These days I have been reading the article “Teaching Writing Skills: What to Learn and How to Learn Writing” by CommonWealth Magazine (He Qiyu)
Edited by Wu Yuzhen, the book argues that writing can be taught and learned, that learning to write doesn’t just come naturally through frequent writing, and that writing itself is an important learning tool. Among the insights is a particularly inspiring article for parents, titled “How Can Parents Help Their Children Fall in Love with Writing?” (by Fang Yahui). I read it with great attention, and here are some of my reflections (in italics).
Guiding children to write is actually easier than teaching them English or mathematics, and parents can play a key role.
This statement sounds quite reassuring, but I think it’s also relatively true. After all, there are more parents who are better at literacy (reading and writing) than English and math.
“There’s no other way to improve writing than to read widely,” said Zhu Tianyi, a former writer. Parents should give their children the freedom and space to read, and not rush to assess their results. “Silkworms don’t spin silk just by eating a few mulberry leaves.”
This is an open secret. Yet, adults often remain anxious. First, they can’t help but rush to see results, and second, their expectations of “results” can be skewed, especially when “writing” and “composition” required for exams diverge. The author of this article immediately cites the example of an eighteen-year-old girl who published a collection of poetry thanks to her long-term consumption of mulberry leaves. This example is actually quite frustrating, as we know that most children who “eat mulberry leaves” certainly wouldn’t be able to produce this kind of silk. Producing silk in this way isn’t the goal. The purpose of reading and learning to write doesn’t have to be so limited. What is the purpose? This topic is vast, and I’ll discuss it later. At least in my opinion, learning to write moving words, even if it’s just to write love letters, win the heart of “your significant other,” or even achieve lifelong happiness, is enough to make one feel truly content.
Cultivating language skills isn’t like teaching math; most parents should be able to do it themselves, for example by keeping a diary or reviewing their child’s test papers. “It’s most effective when parents and children learn together and progress together.”
That makes sense. However, I’ve also found that sometimes, if parents are too anxious (especially when they feel their child isn’t as good as others), it’s best to do nothing; the results can actually be better.
Writer Jian Ying has a self-proclaimed “opportunistic” method: “If the school gives us meat, I give us vegetables; if the school gives us vegetables, I give us meat.”
This witty remark implies that parents can supplement their children’s nutritional needs based on the school’s “supply.” However, this does require a high level of parenting skill, requiring a clear understanding of “educational nutrition” and the ability to distinguish between “meat” and “vegetables” provided by the school. This method is extremely difficult to master. However, the method discussed later, which authors use to read to their children, is quite simple and easy to implement, and worth considering:
What if your child resists reading on their own? Jian Ying will read the opening of the book first. “Some books have an opening that makes you want to read on.”
Wang Shufen, who teaches at Neihu Elementary School, continued to read to her daughter even when she was in high school, just like she did when she read picture books to her as a child, even if her daughter was not interested in the books she chose. Usually, her daughter would be attracted by the books while listening unintentionally, and would eventually take the books and read them herself faster.
The methods used by these two female writers and mothers are very similar. Reading this, I felt a resonant feeling, because as a father, I do the same thing. Getting into a book (especially a longer one) isn’t easy, but this method can help guide and nudge a child toward it. If, despite your best efforts, the child still refuses to engage on their own, that’s okay; put the book down and let it flow.
Many parents assume that their children can start writing as soon as they pick up a pen, but this is a misconception. Chen Xiangjun, a teaching specialist at Kangxuan Composition Tutorial, explains that if children lack proper guidance or even have negative experiences when they first start learning to write, they can lose interest in writing at best, or even develop a fear of it at worst.
——This further illustrates that sometimes not teaching is more effective than teaching.
If your child doesn’t want to write, he or she might try speaking.
——This article about the tricks of “speaking” is very good and quite long, so I will simplify it. Generally speaking, there are two ways: one is for parents to help their children convert oral language into text, that is, the children speak and the adults write, which is more suitable for children who are good at oral expression; the other is to help children record, and then the children organize it into text based on their own recordings, and finally deal with the rhetoric and structure to complete an article.
Besides verbal activities, hands-on activities are also a great option. … For example, writing instruction manuals for household appliances, making book jackets or small posters for favorite books, or collaging everyday flyers and posters into works of art. Then have children write down their creative ideas. “The key is to avoid long essays; start with short sentences.”
——In the theory of “whole language” learning, this falls into the category of “creating real reading and writing events”, that is, “creating events” in life to let children feel the reality and necessity of “reading and writing”. They do not write for the sake of writing, but have to write for life and for games.
Jian Ying believes that the most important things in writing are sensitivity and imagination. She often imagines situations, such as wind and rain, and asks her children to imagine themselves going out with an umbrella and then write about what they would encounter. This stimulates their imagination and sensitivity, “making them more sensitive and gradually learning how to express what’s on their mind.”
Encourage, encourage, and encourage again
When a child finally finishes an essay, only to see its poor content, poor rhetoric, and numerous typos, what parent wouldn’t sigh, or even get angry? At this point, remember to take a deep breath, calm your mind, and practice three principles: encourage, encourage, and encourage again.
The principle of encouragement is honesty and specificity. Specifically point out what’s good and why it’s good, rather than just being perfunctory or flattering. “Children are very sensitive, so you can’t lie to them or coax them. If you praise them objectively and honestly, they will trust your criticism.”
The wonderful uses of encouragement and praise have been increasingly promoted and adopted, sometimes to the point of overuse. However, relatively speaking, I think children need sincerity more. On the other hand, they also need the right “appreciative skills.” When we look at a child’s writing, how should we appreciate and judge it? I always find this question the most challenging to grasp. Typos and rhetorical errors are flaws, and they’re bound to be corrected over time. Everyone goes through a process, so I don’t think they’re important. It’s even less important if an article doesn’t use a few beautiful words or sentences. In my opinion, the most commendable thing in a child’s writing is the genuine and delicate feelings, creative ideas, and interesting expressions. Writing should be as natural as breathing. Authenticity and interest are paramount. On a deeper level, contributing to human wisdom and aesthetics is even better. From this perspective, encouraging, praising, or criticizing a child’s writing is actually quite challenging.
Zhu Tianyi reminds parents to guide and appreciate their children’s writing, not to act as critics or reviewers, but to look at their children’s articles from a child’s perspective and share their thoughts and opinions.
In addition to verbal praise, collecting children’s words is also a great encouragement to him.
The sight of parents immersed in writing is the best example and encouragement.
——To put it another way, if parents really want to play a role in their children’s writing problems, their own learning and progress are equally important.
Zhu Tianyi, who runs a writing class, will communicate with parents who are eager to see their children get high scores, and tell them that the most important thing is to cultivate children’s ability and habit of active writing.
Jian Ying believes that after training for exams, learning the patterns, and getting high scores, one should also do one more thing: “Let it go.” … The method is still to read a lot, “like taking a miracle drug and then drinking a lot of water to naturally break the pattern.”
“Perhaps parents can try to raise their perspective and focus on cultivating their children’s interest in reading and writing from an early age. Exams are only temporary; a child’s enjoyment of reading and willingness to express themselves through writing are key skills that will benefit them throughout their lives.”
——To put it simply, “attitude” is the most important thing.
Overall, I think the article’s ideas are excellent and practical, with much to learn from. However, judging by the arguments and examples presented, they’re generally from the perspective of writers, writers, and writing teachers. The successful cases, however, are often modeled on children becoming “quasi-writers.” I don’t think that’s necessary.
Writing should be something instinctive, a means of expression, something nearly everyone needs, but only a few necessarily cultivate to the level of becoming writers. For the sole purpose of making a living, most people are content with just being able to write official documents. I prefer to view writing as a necessity for learning and ordinary life (non-work aspects). For example, the internet is awash in textual information. Much of it would be completely unacceptable to a writing teacher and would likely receive a zero on any language test. However, writing (or, more accurately, “typing”) these words can bring joy to life and, for young people, is even a great way to attract the attention of the opposite sex. What’s wrong with that?
Once we make a value judgment, “what is the purpose” becomes a very important premise question.
“Let children fall in love with writing — why should parents do this?” This may be a more difficult question to answer.
Argentine Primera División, February 2009