【Michael R 创意写作课】写作课可以这样上？
2016-11-12 Michael R 胡莹莹
据说，中国的中学生有三怕。
一怕文言文
二怕周树人（鲁迅），
三怕什么？
三怕写作文。
作文，应该是让所有中学生最为头疼的一件事了吧？当然，英文作文更不用提。
但是，西外，却有这样一节作文课，因为别出心裁而备受学生欢迎。
你肯定会好奇这是一节什么写作课，竟会有如此强大的魅力？
西外高中国际课程部的核心课程——创意写作课（Creative writing）。
作为西外高中国际课程部的一门核心课程，创意写作课开设已久。之所以吸引学生，不仅仅是因为教授这节课的教师是一位极具绅士风度的外籍帅哥，更是因为这节课独特的课程理念和创新模式。
Macheal R 的创意写作课一直强调培养学生创新力和独立思考的能力。在他的课上，学生需要在他的追问下不断地去思考，去表达，参与一场又一场的“大脑风暴”。于是，写作不再是一个单一的语言组织和表达的过程，而是一个融思考、回答、理解、创新为一体的过程。
创意写作课上学生和老师在干什么啊？
他们在阅读。古今中外名家名作，典型的创意类文本……
在阅读中找寻灵感的缪斯。
他们在探讨。从生活到哲学，于思考、表达中萌生创作！
他们在创作,不是写作！一篇篇充满学生创意的小说不断涌现。
这不是一节单调的写作课！而是一次次思想的碰撞，是一场场头脑的风暴！
当然，好的课程一定会有自己独特的理念和模式，创意写作课也不例外。
Teaching， not tell（教，而不是告诉）
传统课中，一般教师会直接告诉学生知识点。而在创意写作课上，教师关注的中心不再是单纯的“tell”，而是真正意义上的“teach“。”如果说Telling 是一个关注结果也即我们所谓的填鸭式的教学方式，那么，Teaching 则是一个真正关注学生学习过程的教学模式。
所以，在西外的创意写作课上，Macheal R从来不会直接告诉学生“what is……”，而是不断地通过提问教会学生去感知、去领悟。对于Macheal R来说，学生的自我 “理解”往往比“知道”更为重要。在教师问题引导下的思考、理解的过程，才是“Teaching”所追求的，也是创意写作课所追求的。
例如，关于“爱”这一话题，Macheal R 不会直接告诉学生爱的定义。他让学生讲述自己与父母、朋友、亲人之间的故事，让学生们从故事感知“爱”。
事实上，对于爱，学生实在很难定义，教师亦然。不过，学生通过讲故事、创作故事去接近“爱”的定义，也不失为一种好方法。正如创意课的理念，学生往往只需要做到“about”就可以了。
About！好一个奇妙的About！教育不就是一个“不断接近”的过程吗？你不需要以一个标准答案作为目的，因为很多东西确实没有所谓的标准答案。譬如，你能非常精确地告学生什么是美吗？当然不能。你只能通过一个过程，例如图片展示、文字表达、阅读等让学生不断地接近“美”这一概念。毕竟，一千个学生就会有一千个关于“美”的体验。而这一“不断接近”的过程才是真正的“Teaching”的过程。
Asking and Answering（问答法）
在西外创意写作课上，Asking 和Answering占据非常重要的地位。教师仅仅作为一个引导者，引领学生不断地去丰富自己的问题和素材。
当然，这种“问答“的并不是乱想出来的。类似的方法古已有之。以苏格拉底为代表的古希腊先哲们早在几千年前就采用这种教学方式，成就了一个又一个伟大哲学的命题题。这就是所谓的”问答法“，又叫做”产婆术“，环环紧扣，层层解析，步步推进，启发诱导。这种问答法不直接传授学生具体的知识，而是通过问答、交谈、争辩、诱导或暗示，引导学生进行思考。于是，在这种具有衔接性的”一问一答“模式下，一部部富有创造性的学生作品接二连三地萌芽。而因为这样的一问一答，创意写作课堂永远都是欢声笑语、热情高涨！
Macheal R这样评价自己的这种问答方式：“在课堂中，我们需要经常问学生为什么。因为只有这样，才能在学生设计人物情节卡壳时让故事得已延续。不管他们是否喜欢这个故事，脑袋里盘旋的‘为什么’能促使他们不断自圆其说。”
不过，不要以为这种方法只存在于西方历史中。早在两千多年前，我们的先人就已经采用了类似的方法传播思想。孔子弟子集成的《论语》，庄子的辩论术等，无一不体现这种“产婆术”的精髓。
Fusion（融合）
创意写作课是英文课程，但经过Macheal R 的巧妙设置，它变成了一个中西兼容、各学科并包的课程。
创意写作课上，学生写作题材丰富，内容多样，不仅取自于生活、阅读的其他作品，更源自于学生对于其他学科理解和认知。语文、政治、数学、物理等，每门课都有自己的故事和特色。学生可以任意发挥，以其他为基础进行文本创作，表达自己对于这些学科最真实和直观的感受。这种做法所带来的意向不到的效果是，往往通过对这些学科进行的文本创作，学生反而能更好地发掘这些学科的“趣“之所在，因而更加用心地去学习。
西外创意写作课程授课方式极为灵活，但万变不离其宗，它最终的目的是培养学生想象力，思辨力，创新力，实践力。在教师的鼓励和引导下，学生的思维在发散，
所以啊，这样丰富多样而又诚意十足的写作课，能不让学生喜欢吗？
Brief introduction of Creative Writing（By Macheal R）
Course Objectives:
The purpose of creative writing is to take an idea in one person’s mind and put it on paper so that others can share it. There are many reasons for this: the author needs to resolve a problem in their life, or they want to create something like a story they enjoyed. Perhaps they want to work professionally in storytelling and sell movie screenplays and stage play scripts. Or maybe it is just a hobby they enjoy, such as other people do playing basketball or painting.
But whatever the reason for writing, the skill of doing so translates well into academic pursuits. Because writing a story is essentially solving a problem (how to make the perfect crime for a group of thieves, how to show a mother’s love for her children, why a reader would find comfort in a soldier’s death for a greater cause, etc.), it means that the process of doing so makes stronger thinkers and more flexible problem-solvers.
Mechanisms and Process:
Leading by example is especially important in CW classes. If you can’t make an interesting character for an example the students can follow, it is a sure bet they won’t make one for you. Make worksheets and activities which you have tested on yourself (a basic teaching rule), and offer the results as examples the kids can take ideas from. This will help in many areas, especially in explaining plot, setting, and physical description.
In general, students pick up things visually faster than any other way. There is a reason a picture is worth a thousand words! Therefore flashcards, PPTs, and even body language are the quickest ways to get an idea across. Things as simple as Pictionary can result in deep and profound stories - I have gotten some remarkable story concepts from just a photo of an empty room. The trick is to get the students to explain why it is that way.
The important ‘why’
The ‘why’ question is the most important one to ask in this class. Because whenever kids get stuck in developing a character this question can jar ideas loose. Whenever they tell you they like or dislike a story, the ‘why’ forces them to give defensible reasons for their opinion. And on and on…
Evaluation Methods:
There is no set way of teaching creative writing. The very idea of saying one is better than another is a dangerous road to take a class down. That goes also for grading. Rather, it is how the students respond which tells you if your method is effective. If the volume of work increases over time and the basic mistakes of writing become less as the year progresses, it is a good sign. But it is when you are surprised or even moved by a story from a student who has never distinguished themselves in class that you know they and you have succeeded. Give higher marks for effort than pure talent, because this is a class most students feel intimidated by. And because you never know who will surprise you with a great story, it is best to encourage them in their early attempts. This has yielded excellent work for me time and time again.
Here is its Basic Schedule:
·*Advertise (End of October) ***We need posters, teachers to announce contest in their classes, etc.
·*Students sign up for approximately one week (By Halloween)
·*Write during November, teachers collect story segments during this time (about 25% each week)
·*Have one large workshop in the middle of the month in the second floor library
·*Students submit final work by the end of November
·*Stories are voted by volunteers and Camera Obscura staff, and added to the CO book for fall
·*Winners are announced with awards at the Gala Day and books are handed out/sold
This is our Creative Writing class. So, Is it not a awesome course?
