Contents
List of Figures and Tables vi
Acknowledgments viii
Introduction 1
Who Should Read This Book 1
How to Read This Book 3
1. A Story of Learning to Write 6
Think to Write, Write to Think 8
Lessons Learned 15
Why ThinkWrite? Why Now? 26
2. The Neuroscience of Writing 31
Learning Trajectories and Their Neural Networks 31
Holons: Parts and Whole 32
Four Categories of Neural Networks for Language 37
When Problems Occur, Diagnosis Is Half the Cure 46
The Holons of the ThinkWrite Model 49
3. The Holons of Prewriting 55
Understand 56
Know Things 62
Mind Wander 69
Reflect 75
Map and Connect 81
4. The Holons of Writing 86
Outline 87
Plan 93
Research 97
Draft 102
5. The Holons of Revision 108
Peer Exchange 110
Feedback and Feedforward 115
Edit 121
Revise 126
Proofread 130
Complete and Commence 134
6. Toggling to Assist Variability and Flexibility 140
Name It to Tame It 141
Familiarity, Repetition, and Practice 142
Student Choice 145
Toggling for Better Learning 146
The Brain Adapts to What It Does Most 150
Introducing ThinkWrite to Students 151
7. Tools for Coaching the Thinking Behind Writing 167
Coaching Students to Toggle 167
Valuing the Thinking as Much as the Writing 173
Writing is No Longer Just About Pencil and Paper: Embracing EdTech 187
8. Implementing ThinkWrite With Universal Design for Learning 189
What is Universal Design for Learning in Education? 189
Differentiation Through UDL 191
Why Do Students Vary in Their Starting Points as Writers? 192
Differentiating with ThinkWrite 193
Determining the Range of Learners 194
Determining the Scope of Activities 195
How ThinkWrite Responds to All Aspects of UDL Course Design 195
9. From Theory to Practice 198
Why ThinkWrite? 198
How to ThinkWrite (The Quick Guide) 199
Core Principles From the Learning Sciences and Their Implications for Instruction 200
The Bridge Between Our Current Practice and ThinkWrite 209
Practical Steps to Ground Writing Instruction in the Learning Sciences 211
Leverage Points to Change the System 215
The Holons of the Learner and Why AI Will Not Replace Good Writing Teachers 217
Generative AI (ChatGPT) 220
Nurturing Writers 221
Index 223
About the Authors 227
