What is The Writing Clinic?

For many students, writing is not an easy task. The ability to collect thoughts and put them into a well-organized, written format is often a daunting task that overwhelms even the most sincere student. Often the result is frustration that frequently is manifested in a variety of noncompliant behaviors. Homework becomes a battle between child and parent and when completed, the product is typically anything but stellar.

Every child has the potential to be a better writer. Discovering the secret to becoming a good writer does not come naturally. All children must be taught the specific steps used in the process of writing. Some catch on sooner than others. Too many children think their first draft should be their final product. This creates extensive frustration. The trick in teaching writing is to do so in a manner that catches their immediate attention and screams “This is easy!"

The focus on The Writing Clinic is on developing organization. It teaches the structure used in writing – specifically webbing in which visual diagrams help the student to organize and outline thoughts about a topic.

By focusing on the specifics of webbing, the student is able to quickly visualize ideas designed to assist in the pre-writing stage. By using the unique abilities of computer visualization, the student can rapidly switch between webbing and outlining formats. This enables the student to rapidly determine both the quality and quantity of their material. This visualization has been found to aid in rapid word recall and organizational skills. In short, the drudgery in writing is eliminated and the result is a well-organized outline full of information and details.