Reflecting on Don Murray's Implications for Writing Part 1

As writing teachers, we can teach how we were taught, we can teach as a reaction against how we were taught, or we can read what the experts who have come before us suggest is a best practice and we can try that. When it comes to teaching writing, a name I've gravitated to is Don Murray.

The Essential Don Murray: Lessons from America's Greatest Writing Teacher is a book that includes "Teaching Writing as a Process Not Product." Published in 1972, this piece explains the "implications of teaching process, not product." I'd like to reflect on how these implications have manifested themselves in my own teaching of writing (rather than pretending that I've come up with these practices on my own). This post will include Murray's first 5 Implications, with another post to follow regarding Implications 6-10.

Rebecca Black, Who?

I felt like things were clicking on Friday.  My 9th grade classes spent the day writing a literary analysis essay either on their own or with a partner.  We used Billy Collins' "Marginalia" as our text.  Students had already done a close reading of the poem on Thursday, so they were ready to go.

I was freed up to move around the room and read what students were writing and answer any questions they had.

Just Writing

“What did you learn in English today?” It's a ticket in the door, but that door is at the student’s house, and the question is asked by the parent. The answer is one that we hope they give thoughtfully. Reflectively. But what if it’s not? What if the student literally describes what he saw for today’s 55 minutes: I dunno, Mr. Newman talked to kids in class about our essays, but he didn’t get to me, so I just typed all period.

That is literally what happened today. And I can’t say that this kid isn’t telling the truth, or is leaving out the most important part. I did talk to them about their papers today. I didn’t get to everybody.