This blog post was written by NCTE member Dr. Julie Johnson, PhD, as part of a blog series celebrating the National Day on Writing®. To draw attention to the remarkable variety of writing we engage in and to help make all writers aware of their craft, the National Council of Teachers of English has established October 20 as the National Day on Writing®. Resources, strategies, and inclusion in a blog post does not imply endorsement or promotion by NCTE.
I recently stood before the preservice teachers in my writing methods class and said, “You are not the only teacher in the room when you are working with young writers. Additionally, you don’t need to know all the answers.” They looked at me quizzically, and one of the students asked, “What do you mean?”
I smiled, thinking back to an unforgettable moment in my third-grade writing classroom where I witnessed firsthand how children, given agency, can thrive as writers and problem solvers. It was a hive of activity as my students and I embarked on the adventure of creating stop-motion videos for their fractured fairy tales. If you had walked in, you would have been greeted by a scene that resembled a craft store explosion. The room buzzed with the sound of scissors snipping, students laughing, and the rustling of paper as characters came to life. Kids were working in small groups, each at a different stage of the process. Some were still perfecting their drafts, others were crafting scenery and characters, and some were preparing to bring their stories to life through their videos.
My teaching partner and I had previously taught them the basics of the Stop Motion Studio app. The music teacher had done some mini-lessons on using music to create mood for their movies and taught them the basics of GarageBand. I knew the basics of each of the apps we were using, but I was in no way an expert. That fact didn’t worry me though, because I knew that in our community of writers we had co-created a space where students had agency. Anyone looking into our classroom would notice that if a student had a question, they did not hesitate to lean over and ask their friends. It was not unusual to hear someone yell, “I figured it out!” Immediately, a group of kids would run over and huddle around the holder of new knowledge to learn from them. When we began this project, I knew that collectively the kids and I would figure out how to solve any problems that came up, and if we didn’t, we could find someone to help us.
There came a point when the kids couldn’t figure out how to add the music they created in GarageBand to the Stop Motion videos. As I looked around the room, I noticed that Zach and Markus had figured out not only how to add sound to their videos, but also discovered a way to change the speed of the sound to align to the actions of their characters. They discovered something that I did not know how to do on the app. I immediately asked them if they would lead our mini-lesson the next day to teach the rest of the class how to import sound and adjust the speed. They readily agreed.
I spent a little time with them helping them prepare and then I went and sat with the other students. I introduced Zach and Markus, who projected their iPad on the screen and demonstrated the technique while the class watched from the carpet.
While the boys taught, I asked clarifying questions because I was also a learner in this lesson. For example, when I wasn’t sure how they exported the music file, I asked them what they had to click. Zach said, “Open and then click on the three dots and then open in.” The whole time they were teaching, the students could see what was happening on Zach’s iPad screen as they looked at the white board where his screen was being projected. I positioned the boys as the experts, which they were, because like the rest of the class, I was not sure how to move the music file.
Michael, still confused, asked me how to get his GarageBand file into Google Drive. I suggested he ask Zach and Markus, who explained, “You can add it directly in the Stop Motion app if it’s in GarageBand.” Watching them light up with pride as they led the class was a reminder that writing is more than putting words on paper—it’s a dynamic, creative process.
I shared this story and others like it with my young college students because I want them to know that children, regardless of age, can do so many things. As the adults in the room, it’s important that we recognize and honor the expertise that each child brings. We are not the only experts in the room. There are also twenty-some others who contribute valuable knowledge to our community. When we recognize that writing is a collaborative journey where every voice holds value, we create a space where joy, creativity, and growth flourish. It’s important we trust our young writers to take the lead—they will inspire us every time.
With 30 years of experience as a classroom teacher and literacy coach in K–5 settings, Dr. Julie Johnson, PhD, is currently a senior lecturer at Ohio State University, where she teaches literacy courses to preservice teachers. Passionate about creating student-centered writing workshops, she focuses on integrating multimodal composing to inspire young writers. The recipient of the 2010 NCTE Donald H. Graves Award for Excellence in the Teaching of Writing, Julie also serves as a teacher consultant with the National Writing Project and the Director of Outreach for the Creativity and Innovation Design Network at Ohio State, where she continues to advocate for innovative approaches to literacy education.
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