Creative Writing in the Rye: Encouraging Higher Order Thinking Through Directed Creative Forms

• In Event: Roundtable Session 16
  In Roundtable Session: Teacher and Student Empowerment: Improving Teaching and Learning Across Subject Matters

Abstract

Abstract: This practitioner research study focuses on the use of creative writing in a high school English class and how it impacts critical thinking and comprehension skills. The inquirer describes the use of surveys, a creative writing portfolio, a reflective paper, and teacher observations to arrive at findings which consider student thought about the relationship between reading and writing, the way students connect with and analyze literature, and possible discrepancies between engagement and comprehension and metacognition and critical thinking. These findings are further related to the importance of creative thinking in school and the real world, the usefulness of metacognition to each application of skills, and the significance of inquiry to improving teacher practices.

Author

• Ashton Gildea, Walden Grove High School