What does creative writing change in children?

Looking at today's education system, a child receives Turkish language instruction as a basic language for twelve years. When we look back at those twelve years, we see that we teach children how to construct proper sentences, use adjectives, determine the conditions under which auxiliary verbs are used, identify the types of verbal nouns, and even understand the functions of adverbs in sentences. We see that they can easily find these things with regular practice. We see that a child who studies regularly gains the ability to explain a technical subject like a teacher by the end of the process. However, when we ask them to write a text for the workplace, to compose a complaint letter to their superiors, we see that even an academically very successful person panics. When we get to the root of this, we see that we never give children the opportunity to tell their own stories.

Writing is about creatively expressing what is inside and concretely bringing their imagination to life. While it is in human nature to dream and create, why do children feel so helpless and cornered when trying to produce a creative text? As language educators, we need to ask ourselves this question… Today, language teachers present writing to students as if it were theoretical knowledge, and worse, they believe there are clear lines for measurement and evaluation. We evaluate students as follows: “A student who adheres to certain grammatical rules and avoids spelling and punctuation errors is successful in writing and writes well.” I think this is where we, as educators, are making the real mistake.

When we only take the theoretical part and measure and evaluate it, we deny the child's imagination and creativity according to their developmental characteristics. A child should first learn to write with imagination, not with rules. The main point we miss here is that writing is not a talent, but a practice with principles that can be learned with small touches, like adverbs and verbs. When children are told, “Let’s write a story,” most children experience stomach aches as if they were given homework. So, what does creative writing change in children? It can change many things…

The creative writing process, which emerges with the Notice – Complete – Manage approach, includes the processes of Knowledge, Comprehension, Application, Analysis, Synthesis, and Evaluation. When guiding students through the creative writing process, it's like putting together the pieces of a jigsaw puzzle, following a sequence from part to whole. At Denge Schools, we asked ourselves this question: "What does creative writing change in children?" and with this work, we have completed a process in which a total of twenty-one children have written their own books. In 21 storybooks written by more than twenty children, we have shown that every child who participated in this work can create their own book and that the act of writing is not so daunting. The most important aspect of this process was that it wasn't just theoretical. Instead of rote memorization, we discussed, explored, acted out, and brought to life characters, settings, event designs, and temporal planning…

WHAT YOU NEED: With this section, at the end of the preparation plan process implemented throughout the academic year, students enter the next academic year prepared for the writing process. The writing process, which begins in October of each academic year, starts with the identification of students with an interest in language arts as talents by their teachers. In this identification process, students take their first steps into the writing process with warm-up activities. Students are given open-ended topics, texts they are asked to complete, visual reading, and warm-up activities combining literary and visual arts to provide them with basic information on how to write. Students are asked to decide in which medium they will write their works (on paper or in a digital environment).
The first step in the taxonomy process is the Knowledge step. The importance of grammar rules is also mentioned, and by the end of November, the process begins to be shaped around the theme "What Do We Need to Write?" focusing on the technical aspects a writer needs.

While Designing Your Story, SURPRISING INTRODUCTIONS: Continuing with the Comprehension Step, the design process involves applications based on the question, "How will you design the plot?" Throughout November, opening sequences of cult films are shown to create a discussion environment with the students. Students are asked to create the plot of their stories throughout this process. Through the other stages of the process, the act of writing ceases to be merely an acceptance and self-expression can make the world a better place…