Writer’s workshop is an opportunity for you to share you work with others in order to improve your writing. Writer’s workshop can be conducted during any stage of the writing process—even before you begin—and it can be completed as often as you like. You do not need to be an expert in writing to participate in writer’s workshop. You just need to be yourself, be honest and give feedback when you can.
There are two types of writing workshop models you can use in class: the “coaching” workshop and the “consultant” workshop. Both of these workshops can be used throughout the writing process.
Coaching Workshop. The coaching workshop is a problem-solving activity where act as coaches and encourage writers to talk and think about a particular problem they’re having with their writing. Its primary purpose is to help the reader think deeply about their problem and discover a solution. Coaches do not give advice or offer praise or criticism. Instead, their job is to support the writer’s thinking by listening and asking questions.
Consultant Workshop. In a consultant workshop, writers receive advice, praise and/or criticism from group members on ways to improve a piece of writing. Consultants do not need to be experts. Instead, they take on the role of the reader and respond to a piece of writing using a specific feedback strategy selected by the writer.
Coaching Workshop
The coaching workshop is a problem-solving activity where students act as coaches and encourage writers to talk and think about a particular problem they’re having with their writing. Its primary purpose is to help the reader think deeply about their problem and discover a solution. Coaches do not give advice or offer praise or criticism. Instead, their job is to support the writer’s thinking by listening and asking questions.
Coaching workshops are conducted at various stages in the writing process. Most of the workshops should occur during class. The coaching workshop is a problem-solving activity where students act as coaches and encourage writers to talk and think about a particular problem they’re having with their writing. Its primary purpose is to help the reader think deeply about their problem and discover a solution. Coaches do not give advice or offer praise or criticism. Instead, their job is to support the writer’s thinking by listening and asking questions.
Coaching workshops can take anywhere from 20-60 minutes, depending on the complexity of the task.
Coaching Guidelines
A writer brings a concern to the workshop. It’s important the writer only focuses on one issue during the workshop as there is limited time. Focusing on one issue also gives the writer an opportunity to give the issue some serious thought and find a solution within a class period. Here are some examples of concerns:
- I’m not sure what to write about for the assignment.
- I’m not sure how my ideas are connected.
- I’m stuck with this idea in paragraph two
- I’m not sure if the evidence I’m using is convincing enough
- I’m not sure if this says what I want it to.
Once the writer has stated their concern, the coach responds by pausing, paraphrasing and then probing. The coach will complete the pausing—paraphrasing—probing sequence many times throughout the workshop.
How Coaching Works
Pausing. Coaches should pause after each comment the writer makes throughout the session, starting after the writer initially states their concern. Once the writer makes a statement, pause for 3 seconds before paraphrasing what they said. Pausing tells the writer that they are not expected to have the right answer right now and that it’s okay to take time to think. It also gives the writer, and the coach, time to let the issue sink in so they can begin thinking more deeply about it. Coaches and writers may find this awkward at first, but it gets less awkward with practice.
Paraphrasing. After pausing, paraphrase what the writer said by putting it into your own words. Be sure not to repeat exactly what the writer said. Your paraphrase should be shorter than the original statement. Pay attention to verbs and to key words like paragraph, ideas, thesis statement, etc. Also be sure to use the pronoun “you” instead of “I” when paraphrasing.
Paraphrasing does three things:
- It it tells the writer that you’re listening, you care and you understand what they said.
- It helps the writer (and the coach) organize what’s been said.
- It helps make abstract thinking a little more concrete.
Here are some examples:
- So you said you’re having problems with your topic sentence because you think it doesn’t fully express the ideas in your paragraph.
- So you’re not sure how your ideas are connected.
- So you’re stuck in paragraph three because you don’t think the ideas are not clearly explained.
- So on one hand you…and on the other you…
Probing. Probing means asking the writer questions that gets them to think about their problem in a deeper and more detailed way. Asking probing questions helps the writer move beyond their initial response and think more deeply. The key element in probing is for the coach to ask open-ended questions—i.e., questions that do not have a specific answer, like yes or no answers. Probing questions vary depending on the writer and their concern. So you’ll have to be creative. Starting with words like who, what, where, when, why, and how and explain and describe help ensure you’re asking open-ended questions. Here are some examples of open-ended questions:
- What is it that you think doesn’t work?
- Can you describe what you’re struggling with in more detail?
- Can you clarify your point?
- What would you like ______ to do?
- How does _______ relate to __________?
- Can you tell me more about it?
- How do you think you can make the connection stronger or more clear?
- What is it you think might confuse the reader? Why?
- What would you like your paragraph to do?
- What idea are you hoping this paragraph
- What was your intention when…?
- What is the connection between __________ and your thesis statement?
- How does ______ compare to your other paragraphs?
- How does ______ compare to your other topic sentences?
How many times should coaches repeat the pausing—paraphrasing—probing sequence? This depends on the writer and the situation. Ideally the workshop will naturally end when the writer discovers a solution to their problem. If this is the case, you can finish the workshop by pausing and paraphrasing the writer’s solution. Sometimes the writer may not discover the solution and may need to conduct another coaching workshop. Or they discover that coaching isn’t working for their particular issue and decide to complete a consultant workshop.
Coaching Participant Roles
What a cognitive coach does…
- Listen carefully
- Pause between the writer’s problem statement and paraphrasing
- Paraphrase statements the writer makes
- Ask probing questions
- Make eye contact
A cognitive coach does not…
- Offer praise, criticism, advice or solutions
- Answer questions
- Interrupt when the writer is talking
- Use feedback strategies
Consulting Workshop
Most students know the consulting workshop simply as writer’s workshop, as this is the type of workshop they conduct most frequently. In this type of workshop students get together in small groups of 4-6 to give and receive feedback. Students do not need to be experts in writing in order to participate in this type of workshop. Instead they only need to be able to give honest and constructive feedback using one of several feedback strategies. Students may conduct a writer’s workshop at any stage in the writing process– even before they begin writing.
Listed below are some general guidelines you should follow when conducting a writers workshop. Be mindful of the number of people in your group and the amount of time you have to complete the workshop. These factors may affect how much feedback each member can give. When participating in a writer’s workshop, you should:
- Choose a feedback strategy prior to the workshop
- Read the strategy instructions aloud to group members at the beginning of your turn
- Give each member a copy of your writing, if the strategy requires you to do so
- Read your writing aloud TWO times. If time doesn’t permit two readings, you may read your writing aloud once.
- Remind members that talking while you’re reading is not permitted and hold their feedback until it is their turn to speak
- remind them not to mark for any grammar, spelling or punctuation, unless you have asked them to do so.
- Once you’ve finished reading aloud TWO times, each person takes a turn giving you verbal feedback. Anything they tell you MUST also be written on their copy of your writing.
- After everyone in the group has given you feedback, move on to the next person.
- Complete a written writer’s workshop reflection and submit it to the teacher along with a draft of your writing.
Giving Feedback
Remember that the amount of feedback you give during a workshop will depend on how much time you have and the number of people in your group. Stick to giving verbal feedback on only 2-3 items. You may, of course, address more than three points in writing. Also remember that everything you tell the writer must also be written on their work.
Writers/Speakers Do this…
- Read slowly.
- Pause at appropriate times to give readers time to write their comments down.
- Remind readers to follow the feedback strategy’s guidelines.
Readers/Listeners Do this…
- Asked the reader to slow down if they’re reading too quickly.
- Remind people politely not to comment until the reader has finished reading.
- Explain your written feedback when it’s your turn.
- Be specific when you give feedback by pointing to sentences, phrases and/or words.
- Try to use statements beginning with “I.”
- Giver your written feedback to the writer at the end of the workshop—not at the end of their turn.
Whose feedback should you consider? Which feedback should you take? An experienced writer considers all feedback seriously. After you have given all feedback serious consideration, you will need to decide which advice you will take. It’s okay not to take other’s advice. You should consider taking advice that comes from an experienced writer. You should also consider taking advice if everyone in your group has given you the same advice on a specific aspect of your writing.
What should you do immediately following a workshop? If you’re workshop finishes early and you’re waiting for other groups to finish, you should start working on revising your writing. It’s much easier to remember the details of the advice you received immediately following a workshop.
Source: Learning In Strides (2018) by Joe Schaaf. This approach to writer’s workshop approach was inspired by the work of William Powell and Ochan Kusuma-Powell outlined in “Coaching Students to New Heights in Writing” by William Powell and Ochan Kusuma-Powell. It was also informed by Arthur L. Costa & Robert J. Garmston’s