Building Inclusivity and Empathy Through Writers' Workshop

Abstract

All children have the right to experience a safe and inclusive classroom that engages them in learning and advances equity. Writers' workshop is particularly well suited for creating a safe and inclusive space. Writers' workshop encourages children to share their own stories and listen to, learn about, and develop empathy for others. This instructional strategy can also encourage conversation about important social issues in local communities and the broader world. This article explains specific approaches that can be used within the writers' workshop framework to examine assumptions, use inclusive language, and practice respectful interactions.

Using Texts as Mirrors: The Power of Readers Seeing Themselves

“…Méndez‐Newman (2012) described how strategically selected mentor texts prompted students to tap into family and community funds of knowledge and subsequently promote creative writing “to find their voices, share their stories, and participate meaningfully in culturally diverse classrooms” (p. 25). In this way, writers simultaneously learned about writing skills while centering traditionally marginalized identities in mentor texts (Beschorner & Hall, 2021). Martínez‐Álvarez and Ghiso (2017) explored how multilingual learners critically inquired into their lives by taking photos and writing about their communities; teachers used multilingual mentor texts to promote translanguaging in documenting multicultural stories and histories.…”

Empatía y educación en la infancia y la niñez: un estado actual de la cuestión

“…Está claro que la educación no se puede apartar de las emociones, sino que, por el contrario, debe integrarlas y aprender de ellas (Beschorner & Hall, 2021). Por esta razón, es imperativo que la escuela fortalezca el desarrollo intra e interpersonal de los estudiantes, mejorando los procesos de aprendizaje y las relaciones humanas, claves en el bienestar humano (Herrera & Buitrago, 2015;Jenkins & Fredrick, 2017;Steger et al, 2021;Van-Rijn et al, 2019).…”

Three Strategies for Supporting Elementary Writers through the Practice of Sharing

“…Finally, sharing writing can encourage children to develop empathy for other classmates and contribute to establishing a positive and collaborative classroom writing community (Beschorner & Hall, 2021).…”

“…Sharing composed texts can also engage and motivate reluctant writers when they perceive these sharing experiences as a positive interaction between their teachers and peers (Graham, 2018; Graham, Harris, & Santangelo, 2015). Finally, sharing writing can encourage children to develop empathy for other classmates and contribute to establishing a positive and collaborative classroom writing community (Beschorner & Hall, 2021).…”