2: Engagement and Self-Discovery: A Workshop Approach

The Writers’/Readers’ workshop is a student-centered, progressive approach to teaching the language arts. In his book, Writing: Teaching and Children at Work, Donald Graves (2003) considers a process approach to the teaching of writing. He supports the belief that in order to learn how to write students need to be given the opportunity to write in school. Furthermore, because writing is a nonlinear and recursive process, students ought to experience the writing process in a nonlinear way. Graves also advocates the importance of developing one’s own voice when writing thereby situating learning in the lives of students. Over the years educators such as Nancie Atwell, Lucy Calkins, and Linda Rief have further developed many of the ideas put forth by Donald Graves. The Writers’/Readers’ workshop, as it has come to be known, allows students to engage in the process of reading and writing in the classroom. Students are active learners; they chose topics they wish to read and write about. Teachers facilitate students learning by providing constant feedback, and by supporting students in their choices, strategies and inquiries.