How can we create an environment where students want to write?

The first aspect of creating an environment where students themselves have the desire to write is to show them the pleasure writing can give you. It´s the teachers job to show his students why writing can be fun and useful. In order to do that students can be given the choice on what topic they want to write about. I think if students can share whatever story they like or write about a topic that really interests them, they are much more motivated and can actually enjoy sharing their thoughts.

The second aspect that should be considered is the media that is used. The teacher has many choices to make here. Students can surely write on paper or in a book, but if possible students should also have the opportunity to write online in blogs or create wikispaces. Other communication- platforms like facebook or myspace can also be considered.

Not only the media is an important point but also in which form to write. Here again the teacher can offer various options. The students can write some kind of journal if they like. They could also write a diary, recording their experiences or try out the art of writing poetry. Whatever media or form they choose, the teacher has to make sure that students are not afraid of writing. The teacher can for example tell the students that he is not going to have the students read their writings out aloud, because not all maybe want to share their rather private writings.

Another possibility of creating a writer- friendly environment is to have students compete against each other, for example having a essay competition. The essays don´t get graded by the teacher, but the students themselves choose which essey was the most interesting one and pick their winner. Once the teacher has drawn the students interst in writing, they may also come up with more ideas and suggestions on how to improve their writing.