How to Become a Better Writing Teacher 1st Edition

Well written.

I love everything about this book! Carl Anderson and Matt Glover changed the way I understood and approached supporting young writers years ago and this book offers an opportunity to take that learning to another level. The videos, online resources, recommendations for further reading, and the content of the book itself make this book the next best thing to having Matt and Carl coaching you in person. I was hooked before I got through the table of contents and I am grateful for the collaboration between these two authors, teachers, and mentors. Many connections to Universal Design for Learning seem to emerge throughout the book as well which weave beautifully into the ways we support learning across all domains. Matt and Carl, thank you for continuing to support us to know better and do better...

Once again Carl Anderson and Matt Glover have gifted us with the opportunity to tap into their years of experience and knowledge of teaching writing. I am continually impressed by Matt and Carl’s ability to take that knowledge and experience and put it in a book in a way that is so easy to read and apply as an educator. How to Become a Better Writing Teacher is a book you “do,” not a book you read cover-to-cover. In the fast-paced, often stressed life of a teacher, this approach to a professional book is a game-changer as it allows the context a teacher needs to grow in a way that is manageable and not overwhelming.One reason why I love this book is that it starts with the guiding principles of writing instruction such as ownership, authenticity, nudging and mentor authors. I really look at these as foundational beliefs–our why to the choices we make in curriculum, instruction and assessment. This is vital as there are so many trends, strong beliefs, and pendulum swings that happen in education. If we know our guiding principles, decisions made regarding curriculum and instruction are so much easier and we are less likely to be steered in a direction that is not what is best for kids.Carl and Matt then align these principles with specific, doable action steps teachers can take in the classroom. It’s these actions steps that allow the guiding principles to come to life. This allows us to not fall into what can happen–getting excited about the why up front, but then never knowing how to make that why come to fruition. For example, for the guiding principles of using mentor authors, a teacher can implement several different action steps such as whole-class immersion and teaching students to read like writers. There are multiple actions steps for each guiding principle. Teachers can choose an action step that fits their needs and really take time to master it. Then, when they are ready, they can choose a new action step aligned to the principle. As Carl and Matt say, becoming a good writing teacher takes time. This book can “walk” with you as you grow your craft over the span of several months or even years.And, if you are hungry for personalized professional development that YOU choose to pursue as a teacher, this book is for you! This is not a book you read front to back, but rather a book you utilize in a way that fits what you want to work on as a teacher. Whether you’re a veteran teacher, new to the field or even a district leader, this book allows you to personalize professional development in a way that I have never seen before. And, if you are a district leader, this book can also be used to implement strategic growth in writing instruction in your district.There are two guiding principles that I think are game-changers and ones that I fully support as a facilitator of curriculum work across Misosuri. The first is that teachers should be given the trust to be a curriculum decision maker. Curriculum is a guide, not a script that teachers should have to follow day-to-day. Why? Because no curriculum knows what happens daily in a classroom-whether students are mastering content laid out in the curriculum, whether they need something slightly different or if they need something completely different not anticipated in the curriculum. We have to trust teachers to play this role with curriculum being the guide, but day-to-day decisions being made by those who are with student writers every day. The second guiding principle is that of knowledge-base. I love what Carl and Matt talked about recently in a podcast–that we know that teachers having content knowledge in math, social studies and science is vital, but we don’t always think that when it comes to writing. This is the area that Matt and Carl have allowed me to grow the most in the last four years and I have seen the impact of having a vast array of knowledge in strategies and action steps to teach children how to write. It’s truly a game-changer.Above all else, what I admire the most about Carl and Matt is that they are always learning–from each other, from teachers, and from student writers.How to Become a Better Writing Teacher has the potential to make a huge impact. Teachers can grow in their craft in a way that is manageable and will make teaching writing enjoyable. Districts can provide strategic professional development tailored to the guiding principles and personalized professional development. And, most importantly, student writers will become engaged and proficient writers.

The esteemed Jedi Master, Yoda, once said, “Do or Do not. There is no try.” Katie Wood Ray put it best when she shared that How to Become a Better Writing Teacher by Carl Anderson and Matt Glover is definitely "not a book you just read - it’s a book that you do."I am confident that this book will help both the seasoned writing teacher and novice writing teacher hold up a mirror to their own teaching and reflect on their own personal growth trajectories. As teachers, it will help us all to reflect, set goals, receive coaching, and refine our craft.Both Carl and Matt have a knack for making this work feel ‘do-able’. Both of them draw on their decades of experience as educators, and their work in classrooms and with schools, to outline guiding principles. The principles, of course, include time, ownership and response, which were at the heart of writing workshop instruction at the start of a writing revolution in the 70s, and continue to be crucial to student growth as writers today. However, Matt and Carl build upon that foundation, with eleven additional principles that can help guide our instruction.Matt and Carl honor educators through their respect, appreciation and acknowledgment that expert teaching is a result of deliberate practice with coaching and feedback. I see this book (along with the video clips and actions) as a resource that we will be able to return to again and again, a workbench of sorts, which we can revisit again and again to hone, fine-tune, polish, and tinker with our own teaching. The actions they recommend serve as learning invitations, which will help us to explore different facets of our practice, either on our own, or even better, alongside colleagues (which is much more fun).This book will be well-worn, marked up, dog-eared, post-it'ed, and live inside of the bag that goes back and forth to school with me as I strive to become a better writing teacher, and learn alongside Carl, Matt, and all of my students each and every day.