Students seem to encounter various challenges when writing bachelor's and master's theses, indicating a need to support them in their writing processes. In this study, academic writing workshops for students writing bachelor's and master's theses were developed and investigated during three years of a participatory action research project. The…

In this article, the authors share what they learned from their study of writing communities, which they refer to as writing groups, during the 2017-18 school year. The authors propose a conceptual framework for writing groups that engages students in the process of designing and participating as writers with their peers. The framework emphasizes…

This article argues that teachers and WPAs can "hack" standard curricular spaces and institute more inclusive writing pedagogies. One form of hacking can occur through the design of Writing Studio, a one-hour peer workshop that provides a necessary off-shoot from normative composition instruction. Writing Studio disables composition as…

The authors describe how an Author-Out poetry writing workshop challenges students' pervading beliefs and assumptions about poetry and cultivates students' proficiency as readers and writers of poems.

On their way to a state English board meeting, Susan Kelly, a curriculum director, and Louisa Kramer-Vida, a university professor, used their travel time as an opportunity to converse about pedagogy (McAdamis 2010). Specifically, they reflected about enhancing K-12 writing in a suburban, middle class school district. "We need to introduce a…

When asked to discuss their middle school language arts classes, talented eighth graders identified concerns and made suggestions for their teachers. Students voiced desire for choices in selecting reading materials, writing topics and genre. They preferred having extended periods of time to engage in reading and writing activities, rather than…

This article describes how one such teacher, Shirley Thacker, developed and implemented a successful writing program in her first grade classroom, which is known as Thackerville. Shirley describes how she motivated a classroom of first-graders to use the writing process in a workshop format and how this approach affected the children's perceptions…

Creative writing workshops typically feature a gag rule and emphasize purported flaws. This structure limits students' meaningful engagement with each other's work; positions the author as inherently flawed; and positions other participants as authority figures, passing judgment without articulating their aesthetic standards. I propose an…

Uses Emily Dickinson as the focus of three poetry workshops at Western Michigan University with high school students attending the Michigan Youth Arts Festival as winners in a state-wide poetry competition. Describes two poetry workshops: "Dear World" - Dickinson in Detroit, and "Walking toward you without knowing" - Michigan…

The Poetry Generating Loop is a new kind of generative writing circle that offers concrete, creative ways to get students involved in and excited about poetry. By writing poems in groups, students are able to learn poetic terms and experiment with techniques through their writing--a process that can shed new light on the world of poetry. (Contains…

Describes a workshop on "slam poetry" and details how this form of performance poetry can lead students back to the written poem with a renewed sense of connection and understanding. Suggests a class exercise that can be adapted to either a creative writing or a literature unit. (SG)

Describes Youth Speaks NY Fifth Annual Teen Poetry Slam. Considers how Youth Speaks offers free after school writing workshops for teens. Notes that this nonprofit spoken word program Youth Speaks plays host to an auditorium of teen poets who "bust at the seams with verse." (SG)

Describes the incorporation of thematic teaching into the author's Reading-Writing Workshop class. Shares a few activities from one coming-of-age unit that increased engagement and helped students generate writing topics that genuinely interested them and related to the same theme. (SG)

Suggests that there are three powerful ingredients that compose writing workshop block: time, ownership, and response. Notes that the child-centered nature of writing workshop is part of what makes it appeal to students. Considers how the fact that each child is accepted at his or her level allows for many differences in ability. (SG)

The emotional transitions basic writers have to make when they enter the academic setting can be overwhelming. Basic writers tend to have a host of problems and obstacles to overcome, not the least of which are their own anxieties. One way to alleviate some of the anxieties and insecurities is through a studio or workshop course staffed with…