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Writing, Thinking, and the Brain: How Neuroscience Can Improve Writing Instruction

Writing is the highest form of thinking, as evidenced by neuroimaging which shows that more neural networks are activated simultaneously during writing than during any other cognitive activity. This book will help teachers understand how the brain learns to write by unveiling 15 stages of thinking that underpin the writing process, along with targeted ways to stimulate them to maximize each individual’s writing potential. This one-of-kind resource is constructed on the premise that everyone has the potential to be a great writer. Many people learn to write in school settings according to a product-based structure in which they get feedback or a grade on an outline, draft, or final version of their work; few are coached on the many hours of thinking that go into that writing process. This book celebrates the invisible thinking behind the products, explains the brain’s way of making sense of writing assignments even in light of generative AI, and offers new tools to become a better writer and to assess the writing process. By exposing the invisible thinking behind the writing, Writing, Thinking, and the Brain helps both the teacher and the learner identify personal learning trajectories for better outcomes.

Book Features:

  • Spans all literary genres and all age groups and is complementary to any curriculum.
  • Builds on the firm foundation of writing practices of the past with insight from the learning sciences.
  • Practical and accessible examples and illustrations throughout.
  • Written in the voice of a supportive, knowledgeable colleague.
  • Linked directly to Mind, Brain, and Education goals.
  • Leverages Universal Design for Learning (UDL) principles.
  • Offers teacher activities at all 15 stages of thinking with guidelines to support student learning.
1144945670
Writing, Thinking, and the Brain: How Neuroscience Can Improve Writing Instruction

Writing is the highest form of thinking, as evidenced by neuroimaging which shows that more neural networks are activated simultaneously during writing than during any other cognitive activity. This book will help teachers understand how the brain learns to write by unveiling 15 stages of thinking that underpin the writing process, along with targeted ways to stimulate them to maximize each individual’s writing potential. This one-of-kind resource is constructed on the premise that everyone has the potential to be a great writer. Many people learn to write in school settings according to a product-based structure in which they get feedback or a grade on an outline, draft, or final version of their work; few are coached on the many hours of thinking that go into that writing process. This book celebrates the invisible thinking behind the products, explains the brain’s way of making sense of writing assignments even in light of generative AI, and offers new tools to become a better writer and to assess the writing process. By exposing the invisible thinking behind the writing, Writing, Thinking, and the Brain helps both the teacher and the learner identify personal learning trajectories for better outcomes.

Book Features:

  • Spans all literary genres and all age groups and is complementary to any curriculum.
  • Builds on the firm foundation of writing practices of the past with insight from the learning sciences.
  • Practical and accessible examples and illustrations throughout.
  • Written in the voice of a supportive, knowledgeable colleague.
  • Linked directly to Mind, Brain, and Education goals.
  • Leverages Universal Design for Learning (UDL) principles.
  • Offers teacher activities at all 15 stages of thinking with guidelines to support student learning.
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Writing, Thinking, and the Brain: How Neuroscience Can Improve Writing Instruction

Writing, Thinking, and the Brain: How Neuroscience Can Improve Writing Instruction

Writing, Thinking, and the Brain: How Neuroscience Can Improve Writing Instruction
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Writing, Thinking, and the Brain: How Neuroscience Can Improve Writing Instruction

Writing, Thinking, and the Brain: How Neuroscience Can Improve Writing Instruction

Overview

Writing is the highest form of thinking, as evidenced by neuroimaging which shows that more neural networks are activated simultaneously during writing than during any other cognitive activity. This book will help teachers understand how the brain learns to write by unveiling 15 stages of thinking that underpin the writing process, along with targeted ways to stimulate them to maximize each individual’s writing potential. This one-of-kind resource is constructed on the premise that everyone has the potential to be a great writer. Many people learn to write in school settings according to a product-based structure in which they get feedback or a grade on an outline, draft, or final version of their work; few are coached on the many hours of thinking that go into that writing process. This book celebrates the invisible thinking behind the products, explains the brain’s way of making sense of writing assignments even in light of generative AI, and offers new tools to become a better writer and to assess the writing process. By exposing the invisible thinking behind the writing, Writing, Thinking, and the Brain helps both the teacher and the learner identify personal learning trajectories for better outcomes.

Book Features:

  • Spans all literary genres and all age groups and is complementary to any curriculum.
  • Builds on the firm foundation of writing practices of the past with insight from the learning sciences.
  • Practical and accessible examples and illustrations throughout.
  • Written in the voice of a supportive, knowledgeable colleague.
  • Linked directly to Mind, Brain, and Education goals.
  • Leverages Universal Design for Learning (UDL) principles.
  • Offers teacher activities at all 15 stages of thinking with guidelines to support student learning.

Product Details

ISBN-13: 9780807782712
Publisher: Teachers College Press
Publication date: 10/25/2024
Sold by: Barnes & Noble
Format: eBook

About the Author

Tracey Tokuhama-Espinosa, PhD, is an instructor at the Harvard University Extension School, and Harvard College Summer School, the associate editor of Nature Partner Journal, Science of Learning, and an international educational consultant. Jovi R. S. Nazareno, MEd, is a graduate of Harvard’s Mind, Brain, and Education program, and is a learning science and education outreach specialist at MIT Open Learning. Christopher Rappleye, MFA, is the Ethan A. H. Shepley '41 Chair of Distinguished Teaching in English and Composition and a leader in social emotional learning at the Mary Institute and Saint Louis Country Day School in St. Louis, MO.

What People are Saying About This

From the Publisher

“The author team of Writing, Thinking, and the Brain combine the research acumen of scholars with the practical wisdom of veteran teachers. The result is a serious book that peels back the cognitive layers and illuminates the neural interconnections involved in the complex process of writing. Readers will not only gain ideas for instruction, they will also better understand the underlying cognitive processes associated with written communications.”
—Jay McTighe, consultant, McTighe & Associates Consulting LLC, coauthor of the Understanding by Design® series


“This book lets us as teachers and learners think about writing as an action drama on the stage of the mind—in a brain at work. With the brain’s neural networks churning with knowledge, emotions, and decisions, amid a chorus of cultural, social, and contextual voices, we see how a writer’s working memory goes about crafting a text.”
—Linda Flower, professor emerita, Carnegie Mellon University


“Writing is an art—and understanding the brain science behind the art is fascinating. As the authors note, ‘If there is a task that makes more demands upon our brain than writing, it may well be the teaching of writing’—which is why Writing, Thinking, and the Brain is a valuable resource for teachers in all content areas. I wore out my highlighter reading it.”
—Kelly Gallagher, former co-director, South Basin Writing Project, California State University, Long Beach, and author of Teaching Adolescent Writers and Write Like This


“Tokuhama-Espinosa and colleagues have written a must-read guide for those of us interested in a behind-the-scenes view of the writing process.”
—Sharon Zumbrunn, professor, Virginia Commonwealth University

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