Ever thought about why most students have a negative mindset about writing? Whenever they are given an essay or an article to write, they consider it like a forced task instead of taking an interest in writing it. This is all because of the thought that they are not good at writing. Even before they write and submit an essay, they are somehow convinced that they are bad at it.
One of the big reasons behind this is a lack of proper writing activities in schools. In order to change their mindset and help them build a positive attitude toward writing, teachers can try organizing effective writing exercises for adults as discussed further in this article
Strategies to Spark Interest and Make Writing Engaging
Below are some effective strategies for building an interest in writing among your students and helping them refine their skills:
1. Literary Magazine
This is one of the effective methods to promote writing activities among high schoolers. Many schools have their own literary magazines, which students can contribute to. They can either become the core team members or a regular contributor. By allowing students to make any type of writing contribution to the magazine, you can help them refine their creative writing skills. Let them know that they will get the credit for their written piece as it will motivate them to make their contribution.
2. Creative Writing Club
Not every school has a writing magazine. However, that doesn’t mean you cannot promote writing activities among your students. Another effective way to encourage writing among your students is to build a writing club. Allow students to share their creative writing ideas in the club. They can share their writeups without any fear of rejection and get each other’s feedback on the same.
3. Writing Contests
If you are looking for a more professional way to promote writing activities among high schoolers, you can try organizing writing contests. You can try different types of writing contests, such as essay writing, article writing, story composition, etc, to cater to the needs of every student. To ensure that students are encouraged to participate in these concepts, offer cash prizes, scholarships, or something valuable as rewards for winners.
4. Creative Writing Tutor
Take students on study tours and ask them to write tour reports. This is one of the great writing exercises for adults as they have to write what they see in a more formal way. A writing tour is an engaging way to encourage writing among students. This is what many writing institutions and schools already do to get high schoolers interested in writing.
5. Summer Programs
Students often enroll in summer programs to make some productive out of their summer breaks. You can encourage your students to participate in creative writing programs during their summer vacation. As they can pursue these programs without affecting their studies, they are highly likely to go for a creative writing program if they are interested in writing activities.
6. Building a Writing Culture
Just building a positive writing culture can be a great way to promote creative writing among your students. If you know students who are struggling writers, show them the positive sides of writing so that they don’t get demotivated even before they start. Instead of making them feel bad about their mistakes, try to give constructive feedback and help your students improve.
Closure
Students are often discouraged about their writing skills as they have not got the right platform to showcase their skills. By giving them a chance to write for literary magazines or to participate in a writing concept, teachers can change their mindset and get them interested in writing. Teachers at GIIS Ahmedabad, one of the best international high schools in the city, pay special attention to encouraging aspiring writers by organizing effective writing activities to help them boost their skills.
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