5 Challenges When Teaching Writing And How To Overcome Them

When it comes to teaching, writing is perhaps one of the most difficult skills to teach. Public opinion holds that activities like sports, drawing, or craftsmanship, require a certain amount of talent to truly succeed, writing is a skill that many feel should be even across the board. It’s not. The ability to process information through writing is something that requires three things: natural talent, practice, and passion. Some students have none of these and yet we as teachers are expected to pull them onto an even playing field.

While there will always be students who struggle with writing, this isn’t to say we can’t help students reach the plateau of their abilities. Teaching writing is a very difficult process, but I’m going to share a few tips that have helped me make progress with students who either struggle academically, or simply don’t care.

Give Them Freedom

Allowing students to choose their own topic can either do wonders or fail miserably. Essentially, you have two different kinds of students: students who will write if they can write about topics that interest them and students who will write if you give the topic too them. The problem with the latter group is simply laziness. They refuse to come up with their own topic because it requires them to think. However, there are students in the first group who will gladly write a piece over a hobby they enjoy.

Give Them Attention

Individualized instruction is important to helping students become better writers. As you read through content on this blog you’ll likely see that I’m a huge proponent of student/teacher conferencing. Addressing a student as an individual is most important when trying to diagnose errors students make when writing. Every student is different and diagnosing a writer’s problem in a group setting is considerably more difficult. As a kid, one of my most memorable moments was a teacher pulling me aside and explaining that the comma comes before the conjunction rather than after. It took a total of 5 minutes of that teacher’s day to make a big difference in my ability to write.

Make it Sound Important

If you’re ever going to inspire a student to write, you’ve got to find a way to make it sound like one of the most important skills in the world. And it is. The ability to write well opens many doors that would otherwise be closed. It’s important to find a way to relate this skill to whatever field that student plans on going into.

Teach Common Mistakes Differently than Uncommon Mistakes

It only takes a few assignments to see the mistakes that everyone in the class is making. These are the skills that should be taught in a group setting. However, wasting a day of instruction on a skill that 90% of the class already knows is just silly. By creating individual, small group, and full class instruction, you can use your time much more efficiently.

Teach Thesis Statements and Outlining

Thesis statements are the backbone of any essay or other writing assignment. I find it valuable to spend the time necessary to teach thesis statements thoroughly. Once students understand how to formulate an outline backed by a thesis statement, the writing process becomes intentional rather than the filler many students try to pass on.