Teach Writing Online?

 

Alice C. Linsley

Over the past decade I have taught writing remotely to over 20 private students. Mainly, we communicated via email, but sometimes we used Skype. Today, remote instruction can be done more efficiently using Zoom.

I also taught Creative Writing in the classroom and certainly my preference is to engage students face-to-face (f2f). However, the Covid-19 pandemic has pushed teachers to online instruction and to new levels of frustration.

Martin Weller offers this observation at his Ed Techie blog: “It’s forever 1999 for online learning critics”.

Online and distance learning does generally require more self-motivation from the learner, away from the physical cues that prompt learning. It also requires more organization of their time and study environment and so retention may always be an issue compared to f2f. But it also offers opportunities for other forms of teaching. The least interesting thing you can do is replicate the not very effective model of the lecture. We had these discussions back in 1999, and people explored problem based learning, constructivism, collaborative learning, and then later connectivism and flipped learning. I’m not proposing any one of these approaches as a magic bullet, and some students will like them and others hate them. But different approaches are achievable and have been realised for a long time. Just because you’ve been dumped off your lectern and feel aggrieved, is no need for another ‘online learning sucks’ hot take.

 

My advice is to find a level of technology that is comfortable for you. Work on that platform until you learn how to use Zoom. Start by communicating on Zoom with family and close friends. When you are comfortable, initiate a session with 2 or 3 students. 

Plan ahead. Have visuals ready to show the students. State homework assignments and follow up with email reminders. Most parents want to be copied on the email communications.

The teacher's attitude is very important to the students' success. Take the online challenge as something positive. Ask for help. The students are tech savvy and many are glad to help you. 

Remember that the final objective is for your students to write something worthy of publication. Then help them learn how to shop around for potential publishers. Learning to write and learning the business of writing are two different matters, but a good writing teacher will help students with both.

Related reading:  About This Blog; You Tube Video Editing; How to Teach Online With Zoom