Interview with The Writing Tutor (Holly Van Houten):
1) Where were you educated and what did you focus on?
I received my Bachelor of Arts degree in English from UCLA in 1989 and my Master of Arts degree in English from USC in 1991. I then completed all of my Graduate Coursework for the Ph.D. in English at USC, passed my Quals and was working on my dissertation when I had my first child. My status is currently A.B.D. (“All but dissertation”) for the Ph.D. While I was at USC, I trained extensively with the Freshman Writing Program where I was awarded “Outstanding Departmental Teaching Assistant” from the USC Center for Excellence in Teaching. From there I became a mentor teacher to new graduate students, training them how to teach writing at USC. I worked for many years in the USC Writing Center.
2) You have taught at USC, Pepperdine, CSUN and CSULB. I found an article that states that about 33% of incoming freshmen to Cal States do not qualify for English 101 classes and have to take remedial English classes. What did you see in the colleges where you taught in terms of writing skills?
When I taught English 101 classes, students rarely came prepared. In a class of 20 students, there might be 3-4 kids who were prepared for college level writing. This is, of course, why colleges REQUIRE English 101. At USC we required a full year of “Freshman Writing” – English 101 and 102. The classes had to be taken during the first year… all year. USC did not even make exceptions for students who had passed AP tests. Every student had to go through the USC Freshman Writing Program because the USC professors, throughout the university, INSISTED on it. Professors across the curriculum rate student understanding and proficiency on their ability to articulate that understanding in writing. They expect students to come to their classes with strong writing skills, so they can focus on the subject material. Our job in the Freshman Writing Program was to make sure students had the skills needed for their other courses. Even if college is not the path a child will take, strong writing skills are essential. Writing is communication and those who do it well, have a voice.
3) You often tell your students that Writing is “Organized Thinking.” Can you explain how writing teaches students to be critical thinkers and why organization is so important?
Teaching writing is a complicated and years-long work in progress because we are really teaching children HOW to think critically. It’s important to note that I didn’t say, “WHAT” to think, but “HOW” to think! This is a really important distinction and essential to critical thinking and analysis. Education is long process of expanding our ideas and our understanding. One of the best tools for this is writing. Writing requires one to explore issues more deeply and really grasp complexity. Students have to develop these abilities over many, many years and it’s almost never painless. It requires hard work and a willingness to make mistakes in the process. For example, students in my literature classes usually are eager to write a summary of the novel we are reading. They much prefer that to discussing character development or theme in the novel. Why? --Because it’s easy to for a reader to write about “events” that occurred in the book, in a pre-ordained order. It is far more challenging for readers to have to come up with their own ideas ABOUT those events/characters/themes and articulate them in writing for someone else to consider. This is part of why I am not impressed by writing programs that focus on summary, syntax, grammar, etc. Sure, those are the easy things to teach (especially in a group setting). They’re just not what a student needs if they are to learn to think well. When I teach writing, I begin with the fundamentals of paragraph or essay structure. I give the students easy topics that they already know a lot about, so they can practice organization and begin to understand what their AUDIENCE needs. I then ask them to analyze increasingly complex issues that require them to consider multiple (and sometimes contradictory) points of view. Little by little, over years of practice, students become better and better at this process. They become critical thinkers, able to articulate and organize their thoughts for others to read and clearly understand. As they develop these skills, they learn to support their ideas through research and textual evidence. Along the way, if they are reading regularly for at least a few hours a day, they will easily pick up the surface skills they need for their writing – grammar, syntax, spelling, etc. These are easily taught as they come up and I find that Microsoft Word is a far more efficient teacher for “proofreading” than any classroom teacher ever could be. The word processor catches problems as they happen and students are able to make corrections in context, without the shame of red marks all over their papers. Instead, my focus in the classroom is on demonstrating strong ideas and encouraging students to think critically. I ask them to practice articulating those ideas clearly and in depth. I teach them how to support their ideas with outside research and the how to structure their ideas effectively for a reader.
4) Can you MAKE a child be a good writer?
Absolutely – and it’s a lot of work! J However, I prefer to substitute the word “grow” for “make,” and utilize a gardening metaphor here. The parents’ job is to tend their budding writers, water daily with books, fertilize with ideas and weed out distractions. Parents who are willing to devote a few hours each day to ensuring that their child reads A LOT and writes out their thoughts A LOT will absolutely cultivate a writer. They just need to remember that growing a writer means growing a thinker. Parents should ask their children what their thoughts are on any given subject throughout the day and choose one issue for them to write about. Children have gazillions of ideas and are always in search of a good listener. Ask them to transfer the ideas they are so eager to “talk” about into written words and consider writing back a response yourself. Nothing is better than modeling. Did they have a great at the new park? Ask them to write a paragraph comparing the old park to the new one. Did they get to go snorkeling on vacation? What was it like? What advice do they have for friends who might want to try it? Did they like the 3rd book in a series better than the 4th? Why? Discuss all these ideas and choose one each day to write about. This can be done as soon as they are able to talk, literally. Parents can become “transcribers” for their children. I taught my kids to read, using stories they dictated to me. I typed as they told me a story and then printed it and used it as our reading material for that day. They loved it and because of it, they have always self-identified as “writers.” I corralled grandparents, aunts, uncles and basically anyone willing to donate 15-20 minutes to the cause, to listen to their stories, ask questions and just generally make a fuss over them. It’s also essential to really limit screen time and replace it with book time. I know parents who have their kids “earn” their screen time with reading – a 1:1 ratio… one hour of reading earns one hour of screen time (video games, television, computer, etc.) This is how you grow a writer… daily care and feeding.
5) What advice would you give to parents to help build both the desire and the skills to write well?
The best advice I can give is to have your child write daily! They should have regular, structured and unstructured writing assignments. Write with your child, discuss ideas and find a way to promote group feedback. Ultimately, writing is self-expression. If children are encouraged to see writing as an opportunity to express their ideas and have them heard, they are far more likely to enjoy it. Have them write about subjects they care deeply about and use their ideas as the basis for family discussions. Don’t “correct” every piece of writing. Students do not learn grammar, spelling, punctuation or vocabulary from being told that they have done it wrong. They learn those things from reading extensively and seeing it done correctly, in practice. Homeschoolers are autodidacts; reading should be as much a part of everyday life as eating and sleeping. Students should spend a great deal of their time reading and writing. Read to your kids when they’re young. Make it a nightly routine. You don’t have to stop reading together when they learn to read. Make family reading time a part of each day. Have them read to you. Listen to audiobooks while driving. Audiobooks are a wonderful way for reluctant readers to enjoy stories that might still be too difficult for them to read. Audiobooks should be an addition, though; not a substitute. Kids need eyes on the page if they’re to learn spelling, punctuation and syntax. The goal is for kids to LOVE books. Writing should equally be something they LOVE. Start early and write daily. If fine motor skills are still a problem for younger students, you can write/type their ideas for them. Don’t get too caught up in the idea that you need to “teach” your child to write. Just have them write and read all the time. Comment on how they’ve ordered and focused their ideas. Focus on the global issues… not the minutiae, leave proofreading for the end. Revision is not about fixing spelling, but strengthening ideas and clarity. A child that writes a coherent argument or a creative story on a daily basis and reads at least a few hours each day, will be a strong writer. Think of yourself as a facilitator. If you make writing and reading a part of their everyday lives and model this behavior yourself, regularly discussing their ideas and your own, the kids will “teach” themselves.
I have written blog posts to help parents encourage strong writing skills. Take a look!
Here are some useful book reviews:
1) Where were you educated and what did you focus on?
I received my Bachelor of Arts degree in English from UCLA in 1989 and my Master of Arts degree in English from USC in 1991. I then completed all of my Graduate Coursework for the Ph.D. in English at USC, passed my Quals and was working on my dissertation when I had my first child. My status is currently A.B.D. (“All but dissertation”) for the Ph.D. While I was at USC, I trained extensively with the Freshman Writing Program where I was awarded “Outstanding Departmental Teaching Assistant” from the USC Center for Excellence in Teaching. From there I became a mentor teacher to new graduate students, training them how to teach writing at USC. I worked for many years in the USC Writing Center.
2) You have taught at USC, Pepperdine, CSUN and CSULB. I found an article that states that about 33% of incoming freshmen to Cal States do not qualify for English 101 classes and have to take remedial English classes. What did you see in the colleges where you taught in terms of writing skills?
When I taught English 101 classes, students rarely came prepared. In a class of 20 students, there might be 3-4 kids who were prepared for college level writing. This is, of course, why colleges REQUIRE English 101. At USC we required a full year of “Freshman Writing” – English 101 and 102. The classes had to be taken during the first year… all year. USC did not even make exceptions for students who had passed AP tests. Every student had to go through the USC Freshman Writing Program because the USC professors, throughout the university, INSISTED on it. Professors across the curriculum rate student understanding and proficiency on their ability to articulate that understanding in writing. They expect students to come to their classes with strong writing skills, so they can focus on the subject material. Our job in the Freshman Writing Program was to make sure students had the skills needed for their other courses. Even if college is not the path a child will take, strong writing skills are essential. Writing is communication and those who do it well, have a voice.
3) You often tell your students that Writing is “Organized Thinking.” Can you explain how writing teaches students to be critical thinkers and why organization is so important?
Teaching writing is a complicated and years-long work in progress because we are really teaching children HOW to think critically. It’s important to note that I didn’t say, “WHAT” to think, but “HOW” to think! This is a really important distinction and essential to critical thinking and analysis. Education is long process of expanding our ideas and our understanding. One of the best tools for this is writing. Writing requires one to explore issues more deeply and really grasp complexity. Students have to develop these abilities over many, many years and it’s almost never painless. It requires hard work and a willingness to make mistakes in the process. For example, students in my literature classes usually are eager to write a summary of the novel we are reading. They much prefer that to discussing character development or theme in the novel. Why? --Because it’s easy to for a reader to write about “events” that occurred in the book, in a pre-ordained order. It is far more challenging for readers to have to come up with their own ideas ABOUT those events/characters/themes and articulate them in writing for someone else to consider. This is part of why I am not impressed by writing programs that focus on summary, syntax, grammar, etc. Sure, those are the easy things to teach (especially in a group setting). They’re just not what a student needs if they are to learn to think well. When I teach writing, I begin with the fundamentals of paragraph or essay structure. I give the students easy topics that they already know a lot about, so they can practice organization and begin to understand what their AUDIENCE needs. I then ask them to analyze increasingly complex issues that require them to consider multiple (and sometimes contradictory) points of view. Little by little, over years of practice, students become better and better at this process. They become critical thinkers, able to articulate and organize their thoughts for others to read and clearly understand. As they develop these skills, they learn to support their ideas through research and textual evidence. Along the way, if they are reading regularly for at least a few hours a day, they will easily pick up the surface skills they need for their writing – grammar, syntax, spelling, etc. These are easily taught as they come up and I find that Microsoft Word is a far more efficient teacher for “proofreading” than any classroom teacher ever could be. The word processor catches problems as they happen and students are able to make corrections in context, without the shame of red marks all over their papers. Instead, my focus in the classroom is on demonstrating strong ideas and encouraging students to think critically. I ask them to practice articulating those ideas clearly and in depth. I teach them how to support their ideas with outside research and the how to structure their ideas effectively for a reader.
4) Can you MAKE a child be a good writer?
Absolutely – and it’s a lot of work! J However, I prefer to substitute the word “grow” for “make,” and utilize a gardening metaphor here. The parents’ job is to tend their budding writers, water daily with books, fertilize with ideas and weed out distractions. Parents who are willing to devote a few hours each day to ensuring that their child reads A LOT and writes out their thoughts A LOT will absolutely cultivate a writer. They just need to remember that growing a writer means growing a thinker. Parents should ask their children what their thoughts are on any given subject throughout the day and choose one issue for them to write about. Children have gazillions of ideas and are always in search of a good listener. Ask them to transfer the ideas they are so eager to “talk” about into written words and consider writing back a response yourself. Nothing is better than modeling. Did they have a great at the new park? Ask them to write a paragraph comparing the old park to the new one. Did they get to go snorkeling on vacation? What was it like? What advice do they have for friends who might want to try it? Did they like the 3rd book in a series better than the 4th? Why? Discuss all these ideas and choose one each day to write about. This can be done as soon as they are able to talk, literally. Parents can become “transcribers” for their children. I taught my kids to read, using stories they dictated to me. I typed as they told me a story and then printed it and used it as our reading material for that day. They loved it and because of it, they have always self-identified as “writers.” I corralled grandparents, aunts, uncles and basically anyone willing to donate 15-20 minutes to the cause, to listen to their stories, ask questions and just generally make a fuss over them. It’s also essential to really limit screen time and replace it with book time. I know parents who have their kids “earn” their screen time with reading – a 1:1 ratio… one hour of reading earns one hour of screen time (video games, television, computer, etc.) This is how you grow a writer… daily care and feeding.
5) What advice would you give to parents to help build both the desire and the skills to write well?
The best advice I can give is to have your child write daily! They should have regular, structured and unstructured writing assignments. Write with your child, discuss ideas and find a way to promote group feedback. Ultimately, writing is self-expression. If children are encouraged to see writing as an opportunity to express their ideas and have them heard, they are far more likely to enjoy it. Have them write about subjects they care deeply about and use their ideas as the basis for family discussions. Don’t “correct” every piece of writing. Students do not learn grammar, spelling, punctuation or vocabulary from being told that they have done it wrong. They learn those things from reading extensively and seeing it done correctly, in practice. Homeschoolers are autodidacts; reading should be as much a part of everyday life as eating and sleeping. Students should spend a great deal of their time reading and writing. Read to your kids when they’re young. Make it a nightly routine. You don’t have to stop reading together when they learn to read. Make family reading time a part of each day. Have them read to you. Listen to audiobooks while driving. Audiobooks are a wonderful way for reluctant readers to enjoy stories that might still be too difficult for them to read. Audiobooks should be an addition, though; not a substitute. Kids need eyes on the page if they’re to learn spelling, punctuation and syntax. The goal is for kids to LOVE books. Writing should equally be something they LOVE. Start early and write daily. If fine motor skills are still a problem for younger students, you can write/type their ideas for them. Don’t get too caught up in the idea that you need to “teach” your child to write. Just have them write and read all the time. Comment on how they’ve ordered and focused their ideas. Focus on the global issues… not the minutiae, leave proofreading for the end. Revision is not about fixing spelling, but strengthening ideas and clarity. A child that writes a coherent argument or a creative story on a daily basis and reads at least a few hours each day, will be a strong writer. Think of yourself as a facilitator. If you make writing and reading a part of their everyday lives and model this behavior yourself, regularly discussing their ideas and your own, the kids will “teach” themselves.
I have written blog posts to help parents encourage strong writing skills. Take a look!
Here are some useful book reviews:
- Book Review: Emotional Intensity in Gifted Kids
- Book Review: The Well-Trained Mind
- Book Review: Nurture Shock