Using the Not So Simple View of Writing in the Classroom: Executive Functions

“Writing is such a struggle for my students. How do I help them?” ask teachers everywhere.

“Why do we have to write?!?” cry kids all over the world (probably).

Although I’m not prepared to answer the latter, I can definitely help with the former. Let me introduce you to the Not So Simple View of Writing, coined by Berninger and Winn in 2006.

Writing is a complex process that requires our brains to do multiple things simultaneously. If you pat your tummy and rub your head and say the ABC’s backwards at the same time, you’ll get a sense of the physiological feeling that happens when kids are asked to write.

In this post, we’ll focus on making tweaks to our current instruction that best support students in executive functions.

Supporting executive function can be done by making some purposeful instructional tweaks to increase achievement for all learners.

A supportive environment goes a long way towards reducing the angst or anxiety that comes along with writing. Students want to know that their writing pieces weren’t a waste of time. Use your own writing sample as a model for craft, style, or editing techniques. Then allow students to collaborate, give and receive peer feedback on their own writing. Finally, publish student writing to the appropriate audience.

Help students remember that two things can be true: writing can be difficult, and we can work through it together. If using your own writing sample as a mentor text, you can model the feelings and emotions you have as you’re writing.

Continue using your own writing sample to model using resources like a thesaurus, reference books or websites, writing checklists, or timers and productivity tools. Help students see that using tools in writing is the norm, not the exception

Depending on the grade-level, additional supports and scaffolds may be necessary.

For my overview on The Not So Simple View, click here.

If your student struggles with text generation, read more here.

If they struggle with transcription, read more here.

For the full text on the Not So Simple View of Writing, click here. For a great take on it by Joan Sedita, click here.