Teaching kids to write skillfully
Demands a whole-process approach

When we are teaching kids to write, we need to teach them a writing process rather than teaching them isolated writing skills. That’s because writing is a complex skill.

Performing a complex skill requires using your mind and your body together to perform a complicated set of sub-skills. No one is said to be skilled until that person can perform the sub-skills in rapid succession (even simultaneously) so they flow together into a whole unit.

Some examples of other familiar complex skills are playing saxophone, skateboarding, typing, driving a car, building furniture, and knitting.

Characteristics of skills

Think about any of those skills that you know well. You’ll find certain statements are true about each one:

• Beginners need only a little bit of information to get started.

• People learn information when they need it to understand some part of the skill.

• No one masters a skill by reading about it.

• No one learns a skill by doing paper-and-pencil exercises.

• People learn a skill by repeating a sequence of activities many times.

• A beginner has to practice the entire sequence of individual skills as an integrated process.

• People study reluctantly if they have no personal stake in the activity.

• You know you have learned a complex skill when you can do it unconsciously without thinking about what step comes next.

If, as I say, writing is a complex skill, what does thinking about those complex skills suggest about teaching kids to write?

Educational research findings

Educational research shows that the principles we logically could expect to be true about teaching kids to write are true: We must approach teaching writing from a whole-process perspective.

• Beginners do not need extensive training in grammar, spelling, syntax, etc. before they can begin learning to write.

• Writers learn best if they get information when they need it to use in their writing.

• Reading alone does not develop writing skill.

• Doing paper-and-pencil exercises does not develop writing skill.

• A beginner has to practice the entire process of writing, not just parts of the process.

• Students must practice many times to achieve competence.

• Students study writing willingly if they believe it will let them accomplish something they want or need to do.

• Students study writing reluctantly if they have no personal stake in the activity.

• People are writers when they can write without conscious thought to the next step in the process.

Writing talent cannot express itself until writers have that foundation. Remember: Nobody gets into the Indy 500 without first getting a driver's license.