One truth I have learned about resistant writers has helped me more than any other: Many are better at resisting than they are at writing because they have practiced resistance. To change this pattern, we need to move these students in the opposite direction and help them practice writing.
Our initial response to resistant students is important. "I've tried everything, but if they won't write, I can't do anything about it," I've often thought to myself. This kind of negative thinking assumes that the writer cannot change.
Instead, when we take an inquiry stance, we are more likely to support a positive change. When we see resistance as an opportunity to learn more about our students, we are more likely to provide meaningful support. Try thinking to yourself, "I wonder why this writer resists so much. Some days are better for him than others. What do I need to know about this writer to help him write more?"
A few years ago, one 5th grade student taught me more about resistance than any other writer. Jonathan was passive. He didn't say much at all during writing time and preferred to be left alone, hoping that I wouldn't push him to produce. Over time, there were several lessons I took away from Jonathan that are useful to remember when working with any struggling writer.
Invite the resister into a conversation.
Some days, Jonathan wrote nothing. Other days, he would write a few lines of text during writing workshop. Instead of being too enthusiastic—"That's awesome, Jonathan! You wrote so much today! I knew you could do it!"—I started to talk to him more like this:
"I noticed you wrote more today than yesterday. What do you think made the difference for you?"
Inviting Jonathan into the conversation was the key change that moved him to stop resisting. When I started asking him what he thought, he engaged more willingly. I began respecting Jonathan as a writer who could articulate his own process. If we engage students' resistance instead of punishing it by lowering grades or withdrawing privileges, we begin the process of a productive conversation.
Notice and name specific strategies.
Talks with Jonathan allowed him to learn strategies such as brainstorming and talking with a partner that he could replicate later during writing workshop. Making strategies visible and clear to students is an important part of this process. If our conference revealed that having topic choices made a difference, I would remind Jonathan that an effective strategy for him as a writer was choosing topics he cared about. Once students begin to feel success, they can capitalize on it.
Increase positive experiences to increase self-efficacy.
In the past, Jonathan hadn't had positive writing experiences. Negative comments from other educators peppered his report card from a previous school. His teachers labeled him noncompliant, and because he was reluctant to do work, he spent a lot of time being punished.
Students who resist often become students who lack efficacy because they have few successful experiences. Education researchers John Hattie and Robert Marzano have both found that students' self-efficacy has a substantial effect on their subsequent achievement (Killian, 2015). Students who believe they can master fractions are more likely to do so, while students who see themselves as poor readers are less likely to improve their reading skills.
Jonathan did not believe he was a writer, so he became a nonwriter. In order to increase his feeling of efficacy, I often chunked writing assignments into smaller parts so that he could feel successful along the way. My feedback (mainly in the form of naming his strengths and preferred strategies) gave him actionable steps.
Focus on the relationship beyond classroom walls.
One of my biggest breakthroughs with Jonathan came from an unexpected place. One morning, we had a delayed start due to snow, but Jonathan showed up at the regular time. When I saw Jonathan at my classroom door, I invited him in to help me get ready for the day.
We rearranged desks, and I taught him how to use the copy machine. We talked about everything except school. I learned that he recently got a puppy and that his dad was trying to quit smoking. In less than an hour, I learned more about Jonathan than I knew about many students in my class. Our comfortable dialogue built up a new sense of trust between us. From that day on, we had short talks about his family and his puppy. He began to respond to my pushes to write because he viewed me as a trusted adult.
I did not see immediate results with Jonathan that year. It took time and patience on both of our parts to see change. Sometimes, Jonathan resisted after a week of writing nearly every day. Other times, his progress seemed to accelerate at a rapid pace. But Jonathan was more independent and more willing to try strategies on his own.
All our students are teachers, but resisters have taught me more than any other type of learner. Embrace the challenges they provide. Be curious rather than frustrated. Most importantly, don't resist what they can teach you.
