3 Ways to encourage English students to enjoy their writing
Most students will snigger at the mention of writing exercises, but there are many methods you can put into play that can help deter this response.
A lot of teachers feel guilty for making their students write for long periods because you can just tell they hate it. But it’s our job to know what the students need and that thing is writing practice.
Learning shouldn’t be easy, it is designed to help us prepare students for the hard work they will do later on in their lives. So what can we do to give them that extra push?
- Present a range of writing types
Encourage your students to dabble with different types of writing by presenting them with tasks and worksheets that help them develop in other areas.
You could encourage them to write poems, songs, plays, blogs or even TV shows. This will help them find their writing voice and broaden their writing techniques. They may even find something they really enjoy!
- Create contests
To encourage student to do their best work you could hold regular contests. You can hold a quarterly event where people share their work and claim rewards. You could make it even more exciting with the addition of pizza or ice-cream.
- Creatively explore ideas
Allow your student to explore and expand their ideas with the use of freewriting, mind mapping and collage.
Give each student a small book to keep as a journal and prompt them to write in it every day. This helps your students write privately. Often knowing your work will be seen is a situation in its self that may make us hate it. So giving students the chance and encouragement to write privately may help boost their enjoyment of the subject.
Find great teaching resources online at Teachit English. The site started out as a tray in the staffroom, now it connects teachers from all across the country – and even the world.
