Writing, Thinking, and the Brain

Writing is the highest form of thinking, as evidenced by neuroimaging that shows how 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-a-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.

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.

“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

Contents

List of Figures and Tables  vi

Acknowledgments  viii

Introduction  1
Who Should Read This Book  1
How to Read This Book  3

1.  A Story of Learning to Write  6
Think to Write, Write to Think  8
Lessons Learned  15
Why ThinkWrite? Why Now?  26

2.  The Neuroscience of Writing  31
Learning Trajectories and Their Neural Networks  31
Holons: Parts and Whole  32
Four Categories of Neural Networks for Language  37
When Problems Occur, Diagnosis Is Half the Cure  46
The Holons of the ThinkWrite Model  49

3.  The Holons of Prewriting  55
Understand  56
Know Things  62
Mind Wander  69
Reflect  75
Map and Connect  81

4.  The Holons of Writing  86
Outline  87
Plan  93
Research  97
Draft  102

5.  The Holons of Revision  108
Peer Exchange  110
Feedback and Feedforward  115
Edit  121
Revise  126
Proofread  130
Complete and Commence  134

6.  Toggling to Assist Variability and Flexibility  140
Name It to Tame It  141
Familiarity, Repetition, and Practice  142
Student Choice  145
Toggling for Better Learning  146
The Brain Adapts to What It Does Most  150
Introducing ThinkWrite to Students  151

7.  Tools for Coaching the Thinking Behind Writing  167
Coaching Students to Toggle  167
Valuing the Thinking as Much as the Writing  173
Writing is No Longer Just About Pencil and Paper: Embracing EdTech  187

8.  Implementing ThinkWrite With Universal Design for Learning  189
What is Universal Design for Learning in Education?  189
Differentiation Through UDL  191
Why Do Students Vary in Their Starting Points as Writers?  192
Differentiating with ThinkWrite  193
Determining the Range of Learners  194
Determining the Scope of Activities  195
How ThinkWrite Responds to All Aspects of UDL Course Design  195

9.  From Theory to Practice  198
Why ThinkWrite?  198
How to ThinkWrite (The Quick Guide)  199
Core Principles From the Learning Sciences and Their Implications for Instruction  200
The Bridge Between Our Current Practice and ThinkWrite  209
Practical Steps to Ground Writing Instruction in the Learning Sciences  211
Leverage Points to Change the System  215
The Holons of the Learner and Why AI Will Not Replace Good Writing Teachers  217
Generative AI (ChatGPT)  220
Nurturing Writers  221

Index  223

About the Authors  227