As brain-compatible writing teachers, we must delve more deeply into the consciousness of our students and into the writing process itself. Writing involves every one of our senses. We touch the pen, pencil, keyboard. We hear and see words scratched onto paper, clicked onto a screen. Sights, sounds, scents, tastes—real and imagined—morph into the writer’s words.
Direct experience with the writing process teaches us that writing is a very active, erratic, impulsive, and recursive process, and a traditional textbook version of the alleged five stages of the writing process (prewriting, brain- storming, composing rough drafts, revising, editing, and writing a final copy) falls short of what we need to know.
Integrating Test Preparation Into Instruction
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How do we encourage students to write on a regular basis, regard- less of their skill level or comfort with the language, so they will perform well on test days rather than give up?•
How do we move students toward mastery while adhering to the testing timelines imposed on us?•
How do we balance students’ learning needs with the needs of the school principal, the district, and the state?•
How can we authentically assess learners in an environment invaded by standardized writing tests?Let’s explore brain-compatible examples that measure up to the stan- dards of the effective teachers whose integration of test preparation into instruction beat the odds (Langer, 2000) stacked against their students’ suc- cess. Remember, nothing suggested in this book is prescriptive. Implement only the research-based changes that make sense to you, keeping your stu- dents’ achievement in mind. Study your resources (e.g., textbooks, ancillary reading materials, curriculum guides, standards) in relation to the tests your students take, and prepare an initial “road map” or “mind map” that outlines the highlights of every unit you are planning in relation to the overarching standards on which your students will be assessed.
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Create a framework that complements the types of writing you will be addressing and assessing. Identify an order to deliver your instruction that aligns logically with federally mandated state and district tests. As writing coaches we may want to scaffold our les- sons by introducing description and narration before the more com- plex exposition and persuasion. Unfortunately, we must be ready to accept that testing mandates were not designed by teachers and may warrant the instruction of exposition or persuasion first.•
Identify your standards-based and curriculum-based teaching goals in concise and measurable terms that you, your students, and your principal will understand. If you teach younger students, you may want to consider writing the state standard on the board in words they will understand, for example, “At the end of class, I will be able to . . . .”•
Identify short stories and student writing samples you can incorpo- rate into reading and writing lessons that reflect tested objectives.Plan vocabulary lessons that use words embedded in the texts stu- dents read. Learning how to decode words from contextual clues in context will help students far more on high-stakes tests than memo- rizing the spelling and meaning of shopping lists of words taken from such-and-such workbook. By the way, research on the six fea-
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Brain-Friendly Strategies for Developing Student Writing Skillstures of effective instruction showed that prepackaged materials marketed to one district to improve test scores did not match the test very well, not to mention the learning needs of the students. If vocabulary workbooks are mandated, incorporate the required words into planned activities that use the prescribed words in meaningful, engaging ways. (See “The Open Boat” vocabulary lesson in Chapter
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Encourage and assist students (if necessary) to look up unfamiliar 6.) terms as they present themselves in the dictionary. Often students are permitted to use dictionaries and thesauri during testing situa- tions. If they have not learned how to use them, they will be fooled into thinking they should try, only to find themselves wasting pre- cious minutes of testing time.•
Remember, the first feature of effective instruction recommends teaching skills in multiple-type lessons. Try to minimize the amount of separate skills lessons you use so that you and students do not suffer through textbook exercises that promise little in the way of transferable writing skills.Integrating Test Preparation Into Instruction
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Identify proficient and exemplary student samples for each writing type you will be introducing (e.g., fictional narrative, persuasive essay). Incorporate them into learning activities throughout the term. Help students build their skills naturally by permitting them to read and read often and to rehearse grammar skills by identifying correctness (versus incorrectness) on a daily basis so that when high-stakes tests ask them to write, they have a better chance to write correctly. When students are asked to identify grammatical errors, they will have a better chance at succeeding because their brains will have had more opportunities to hardwire correctness.•
Create a planning calendar (see Chapter 2) that provides a big- picture snapshot of the whole term or year as well as weekly snap- shot of goals. By letting students know where they are heading, they stand a better chance of getting there.•
Locate visually stimulating photos, posters, charts, overheads, and graphics to support each unit of learning. Identify relevant music, manipulatives, field trips, and other sensory tools and strategies to engage multiple learning pathways. Change peripherals often to maintain a novel, engaging brain-friendly environment that continu- ally connects activities to purposeful objectives.•
Encourage questions and feedback, and conduct brief mind-map- ping activities that tap into learners’ full (logical and creative) brain potential. Focus on free expres-sion and process-oriented learning. Ask volunteers to share their mind maps with the rest of the group.
When we integrate into our lesson plans multiple modes of communica- tion (e.g., reading, speaking, listening, media viewing), we form strong foun- dations for effective writing. And when a lesson is so well planned that it
engages students’ brains in (seemingly) effortless ways, good behavior, fun, and learning inevitably happen. These are the building blocks to learning success that marry brain-compatible classroom principles to research-based features and propositions shown to positively influence student achievement on high-stakes tests.
Because neurons thrive only in an environment that stimulates them to receive, store, and transmit information, our chal- lenge as educators is simply to define, create, and maintain an emotionally and intellectually stimulating school environment and curriculum.
—Robert Sylwester