Countless teachers have identified a problem in their classrooms: their kids either can't--or don't want to--write. Cognitive writing (Goodwin & Rouleau, 2023) provides a sustainable, research-based approach to embedding writing into all content areas. Like it or not, we are all writing teachers, and we have a responsibility to ensure writing is embedded into instruction across the disciplines. That said, encouraging kids to write in our classrooms can help all teachers reach their instructional goals: research shows that when kids write about what they've learned, it's more likely to stick. What's more, when we engage students in reflective writing, students are more likely to internalize what they've learned about themselves and their own learning habits. All of this can be achieved with cognitive writing (i.e., "journaling"), a structured and sustainable practice that not only gets kids learning to write, it gets them writing to learn, as well.
In our session, we will begin by connecting research to practice, exploring Visible Learning effect sizes that support journaling, such as summarizing (.62), self-reflection (.81), and constructivist teaching (.92). Then, participants will experience journaling to better understand the types of tasks that lend themselves to cognitive writing, a lesson structure that involves journaling, and scaffolds different students require to benefit from journaling. To conclude, participants will reflect on their time in our session, identifying tangible action steps for exploring journaling their schools or classrooms.
Learning Intention:
We will learn to use journaling as a means for writing across the disciplines, building students' stamina for on-demand writing tasks, and generating student-driven evidence of learning.
Success Criteria:
We will know participants have learned this when:
- they can explain the research that supports using cognitive writing across all subject areas.
- they can identify structures and scaffolds to support cognitive writing in the classroom.
- they can identify 1-3 action steps to begin exploring cognitive writing in their classrooms.
Paul Emerich France is a National Board–Certified Teacher, literacy specialist, keynote speaker, and author of Make Teaching Sustainable, Reclaiming Personalized Learning, and Humanizing Distance Learning and My Kids Can't Write, K-5. His work with #SustainableTeaching stems from this principle: to make teaching sustainable, we need to first and foremost value the humanity of teachers and create conditions in which they can thrive.
France has contributed to a number of online and print education-related publications, including ASCD’s Educational Leadership. His work has been featured at SXSW EDU and in The New Yorker, WIRED, and The Atlantic. He currently consults with teachers, schools, and school districts and offers educational support to families in pods and one-on-one settings.
Registration closes Thursday, July 23 at 12:00pm.
