I often hear talk of where the “future” of writing is going in education. I think it can pretty much be agreed upon across the board that it will be digital in some capacity, but what about the kind of writing?
Many outside of the “digital generation” see digital writing for the flaws that it can undoubtedly have. Sometimes it is short, words can be abbreviated, and thus- it gains the wrap of killing the English language and composition. Now, I do not believe any of this to be true. I support that digital writing is just as legitimate as any other form, but I do think there is an opportunity right now to shape where writing is headed in the education system within these digital forms.
The three main forms of writing I see as being done in school are research, creative, and standardized testing. I include standardized testing as a category so that I can go ahead and eliminate it as I feel it is rigid, archaic, and has no place in a child’s education. Now for the other two:
Research: I never really understood as a student why these papers were so important. Anyone that knows me can tell you that I’m a fly-by-night kind of soul, so I guess they were so strict. It is important for students to learn how to cite, but I’m not sure these papers are the way to do it unless the child is headed for a mathematical or scientific career.
Creative: In my opinion, this is where we need to target student writing. Creative fiction and nonfiction allow students to feel free to make mistakes and learn from them. They are not bound by anything but themselves and teachers have a great opportunity to connect and bring out great work from them. Creative nonfiction has come a long way and students can learn to cite and research based on it. Multigenre projects are an excellent way to accomplish all the goals any educator would set out to have a well-rounded pupil.
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