Justin Zaruba
Annotated Bibliography: Using Creative Writing to Teach English Composition
My topic of using creative writing methods in order to teach writing and composition is certainly worthy of further study and consideration. Even after the responses from my students in their literacy autobiography, many students interest in reading and/or writing was stunted by the limitations of their high school curriculum. They were assigned to read a narrow range of books and their response papers were limited in creative options. In high school education, there is little consideration for the students’ creativity, especially in a moment of their life when they are truly exploring their own ideas and thoughts. In order to cultivate their interest in reading or writing, there must be room for the creative mind to explore.
Ali, Shamim. "An Evaluation of Learners Journals as Tool for Learning and Assessment." Language in India 12.8 (2012): 385. Print.
This article was useful as an insight into trying to introduce creative writing elements to students who are more accustomed to the traditional model. Students who were unfamiliar or uncomfortable with creative expressions of writing felt more at ease with traditional assignment, but the journal offered an private alternative. Journals are certainly common in high school or college level English courses. They provide students with the freedom to be creative on their own, without having to fear direct grading or critique. In this article, the journal was explored as an option for all forms of creativity, even including drawing, photography, and other forms of expression.
Bishop, Wendy. "Suddenly Sexy: Creative Nonfiction Rear-ends Composition." College English 65.3 (2003): 257-75. Print.
Wendy Bishops article was actually looking at creative nonfiction, but for the purposes of this article the theory was still applicable. Her thoughts about how creative nonfiction can be integrated into composition curriculum still works with all forms of creative writing. Her outlines of what genres are, how they are difficult to completely define and delineate, and how they intermix were useful in formulating a strong perception of creativity and composition.
Also, her description of composition teachers (and their reluctance to employ more creative methods in the classroom) was very insightful in regards to the issues with implementation of the ideas expressed in other articles.
Cheung, Rebecca H. "Teaching for Creativity: Examining the Beliefs of Early Childhood Teachers and Their Influence on Teaching Practices." Australasian Journal of Early Childhood 37.3 (2012): 43. Print.
The article by Cheung was insightful; it was about the education system in Hong Kong, which seems far-removed, but was a good example of an education system open to employing “creativity” in the compositional classroom. However, problems were encountered when teachers were unable to maintain the “creative” curriculum. While teachers in Hong Kong overwhelmingly (98%) thought that creativity was important, and while the government supported their initiative, none of the teachers were actually trained in execution. It ultimately became problematic. The article shows that such a shift in education standards would have to be taken seriously and carefully, or it has the potential to fail.
Clark, Ian. "Formative Assessment: A Systematic and Artistic Process of Instruction for Supporting School and Lifelong Learning." Canadian Journal of Education 35.2 (2012): 24. Print.
Ian Clark's article covered the importance of creative cultivation over the course of the students life. He discusses what he calls the “core competencies” which start at grade school, develop in high school, and result in higher education. It was important to get this information and understand the scope such implementation would take. This was a strong look at a students education on the whole, opposed to into neatly divided parts.
Hesse, Douglas. "The Place of Creative Nonfiction." National Council of Teachers of English 65.3 (2003): 237-41. Jstor.org. Web. <http://www.jstor.org/discover/10.2307/3594255? uid=3739672&uid=2&uid=4&uid=3739256&sid=21101242729203>.
Hesse writes another article that covers creative nonfiction, but with such applicable thoughts towards my idea. Here, he really demonstrates that creative nonfiction cannot be separated from composition and, in order to teach creative nonfiction, one has to teach composition. I think this is the same for fiction, poetry, and all forms of creative writing. It's not possible to teach them without also teaching composition. Hesse demonstrates with analogies how the genres and disciplines cannot be divided apart, and how they overlap in such a way that they all work with eachother.
Lavelle, Ellen, and Nancy Zuercher. "The Writing Approaches of University Students." Higher Education 42.3 (2001): 373-91. JSTOR. Web. 3 Nov. 2012.
This was a very important article in regards to the development of the “attitude” idea. In their article, Lavelle and Zuercher show their results of the surveys, demonstrating the attitudes and self-perceptions of students. It also looks at what it takes in order to students to self-identify themselves as “writers,” a crucial step in having them develop a positive attitude towards reading and writing. The attitudes here leave the paradigm of students perceptions of their writing and delve more into the students perceptions of themselves, which was both interesting and insightful.
Newton, Lynn. "Pre-service Teachers’ Conceptions of Creativity in Elementary School English." Thinking Skills and Creativity 7.3 (2012): 165-76. Web.
This was a fantastic article and really opened my eyes to the problems with implementing creative writing in compositional classes. The data they collected from researched truly demonstrated a fundamental lack of understanding among English teachers about what qualifies as “creative” assignments. Although their studies were done primarily in the United Kingdom, the problems are symptomatic of the United States education system as well.
This article showed the many problems with how teachers are taught, and how those teachers go on to teach. It also demonstrated the influence government projects have in education, and showed how creativity is sidelined in order to meet government standards.
Sprague, Debra. "Use Fan Fiction with Elementary Students." Learning & Leading with Technology 39.7 (2012): 28. Print.
Sprague's article was a reflection on her exercise with her students, using fan fiction to introduce creative writing methods into the classroom. Although her focus was not necessarily composition, the students reception to the exercise is key. The exercise can be used in the classroom, even if the goals are different. Such an exercise can be used to teach composition, and still be regarded by the students as “fun” and “voluntary.”
Stolmack, Eaton. Creative Curriculum Extenders; Differentiated Projects for the Language Arts Classroom; for Grades 3-5. N.p.: Prufrock, 2012. Print.
Stolmack's book was a collection of creative exercises for grades 3 through 5; these included autobiographies, fairy tales, poetry, plays, etc. What was important here is that there are exercises in print and available to teachers to use. Now, these exercises might not be used, but they are available. The exercises sounded fun; so fun in fact I wanted to use them in my ENG101 class, and these are for grade schoolers. While not quoted directly for the paper, it did provide examples of exercises for creative writing at the early development stages in a students education.
Wang, Amber Y. "Exploring the Relationship of Creative Thinking to Reading and Writing." Thinking Skills and Creativity 7.1 (2012): 38-47. Print.
Easily the most concrete as far as research and results go, Wang's article gives hard numbers about the results of creative versus traditional methods of teaching composition. This is where I was first introduced to positive- and negative-attitudes towards reading and writing. It explores the theories of when negative-attitudes are developed and why. This article really became the backbone of the entire paper. The information here is extensive, useful, and all the other articles “orbited” this as the star.
Very little was offered outside of actual facts and conclusions, and all non-objective stats were pulled from the other articles. However, this one by Wang was the jumping off point for everything.
Annotated Bibliography: Using Creative Writing to Teach English Composition
My topic of using creative writing methods in order to teach writing and composition is certainly worthy of further study and consideration. Even after the responses from my students in their literacy autobiography, many students interest in reading and/or writing was stunted by the limitations of their high school curriculum. They were assigned to read a narrow range of books and their response papers were limited in creative options. In high school education, there is little consideration for the students’ creativity, especially in a moment of their life when they are truly exploring their own ideas and thoughts. In order to cultivate their interest in reading or writing, there must be room for the creative mind to explore.
Ali, Shamim. "An Evaluation of Learners Journals as Tool for Learning and Assessment." Language in India 12.8 (2012): 385. Print.
This article was useful as an insight into trying to introduce creative writing elements to students who are more accustomed to the traditional model. Students who were unfamiliar or uncomfortable with creative expressions of writing felt more at ease with traditional assignment, but the journal offered an private alternative. Journals are certainly common in high school or college level English courses. They provide students with the freedom to be creative on their own, without having to fear direct grading or critique. In this article, the journal was explored as an option for all forms of creativity, even including drawing, photography, and other forms of expression.
Bishop, Wendy. "Suddenly Sexy: Creative Nonfiction Rear-ends Composition." College English 65.3 (2003): 257-75. Print.
Wendy Bishops article was actually looking at creative nonfiction, but for the purposes of this article the theory was still applicable. Her thoughts about how creative nonfiction can be integrated into composition curriculum still works with all forms of creative writing. Her outlines of what genres are, how they are difficult to completely define and delineate, and how they intermix were useful in formulating a strong perception of creativity and composition.
Also, her description of composition teachers (and their reluctance to employ more creative methods in the classroom) was very insightful in regards to the issues with implementation of the ideas expressed in other articles.
Cheung, Rebecca H. "Teaching for Creativity: Examining the Beliefs of Early Childhood Teachers and Their Influence on Teaching Practices." Australasian Journal of Early Childhood 37.3 (2012): 43. Print.
The article by Cheung was insightful; it was about the education system in Hong Kong, which seems far-removed, but was a good example of an education system open to employing “creativity” in the compositional classroom. However, problems were encountered when teachers were unable to maintain the “creative” curriculum. While teachers in Hong Kong overwhelmingly (98%) thought that creativity was important, and while the government supported their initiative, none of the teachers were actually trained in execution. It ultimately became problematic. The article shows that such a shift in education standards would have to be taken seriously and carefully, or it has the potential to fail.
Clark, Ian. "Formative Assessment: A Systematic and Artistic Process of Instruction for Supporting School and Lifelong Learning." Canadian Journal of Education 35.2 (2012): 24. Print.
Ian Clark's article covered the importance of creative cultivation over the course of the students life. He discusses what he calls the “core competencies” which start at grade school, develop in high school, and result in higher education. It was important to get this information and understand the scope such implementation would take. This was a strong look at a students education on the whole, opposed to into neatly divided parts.
Hesse, Douglas. "The Place of Creative Nonfiction." National Council of Teachers of English 65.3 (2003): 237-41. Jstor.org. Web. <http://www.jstor.org/discover/10.2307/3594255? uid=3739672&uid=2&uid=4&uid=3739256&sid=21101242729203>.
Hesse writes another article that covers creative nonfiction, but with such applicable thoughts towards my idea. Here, he really demonstrates that creative nonfiction cannot be separated from composition and, in order to teach creative nonfiction, one has to teach composition. I think this is the same for fiction, poetry, and all forms of creative writing. It's not possible to teach them without also teaching composition. Hesse demonstrates with analogies how the genres and disciplines cannot be divided apart, and how they overlap in such a way that they all work with eachother.
Lavelle, Ellen, and Nancy Zuercher. "The Writing Approaches of University Students." Higher Education 42.3 (2001): 373-91. JSTOR. Web. 3 Nov. 2012.
This was a very important article in regards to the development of the “attitude” idea. In their article, Lavelle and Zuercher show their results of the surveys, demonstrating the attitudes and self-perceptions of students. It also looks at what it takes in order to students to self-identify themselves as “writers,” a crucial step in having them develop a positive attitude towards reading and writing. The attitudes here leave the paradigm of students perceptions of their writing and delve more into the students perceptions of themselves, which was both interesting and insightful.
Newton, Lynn. "Pre-service Teachers’ Conceptions of Creativity in Elementary School English." Thinking Skills and Creativity 7.3 (2012): 165-76. Web.
This was a fantastic article and really opened my eyes to the problems with implementing creative writing in compositional classes. The data they collected from researched truly demonstrated a fundamental lack of understanding among English teachers about what qualifies as “creative” assignments. Although their studies were done primarily in the United Kingdom, the problems are symptomatic of the United States education system as well.
This article showed the many problems with how teachers are taught, and how those teachers go on to teach. It also demonstrated the influence government projects have in education, and showed how creativity is sidelined in order to meet government standards.
Sprague, Debra. "Use Fan Fiction with Elementary Students." Learning & Leading with Technology 39.7 (2012): 28. Print.
Sprague's article was a reflection on her exercise with her students, using fan fiction to introduce creative writing methods into the classroom. Although her focus was not necessarily composition, the students reception to the exercise is key. The exercise can be used in the classroom, even if the goals are different. Such an exercise can be used to teach composition, and still be regarded by the students as “fun” and “voluntary.”
Stolmack, Eaton. Creative Curriculum Extenders; Differentiated Projects for the Language Arts Classroom; for Grades 3-5. N.p.: Prufrock, 2012. Print.
Stolmack's book was a collection of creative exercises for grades 3 through 5; these included autobiographies, fairy tales, poetry, plays, etc. What was important here is that there are exercises in print and available to teachers to use. Now, these exercises might not be used, but they are available. The exercises sounded fun; so fun in fact I wanted to use them in my ENG101 class, and these are for grade schoolers. While not quoted directly for the paper, it did provide examples of exercises for creative writing at the early development stages in a students education.
Wang, Amber Y. "Exploring the Relationship of Creative Thinking to Reading and Writing." Thinking Skills and Creativity 7.1 (2012): 38-47. Print.
Easily the most concrete as far as research and results go, Wang's article gives hard numbers about the results of creative versus traditional methods of teaching composition. This is where I was first introduced to positive- and negative-attitudes towards reading and writing. It explores the theories of when negative-attitudes are developed and why. This article really became the backbone of the entire paper. The information here is extensive, useful, and all the other articles “orbited” this as the star.
Very little was offered outside of actual facts and conclusions, and all non-objective stats were pulled from the other articles. However, this one by Wang was the jumping off point for everything.