My Writing Philosophy:

 

     Through my personal experiences and wide range of classes at Western Michigan University, I have developed an intellectual meaning of writing. In order to entirely understand my philosophy of writing, it is important to comprehend my working definition of writing. Writing expands deeper than simply marking words on paper; writing is a form of representing language in both a visual and tactile manor. Writing is an interrelated mesh of direct knowledge, practice, and expression.

     Constructed from my definition of writing, I see teaching writing as providing students with the proper tools to improve and comprehend the application of writing to everyday life. I believe writing is not an isolated activity required only in school, but a tool applied to every aspect of life. I believe developing skilled writers does not start with teaching students how to write, but teaching students why to write. The process of teaching students the real-world purpose for writing is the most crucial step to developing skilled writers and refers back to teaching students why to write; if this step is bypassed students will not construct a deeper connection with writing and will view writing as a superficial process required to pass an English class. I believe practice is the second step to developing skilled writers. Students can learn about writing and read different forms of writing, but they will not develop individually unless they practice and learn from their previous work.            

     Writing is a key component to building self-efficacy in students and providing students with the framework to achievement. What I mean by this, is that students who practice writing will improve over time and with each phase of improvement the student’s attitude towards their work and ability will shift; as the students practice and improve they will build confidence and will be able to carry their confidence to real-world writing.