Topic: Anne Elrod Whitney

When we say we teach students to remember, we mean we support students as they recall and retell—with specificity—what happened in their writing practice.

Anne Whitney, Colleen McCracken, and Deana Washell think that young kids can reflect and, once they know what it does for them, usually want to reflect. However, this doesn’t mean they know how to reflect. We need to teach reflection, not just expect reflection.

When student writers know how to reflect, they know how to learn from their writing experiences. It’s one thing to experience something, but if the experience is then forgotten or not connected in any direct way to other experiences, how is it useful?

Today on the podcast, we’re talking with Anne Whitney, Colleen McCracken, and Deana Washell, co-authors of “Teaching Writers to Reflect: Strategies for a More Thoughtful Writing Workshop.”

Teaching Writers to Reflect is a book about reflection in the context of teaching writing. Anne Elrod Whitney, Colleen McCracken, and Deana Washell decided to start with themselves.

Some children, no doubt, are just naturally reflective. I don’t doubt that much of Lucas’ thoughtfulness about his work was just part of who he is. But all children— and adults for that matter—can be taught to be more reflective.