Research-Based Strategy

According to Gambrell and Koskinen (2002), “it appears that mental imagery facilitates the written language expression of young children, encouraging reflection and contemplation during the composing process and resulting in improved written expression.”

“Teaching writing is a serious problem in many schools. We are over-focused on procedures, processes, genres, and testing and under-focused on thinking, communicating, inquiring, and exploring language.” (Routman, 2005)

Conferencing Strengthens Writers

Teachers should guide and improve students’ writing or speaking abilities by conducting individual conferences using questions capitalizing on a visualization approach. These questions emphasize the thinking of a student as he/she learns to encourage clear imagery in the reader. Below are some examples of questions you can use to create awareness of imagery during the first two stages of the writing process. Use these to help students consider his/her personal imagery and the imagery they want to create in others.

Audience and Purpose

Who do you picture reading this text?

What types of images do you want to create and why?

How do you want your writing to change the readers’ thinking?

Further questions for each stage of the writing process are available in Imagine Cognition using Intentional Visualization.