Writers' Workshops: A Strategy for Developing Indigenous Writers

• Main Authors: Diana Dahlin Weber, Diane Wroge, Joan Bomberger Yoder
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Published: University of Hawai‘i Press 2007-06-01
• Series: Language Documentation & Conservation
• Subjects: writers' workshop; literacy; orthography; Papua New Guinea
• Online Access: http://hdl.handle.net/10125/1728

This paper discusses how writers' workshops can be used to develop writers from indigenous language groups. It considers how such workshops fit into the greater context of a community literacy program, and describes both the practical and instructional components of workshop design. Of particular importance is the principle of teaching writing as a process. Examples from Papua New Guinea demonstrate the role writers' workshops play in developing indigenous orthographies and materials that contribute to culturally relevant educational curricula. Finally, the merits and weaknesses of such training are discussed, and questions for further research are raised.