Writer robots
We teach students to write too methodically. We allow adherence to form to trump creativity. We assess according to state-issued rubrics that call for a certain structure to be followed. We score students on their abilities to be focused, include enough content, stay traditionally organized, use proper grammar and spelling, and use “style.”
[But] We neglect audience. We’re churning out writer-robots who spit back the format they think we want to see.
Lyn’s a K-6 principal, but her critique of teaching applies all the way up to master’s programs. Scoring has taken creative enterprise and focused solely on enterprise.
