Composing Coach (Select when reviewing and revising)

Creativity is fostered when writers are encouraged to

take risks by exploring questions, topics, and ideas that are new to them;
use methods that are new to them to investigate questions, topics, and ideas;
represent what they have learned in a variety of ways; and
evaluate the effects or consequences of their creative choices.
“Habits of Mind” in Frameworks for Success in Postsecondary Writing

Thinking and communication with clarity and precision
Be clear! Strive for accurate communication in both written and oral form; avoiding over-generalizations, distortions, deletions and exaggerations.

Do you ever hear your friends, siblings or adults in your life using vague and imprecise language? They describe objects or events with words like “weird,” “nice,” or “OK” rather than telling you more clearly what they were thinking. You might want to know what was “weird” about the movie or why the party was “nice.” They may call specific objects using such non-descriptive words as “stuff,” “junk” and “things.” The problem is that you do not know exactly what the person is referring to— what is the “stuff?”

Language and thinking are closely entwined. Like either side of a coin, they are inseparable. Your words represent your mind. When you use fuzzy language, it is a reflection of fuzzy thinking. As you strive to communicate more precisely and accurately, you become a better messenger of your ideas. Instead of using overgeneralizations such as “everybody does it,” you support statements with explanations, comparisons, quantification, data and evidence. So how can you become more skillful in thinking and communicating with clarity and precision?

A few strategies include:

Examine writing or illustrations that need to focus on precision. For example, when developing a graph have you included appropriate terminology, labels, and units of measure? When writing a newspaper article, did you use correct names and verifiable details?
Mental rehearsal. Inside your head, practice what you are going to say before you say it. For example you can rehearse in front of a mirror or record yourself and play it back.
Pay attention to the words that are chosen in writing or speaking. Observe other people’s language as well as your own. When you observe the use of
Vague nouns and pronouns such as in “they” or “students.” Press for specificity by asking, who specifically?
Vague verbs, such as “understand” or “improve.” Ask what these terms mean.
Comparators, such as “better” or “larger.” The issue is, better than what or larger than what. Ask to get clarity.
Generalizations, such as “Everybody?” or “All the time?” Check to see if it really is everybody– even your neighbor? or all the time-each and every time?
Habits of Mind for Students by Bena Kallick, Art Young, and Allison Zmuda

Thinking and Communicating with Clarity and Precision: Are you communicating your ideas with clear writing, thinking, and speaking?
Example: An effective approach to making sure your thoughts and ideas are communicated clearly in your writing is to read your paper out loud to yourself or a friend. Ask yourself and a peer, “Is this essay communicating what I want it to?” “Does it sound like I want it to sound?”

An Inclusive Approach to a Reading and Writing Workshop with the Habits of Mind By Daniel Vollrath and Scott Einhorn

Responding with wonderment and awe
Have fun figuring it out! Finding the world awesome, mysterious and being intrigued with phenomena and beauty.

We all share the capacity for wonderment, awe, inquisitiveness, intrigue, curiosity and mystery. For example, you may have reflected on the changing formations of a cloud; felt charmed by the opening of a bud; were awestruck by the logical simplicity of a mathematical order; found beauty in a sunset; felt intrigued by a spider web; and exhilarated at the iridescence of a hummingbird’s wings. The capacity for wonderment and awe represents the best of humanity, the heights of what we can accomplish through ingenuity, persistence, and cooperation.

When the world around us sparks our interest and ignites our sense of wonder, we are inspired to learn, to explore, to imagine possibilities. Strategies to help provide experiences that trigger that sense of amazement and wonder:

Use the See, Think, Wonder, thinking routine. Pay attention to something that you may be awestruck by–ask yourself–what is it that I see here? What does it make me think about? What do I wonder?
Explore new places. Take a walk outside, visit a museum, listen to music, watch a TED talk. Whether these are virtual or physical experiences, give yourself time to really pay attention to what amazes you.
Keep a notebook or journal. Make a list, draw, photograph, or describe experiences or ideas that you have found to be delightful, magical, or wonderous.
“Without awe life becomes routine… try to be surprised by something every day.”
– Mihalyi Csikszentmihalyi

Habits of Mind for Students by Bena Kallick, Art Young, and Allison Zmuda

Responding with Wonderment and Awe: Are you inquiring about your topic? What is exciting?
Example: You have the opportunity to choose your own topic for an argument project. Don’t just grab something off a list of top debates; select something that’s always intrigued you or that’s always bugged you. This is how you will inspire both yourself and your audience. Even though you may be happier with no assignment at all, seize the opportunity to explore a topic that you really want to know more about.

An Inclusive Approach to a Reading and Writing Workshop with the Habits of Mind By Daniel Vollrath and Scott Einhorn

Finding humor
Laugh a little! Finding the whimsical, incongruous and unexpected. Being able to laugh at one’s self.

Keeping your brain active by finding the humor in situations, especially when things are not going well, provides some relief from stress or frustration. Your appreciation and use of humor can help you bounce back from adversity and feel more resilient. Sometimes you laugh at yourself to relieve your own embarrassment.

Understanding humor requires thinking flexibly-finding novel relationships, observing oddities in images, and making analogies. When you engage in humor you can see situations from a new vantage point or come up with the unexpected. For example, notice the twist in this one:

What is the astronauts’ favorite place on the computer?
The space bar!

Having a whimsical frame of mind, you can find and appreciate absurdities, ironies, and satire which helps find needed lightness in situations. However, you can be quick-witted yet sensitive to knowing the difference between clowning around and using humor to raise people’s spirits. Our attempt to find humor in a situation needs to be attentive to the context.

Is this a good time to say something funny?
Am I paying attention to how others are feeling?
Might what I think is funny actually be hurtful to someone else?
What can I do if my humor is interpreted as hurtful to someone?
When could my use of humor be distracting?
Habits of Mind for Students by Bena Kallick, Art Young, and Allison Zmuda

Finding Humor: Is it funny?
Example: Before beginning a writing task, think about the funny aspect and making someone laugh. Often when you read a funny anecdote within a piece, it seems to draw you in and want to read more. Ask yourself, “Would my humor in the introductory paragraph captivate the reader?” Remember, you’re not trying to constantly crack jokes and get your reader to fall off his chair belly laughing; when appropriate, getting the reader to chuckle inside and smile here and there is what it’s about—your writing becomes well-rounded. It becomes enlightening AND entertaining.

An Inclusive Approach to a Reading and Writing Workshop with the Habits of Mind By Daniel Vollrath and Scott Einhorn