Writing Is Thinking

In the instruction and learning process, the role writing plays has often been overlooked. Writing is thinking! It is a tool for learning in all content areas. The ever-growing body of brain research supports that learning to write transitions into writing to learn as students progress through upper elementary, middle, high school, and college. Writing is much more than the ability to craft an analytical essay. Writing has the potential to engage students in critical thinking and critical reflection as historians, mathematicians, scientists, or experts in any content area. Writing is Thinking explores methods and activities to effectively incorporate writing to help learners successfully master, analyze, apply, and express content knowledge.

The authors excelled in providing the reader with vignettes and strategies to facilitate their use of the writing process to enhance students' critical thinking skills and content knowledge. Each cha​pter is intentionally focused with explicit tools to develop and enrich students' knowledge and understanding. A must for teachers and teacher preparation programs.--Carol Todd, PhD, Adjunct Instructor and Instructional Designer, Rio Salado College, The authors model Respect: they tell readers the importance of using person-first language and bias-free writing; they explain how the brain works and what teachers can do to maximize learning; they remind readers that writing is thinking, and since we want our students to think about our content, we give them authentic reasons to write about our content.--Pat Daniel Jones, PhD, Retired Associate Professor English Education, Founding Director, Tampa Bay Area Writing Project, Department of Teaching and Learning, University of South Florida

Holly S. Atkins, PhD is associate professor of undergraduate education and chair of the undergraduate education department at Saint Leo University. She served for six years as co-director of the Tampa Bay Area Writing Project.Lin Carver, PhD serves as the director of program approval in the college of education and social services and program administrator for the master’s in reading program at Saint Leo University.