observations, noting reactions,and describingresponses. It may function for the personal use of the writer only or as a means of communicatingwith others. Teachers can encourage students to use their intuition as writers by urging them to keep a writer's notebook in which to record observations, ideas, and experiences as they happen.As studentsacquire the habit of recordingand respondingto their experiences, writing will become familiarand comfortable. Writingas Metacognition The next facet of the model, Writing as Metacognition, recognizes the value of writing as a vehicle for studentsto be reflective about their own thoughts,feelings, reactions, and responses. Writing as Metacognition is an essential component of conceptual change and in-depth learning in any discipline. Studentsare encouragedto write to gain an understandingof and a feeling for their world and what they are learning, to develop a heightened sensitivity to their environments. They explore how they learn,how they apply knowledge, and how they solve problems. Students are empoweredwhen they can use writing to examine and reflect not only on what they are learningbut also on how they are processing their experiencesto learn. As in the case of Writing as Intuition, Writing as Metacognitionis based on the idea that many young children come to school with some metacognitiveunderstand-

16

The Clearing House

September/October 1995

ing of how they learn. One preschool child told us that she learnedbecause she had "a TV set in [her] mind for words and pictures and a chalkboard for numbers."But these insights into one's own learning seem to diminish as children are schooled. Secondary teachers are frustrated because many of their students exhibit a passivity toward learning,as if they expect theirteachersto somehow get the subject matterinto their heads without any effort on their part. Writing as Metacognition has the potential to break down these barriers.In a classroom,Writingas Metacognition may involve, for example, developing and solving problems in math and science or generalizing principles and applyingthem in literature,social studies, or otheracademic areas. The following examples relate experiences that teachershave had with writing as intuition. * In an advancedmath class, a teacherhad her students analyze how they solved various types of problems. She then had them systematically identify the step-by-step process for solving them.After revising and clarifyingtheir processes, the studentswrote them on a poster so that they could then teach the process to other students. * A seventh-grade language arts teacher was having the troublegetting her studentsto understand use of tone in literature.She gave each student a slip of paper with an emotion-such as anger,sadness, excitement,orjoy-writin ten on it and had the studentswrite a paragraph which a characterfeels that emotion, without stating it. Then in small groups, each student read his or her paragraphand the group members identified the emotions. The group membersgave each writerfeedback aboutthe effectiveness of the paragraphs.The students analyzed their own paragraphs to see how they had achieved the emotion. The teacher then used their insights as the foundationto teach the concept of tone in a specific literaryselection. Writingas ChangeAgent The thirdmajorfacet of the model is Writingas Change Agent. As students' intuitive and metacognitive skills develop throughwriting, their perceptions and knowledge change. The self-discoveries that students experience throughrisk taking in writing provide the impetus for this change. An essential component of Writing as Change Agent is that it breaksthe shackles of routineand hoop-jumping.As students write for authentic purposes, they creatively explore ideas and become more independentlearners.For example, the most frequenttype of writing studentsdo in a science class is to follow a rigid formula for lab reports; however,a middle school general science teacherwe know uses a different, less formal approach.He begins the year by having studentswrite observationsabout naturaloccur-

2 FIGURE Writingas TransformationApplication in Content Areas

as Writing Intuition

as Writing Metacognition

as Writing Change Agent

as Writing a Toolfor Content Understanding

rences, such as the weather. He helps them examine and sharpentheir observationsas they learn more about weather fronts and patterns.As studentsbecome more independent in theirwriting,they reflect on theirmusings and reactions. When appropriate,they develop a more traditional report of the findings. This approach promotes student explorationinto scientific inquiry.

Conclusion
In figure 2, each of the three components of the paradigm, Writing as Intuition,Writing as Metacognition,and Writing as Change Agent, is shown in relationshipto the idea of writing for learning content. Each component reflects a different type of content learning that can take place throughwriting. The successful implementationof the Writing as Transformationparadigmis based on a mutual commitmentby teachers and students.The initial commitmentis made by teachers,who agree to end the conspiracyof mediocrityby which we accept students' simply going through the motions of writing. Predictabilityin writing is no longer acceptable;we must challenge studentsto take risks, to put forth true effort. Only when we challenge them will students experience writing as the growth of meaning, a way to make something of their lives, as the fusing of their hearts and their minds. Only when we are committed to challenging our students to stretch, to take risks, will we help them to be creativeand to achieve true authenticityin their writing.