Brain+Based+Writing

Brain-Based Writing: Brain-Based Writing--The Basics: A brain-based approach to writing operates from two perspectives: A brain-based approach to writing is based upon four basic principles: Find out more about how this innovative, classroom-tested approach works:
 * Native (and advanced non-native) speakers have a wealth of knowledge about spoken English locked up in their brains. The brain-based writing approach takes advantage of this phenomenal resource. Rather than memorizing arcane rules and lists, students (and teachers!) are taught how to query their existing knowledge of English, areas we refer to as Wizards: Grammar Wizards, Sentence Wizards, Rhetorical Wizards, and Word Wizards. They are then able to use this information to resolve sentence-level and stylistic issues.
 * Another tremendous advantage of this approach is that students are actively involved in discovering how things work through guided analyses of what they **already know** subconsciously about English. This type of engaged learning much more closely mirrors the natural learning process that the brain utilizes so efficiently on a daily basis. This classroom-tested approach is the answer--it's fun and it absolutely works!
 * __Teacher to Student__:
 * We teachers are constantly preparing material for input into our students' brains.
 * If this input is properly structured, our students will internalize the material, which will then transfer into better writing skills.
 * The perspective here is what is going on in our //**students'**// brains.
 * If teachers, irrespective of content area, have some basic idea about how the brain internalizes things, they are in a better position to feed the learning process. This basic concept is //especially// true in the teaching of composition skills.
 * __Writer to Reader__:
 * Writers prepare material for input into their readers' brains.
 * If this input is properly prepared, readers will process the material smoothly, grasp the content accurately, and wind up with a positive--or at least neutral--impression of the writer.
 * The perspective here is what is going on in the **//readers'//** brains as they process the written material.
 * If students have some basic, non-technical concept of how a proficient reader reads, they will be in a better position to understand how to prepare the material for it(something we refer to as **feeding reading**).
 * Tie instruction about //written// English back to what students already know about //spoken// English.
 * Do not //cover// concepts in class--help students try to //discover// them first.
 * Work primarily with those areas where written English is different from or more specific than spoken English.
 * Be recursive. Spiral material through the curriculum, adding additional pieces in the process.