Once you have developed a significant other relationship with a high school student, you will start to see the world through rose-tinted glasses. It is no secret that teens can be complicated, moody and frustratingly immature, but there is a lot to admire about them. You will soon realize that teaching them can be a real challenge, especially when you consider that they have no established writing habits. Students will often criticize your instructions, deeming them useless or even downright confusing. However, the sooner you establish a strong rapport with these young minds, the easier it will be to boost their creative writing skills and expose them to a diverse range of storytelling opportunities. The following are helpful tips on how to effectively teach a creative writing workshop to high schoolers.
Start Early
It is always preferable to start early when organizing a creative writing workshop for high schoolers, particularly in the fall or winter. This will allow you to work with the same cohort of students for a longer period of time and establish a more cohesive style and feel for your workshop. If you start late in the year, you will be scrambling to fit in as much content as possible, and this can be extremely taxing, especially during the semester.
Treat It As A Fun And Learning Experience
As a teacher, it is your duty to impart knowledge and skills to your students. However, even experienced teachers can find a creative writing workshop with high schoolers to be a real challenge. This is because they have not yet developed the writing habits necessary for effective storytelling. Therefore, you must look at the endeavor as a way to not just teach them the necessary concepts and skills, but also find ways to inspire and motivate the students to become more involved and interactive during class. In order to achieve this, you must adopt a playful and engaging tone throughout the workshop. This will help to inject some fun into what can otherwise be a rather dry and uninspiring endeavor. When you are having fun, your students will naturally feel encouraged to join in and have some fun themselves.
Make Sure Everyone Is On The Same Page
As a teacher, it is your duty to impart knowledge and skills to your students. However, even experienced teachers can find a creative writing workshop with high schoolers to be a real challenge. This is because they have not yet developed the writing habits necessary for effective storytelling. Therefore, you must look at the endeavor as a way to not just teach them the necessary concepts and skills, but also find ways to inspire and motivate the students to become more involved and interactive during class. In order to achieve this, you must adopt a playful and engaging tone throughout the workshop. This will help to inject some fun into what can otherwise be a rather dry and uninspiring endeavor. When you are having fun, your students will naturally feel encouraged to join in and have some fun themselves.
Find The Fun In Academics
There is a lot to cherish about high school. For starters, you get to spend a lot more time with the people you love. Moreover, it is a great opportunity to develop your own style and voice as an educator. However, while many students will look at a creative writing workshop with disdain, there is a lot to be said for challenging yourself and finding the fun in the process. Therefore, you must look for ways to make the most out of the experience, especially during the more tedious parts. For example, you can have the students write dialog or make up stories based on the readings that you give them. This will challenge their critical thinking and creative writing skills, while also giving you hands-on experience in teaching.
Practice With Short Stories
The earlier you start the workshop, the better. This will allow you to work with the same cohort of students for a longer period of time and establish a more cohesive style and feel for your workshop. If you start late in the year, you will be scrambling to fit in as much content as possible, and this can be extremely taxing, especially during the semester. Moreover, since you are adopting a playful and engaging tone throughout the workshop, you can have the students practice their storytelling skills by writing short stories. This will make it easier to digest vast amounts of information and help to retain what you are teaching. Short stories can be as simple or as complex as you choose, and this allows you to tailor the practice to specific learning goals. Additionally, you can use stories, flash-fictions, or even poems as writing exercises, so long as you have appropriate material. Therefore, having a short story practice will not only help you to keep your students engaged, but will also help you to find the appropriate material for your class.
Use Technology Wisely
Not all technology is made equal, and you must always consider how you are going to use it in the classroom before you buy it. Moreover, when buying technology for your classroom, always consider the quality of the service and support that you can expect. Even the most basic technology can become outdated and obsolete quickly if you do not properly take care of it.
Overall, establishing a strong bond with your students is the key to a successful creative writing workshop. Once you have developed this rapport, you can use it as an opportunity to expose your students to different experiences and skills, while also having some fun and engaging learning experiences of your own. Moreover, it is important to keep in mind that technology can be very useful when adopted properly and used in combination with face-to-face interactions and real-world application. At the very least, having a classroom computer will allow you to conduct research, which can then be presented in a more engaging manner to your students.