Title: Person and Place: Connecting Teen Development and Place-Based Writing
Authors: Adam Caliri
Journal Issue: Spring 2025 36(1)
Abstract: One challenge of teaching writing in the middle school classroom is maintaining student engagement and interest. To combat this, previous research has suggested using developmentally responsive teaching practices that meet various needs within young adolescent development. Place-based writing can fulfill this role and be used as a developmentally responsive practice. In this article, I examine the ways in which place-based writing requires self-reflective practices from each student, provides freedom for choice and agency in writing, and creates opportunities to involve the local community and/or environment and I view these fundamental characteristics of the practice through a developmental lens, specifically focusing on the social-emotional, cognitive and psychological, and physical developmental needs of young adolescents. Through doing so, I outline how place-based writing can be used to directly support many different facets of development and discuss how it can be applied to the classroom setting.