WNY Young Writers' Studio
February 2013 Newsletter
The Curse of Expertise
Being a part of a writing community requires ALL of us to have an acute awareness of what others need and how we can be of help to them. Learners and writers require different kinds of support at different times. I’ve found that my previous experiences as a writer, a teacher, and a learner enable me to predict how I might help others best.
And sometimes, this is helpful.
For example, I know that hyper-focusing on the use of conventions often hinders idea development early in the writing process. I know that when writers align their work to the things that they are passionate about, the process has meaning for them and the work that they produce tends to be of better quality too. I know a good many tried and true strategies that can help writers develop their craft. I also know how to coach writers to provide quality feedback to one another. Like every teacher, I have a lot knowledge to share. I also know something else: this knowledge makes me less valuable than one might assume.
Ironically, the fact that I know a lot of things and that I have access to many people who know even more could actually interfere with my ability to help learners. This phenomenon is often referred to as the Curse of Expertise (Hinds, 1999). It is grounded in research findings which suggest that experts are often inaccurate in their assessment of what learners know and can do and in their own explanations of how they accomplish certain tasks themselves. When it comes to learning, it appears that novices often learn best from other novices. So over time, I've invested more of my instructional energy in making that happen.
Nurturing the development of shared expertise within our learning community requires individuals to carefully assess and articulate their strengths and needs. This enables others to provide the right kind of support in the right kind of way at just the right time. In this way, sharing our expertise is about much more than kindness. It’s a service.
Studio mentors, writers, and teachers will be exploring this theme during our next session on February 9th. Each Studio fellow will be naming their strengths, sharing their needs, and connecting themselves to those within and beyond Studio who might be able to help them best.
I'm looking forward to seeing everyone!
Sharing Our Expertise
Sarah and Nina teamed up to showcase what they learned during our annual writing celebration in 2011.
Turning to the Mentors
Younger writers often turn to mentors for ideas, feedback, and support in resolving their writing dilemmas. Our mentors have so much to share!
Conferring with Fellow Studio Writers
Writers ground their feedback in evidence from the texts they read and criteria that define what quality looks like.
Get Connected!
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Please Plan to Join Us on February 9th!
WNY Young Writers' Studio
Email: stockmanangela@gmail.com
Website: http://wnyyws.org
Location: 3550 Union Road, Cheektowaga, NY
Phone: 716-418-3730
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/groups/272910406027/
Twitter: @WNYYWS