UDL Part Three: Multiple Means of Supporting the Affective System in Writing

Introduction to the Affective System

Communication is the essence of writing. Creating a narrative, writing a letter or an e-mail, keeping a journal, or noting reactions to what one has read all imply a dialogue between the writer and a reader, even if the reader is oneself. Students fully engaged in writing find themselves deeply immersed in an exchange, with further efforts fueled by responses themselves evoked by a give and take of ideas.

The affective system fuels the motivation to write, the ability to adopt different styles to suit different purposes, the confidence to persist, and the love of communication. Fostering engagement in writing requires the ability to adjust content, vary the level of challenge, provide appropriate supports, offer timely feedback, and provide a number of contexts for writing so that students with different interests, abilities, and preferences can all find experiences that have strong appeal.

Students may come to love writing for many different reasons. Writing may give them an opportunity to exercise and extend an area of competence; they may relish stories and be inspired to write by what they read; they may use writing to build relationships with friends or with mentors; or writing may be the vehicle through which they clarify their thinking or express their emotions. Because learning to write is a long and complex process, especially for students with language processing disorders, engaging students in writing is critical to the teacher's success.