ABSTRACT
In practice, a positive writing environment can mean many things to many people, but it is surely one in which each and every person in a writing workshop feels that their ideas and contributions are valid and valued. The writing environment is very much the responsibility of the teacher or the workshop leader. A healthy and positive workshop ethos can be achieved in a number of ways, including
• listening with genuine interest when pupils make contributions or read their work aloud • writing alongside the pupils on a regular basis, and sharing writing with the group • publishing work on a regular basis (see ‘Publishing’ section on pp. 11-12) • making supportive and sensitive but critical comments on students’ drafts • allowing pupils to work at their own pace and to spend time thinking about their writing
(see ‘Time to think’ on p. 4) • keeping an open mind on the length of a piece, as creativity should ideally not be quantified • asking only volunteers to read aloud a first draft; there can be set times when all pupils can
prepare for a reading of their pieces • taking time to read pupils’ drafts on an ongoing basis • being flexible as regards the content of workshop activities – at times allowing pupils to
take their writing in directions of their own • recognising and accepting that some activities will inevitably work better with one group
as opposed to another • encouraging pupils to be supportive and attentive to each other • organising the group into ‘feedback partners’ or small groups on an ongoing basis (see
‘Feedback partners’) • above all, generating real enthusiasm for writing.
