Writing as a "Communicative Act"

“Writers who have real audiences listening and responding to their writing learn firsthand how writing is a communicative act; they learn to take responsibility for their words, to defend and modify them based on reactions from the real people sitting around them.”

I must admit that blogs seem to be supplanting older methods of introducing writing in the classroom. Such an activity could be invaluable to the growth of a student in terms of stimulating learning, and notably writing, beyond an academic setting. My one concern is that it would be dangerous to tell students that writing is a “communicative act.” While I fully understand the point that Kadjer is trying to make in saying that students take a more active role in the writing process if they feel valued, I am not sure that it is beneficial to think of writing as a “communicative act.” Surely students take responsibility for their words and learn to defend their statements, but my fear in treating writing as an act of communication is that students will provide personal opinions based on impulse rather than justifying the answer with textual support or other evidence. Without constant monitoring of a blog, students will have free reign to write as they please. I suppose that through direct instruction, students will learn how to compose well-written responses. In any event, it takes a highly motivated group to run an efficient blog that demands students to work on the craft of writing. The majority of blogs that I see on the web deal almost exclusively with personal reflection and venting societal, political, or economic concerns. To successfully transition students from these kinds of blogs to perhaps a more structured blog, provided within the English class, it would be important to teach students the importance of defending arguments based on rational explanation derived from sources rather than allow them the freedom to speak their minds without justifying statements with direct evidence.

Kajder, S. (2008). The book trailer: engaging teens through technologies. Educational Leadership 65(6).


“All trailers have to include the title of the book, the author’s name, and a presentation that is both authentic to the text and that works to ‘hook’ readers. I also require students to submit their trailers with a piece of writing that explores the choices they made, with an analysis of the book that shows they made decisions on the basis of the text, and not just by using the aspects of technology that would best captivate an audience.”

This notion of a “hook” reminded me of thesis statements. This process of getting students to captivate an audience could provide vital insight into understanding how to formulate effective thesis statements, which is incredibly difficult to teach adults let alone teens. As for the piece of writing that students must submit, I feel that if this assignment is framed in the proper light, most students will invest the time and energy in ensuring its completion. That is to say, if the teacher makes this writing task seem like a laborious process rather than one that is meant to supplement the book trailer, students are likely to become displeased with the assignment. My advice for introducing this assignment is to tell students that they are architects of a master plan and they must provide the blueprint for future architects. In getting them to explore the choices they make, I would ask them write a kind of manual in documenting each and every step leading up to the book trailer. Not only would this be more enjoyable for the students, but it would solidify in their minds that they have mastered the process of making a book trailer.

Kadjer, S.B. (2007). Unleashing potential with emerging technologies. In K. Beers, R.E. Probst, and L. Rief (eds.), Adolescent literacy: turning promise into practice (213-229). Portsmouth, NH: Heinemann.