A Day at Judson with Kelly Gallagher

This week Kelly Gallagher spent an entire day sharing his expertise on writing at Judson University in Elgin, Illinois.  If you have not heard of Mr. Gallagher, you must check out his books. (Two favorites are Readicide and Write Like This). You might also be interested in visiting his website at http://kellygallagher.org.

Gallagher’s presentation focused on the importance of teacher modeling and using mentor text in the classroom.  If we want students to improve their writing skills, we (teachers) must show our students how to write.  Gallagher stated, "We (teachers) are the best writers in our classroom."  Students need to see their teachers working through the writing process.  This may sound scary!  However, it is imperative for students to see their teachers brainstorm, draft, revise, edit, and take a piece to final copy. 

Kelly Gallagher compared the teaching of writing to learning skills in sports. Imagine a baseball coach at batting practice.  Does the coach hand his/her players a book on how to hit the ball or does he/she lead by example?  If this image doesn't work for you, think of a dance instructor showing his/her dancers a new ballet step.  Again, does the instructor hand his/her dancers a list of instructions on how to complete the new ballet step?  Chances are the dance instructor is going to demonstrate the step to his/her students by doing it first while the students watch.  Let’s take this idea from the world of sports into our classrooms. 

Leading by example was the clear message of Gallagher’s workshop.  If the idea of writing in front of your students scares you, remember you are not alone.  There are professional authors out there to help you model (mentor text).  For example, if you are teaching narrative writing, then go out and find some examples of published narrative writing.  One of my favorite narrative pieces is written by Gary Paulsen called Woodsong.   Once you've found the literary piece or text to help you, use it to your advantage to then create your own narrative with your students watching.  You will first want to read through the piece with your students.  Then take time to study the writing with your class.  Look for patterns in the writing, use of figurative language, grammar, punctuation, and anything else you can think of to help students understand what good writing looks like. After the use of the mentor text, use it to start your own writing in front of your students. 

When students observe you (the teacher) using the mentor text to write, they will be inclined to use it themselves.  Remember, after you use the mentor text to model, you might want to allow students time to practice with a partner and/or group.  As students practice, monitor their progress and then allow them time to write on their own—gradual release.  

This whole process seems rather simplistic.  Educators use real world writing examples in their classrooms, teachers write in their classrooms to model, and  students use this mentor text and modeling to foster and grow their own writing skills.   Think of the potential!