Mark Hansen: Persuasive Writing for Real Life

In humane education, we talk about the importance of learning and teaching for real life. So much of what's taught in schools has little or no relevance to students' lives and to the global challenges we all face; humane education provides a lens for exploring and addressing these important issues, while gaining literacy in important skills. As Zoe Weil says in a recent article,

"Each day, [each student] should be learning that what she does matters, that the world needs her, that there are big problems, and... that she is able to make different choices and participate in creating positive, systemic change. She should know that when she learns math, she is being provided with the knowledge of numeracy in order to do amazing things in the world that can make things better. She should understand that when she learns science, a world of wonder and possibility is being offered to her and that her knowledge can be harnessed for great good. She should be taught that history is the gateway for understanding our past so we can build a healthier and more just future, and that literature is where we can uncover the deepest truths to guide our path toward meaning and integrity."

Recently, in Rethinking Schools Magazine, 3rd/4th grade teacher Mark Hansen wrote about the evolution of his teaching, when he realized that his teaching of persuasive writing was "an exercise, not a learning opportunity." He says,

"...it started to feel odd that my intentional teaching of persuasive writing was yielding relatively rote and flat results. For example, assigning my writers a persuasive letter on a given topic, like asking the principal to make school different—usually more recess—may have taught them some effective ways to make an argument and back it up with evidence and analysis, but it went nowhere, either with the principal or with the learning. ... Because both reader and writer perceived it as an empty gesture, there was a sad hidden lesson that writing is not an effective way to advocate or to make change.

I asked myself how I could shift my students from rote work on persuasive pieces to actually writing to persuade. How could I strike a balance between the passion of their concerns, the difficulty of writing well, and their fragile sense of power in the world? How could I juggle my goals for their growth as writers and as citizens? I wanted them to think about the change they wanted and to explore the best way to address it."
In his article, Hansen outlines the careful, thoughtful procedure he used to help his students learn the philosophy and skills of persuasive writing "from the inside out." Students began by exploring things they had learned from others -- especially the kind of "life lessons" they could apply to most any situation. Students also reflected on how what they learned shapes who they are and when they've taken action to help others or to speak out. Students then thought about what they want to teach others; as Hansen says, to have them "take a turn telling the world how things should be."

Read the complete article.



At the end of their weeks-long experience, students created a display in the hall showcasing their work. To accompany the display, the class added this statement:“We’re not just writing to change the world. We’re writing to change each other and ourselves. It’s about writing to change who we are in the world."

That's the kind of lesson we need for every student in every classroom.

~ Marsha

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