Writing Blog

Writing Blog #3

“At its most basic, we are only discussing a learned skill,” Stephen King writes in

his memoir, On Writing. “We are talking about tools and carpentry,

 about words and style…but as we move along, you’d do well to remember

 that we are also talking about magic.” (2000)

Many students would not associate the writing instruction in schools as being magical. I know that when I was in school I dreaded the times when asked to write and be “creative”, in trying to figure out what the teacher wanted. To create this kind of magic in the classroom, it would seem that putting ideas in a box, worksheets or focusing on the elements of style or listing rules is not the process that leads to this magical feeling. A Guide to Effective Literacy Instruction (Writing) describes the junior grades are being a “time of excitement, new possibilities and expanding horizons” (p.8). Teachers in the junior grades have an opportunity to take this enthusiasm and build on opportunities that provide authentic experiences in writing.

The Guide also outlines the element of an effective writing program (p.14) which includes instruction that:

*is differentiated to meet the learning needs of all students and accommodates a variety of learning styles

            *balances teacher-directed instruction and independent writing

            *develops strategies to support writing

            *scaffolds learning

            *integrates writing instruction across the curriculum

            *encourages higher order thinking

            *promotes critical literacy

            *encourages cooperative learning

            *values student talk, engagement and reflection

            *creates a climate of inquiry

            *includes frequent opportunities to experience high quality literature

            *provides opportunities to learn to write in many different form or genres

These elements are consistent with our class discussions and readings on Literacy, along with additional sources that I have read over the last couple of weeks. For me, my experience in writing in school was rarely writing about an authentic experience or interest and along with some learning difficulties in this area, I wanted to have a better understanding of the writing process, so that I can be effective teacher and go beyond my experience.

  Jago (2014) states that students need opportunities to write, along with thoughtful feedback (2014). Feedback from both their peers and teacher provides the students with clarifications that they need to make. Anderson (2014) talks about writing being a process that should be taught in responding to student need. Writing also begins with texts, so that reading and writing go hand in hand; they need to have good writing modelled for them. Just as King described the writing process as magic, Anderson sees writing, “as an igniter of passion and freedom” (p.14). Both very powerful statements.

 

Retrieved from https://blogs.montclair.edu/cwe/2013/04/18/perfecting-your-writing-process-a-lot-of-writing-and-a-little-dancing/

Aimee Buckner describes using Notebooks in the classroom, as a tool to encourage the writing process. The Notebook gives students a place to write every day. She found that in her talks to teachers, the focus of their writing programs was to give their students prompts and focus on grammar to prepare for testing. The Notebook becomes a record of their thinking. She found that the Notebook helped reluctant writers—the students who have trouble of thinking what to write, and put up walls in their mind to stop the flow of ideas. By writing every day, they can discover their own ideas but importantly, they are writing. There is no right way as it is a process.

I can see some students enjoying writing in a Notebook. But I think more students would be more engaged in using blogs. For many, it would fit in with their current lifestyle. Julie Ramsay shared her experience in using Kidblogs in a grade 6 class. She found that students were not as enthusiastic about Writing as she was hoping they would. So she used what they were excited about…..technology…..to give them experiences in writing. However, before turning to technology, she had a conversation as to the purpose of writing and how it was important to them, as it was a way to share their ideas with others. The use of Kidblogs in her class was successful because she spent time discussing the importance of writing and gave them many opportunities to write for authentic purpose. Along with this was discussion on the appropriate use of technology. Students used the Writing Process of writing a draft, editing, including peer feedback, before publishing their posts. As the teacher, she was able to see the progress of their thinking and learning and was able to provide feedback by sending private comments via KidBlog. The use of digital social interaction helped these students find their voices through their writing.

An effective classroom would have that level of choice for the students whether to use a blog, a notebook. As educators, our goal is to help all students “master the skills involved in the various tasks associated with the writing process” (Ontario Curriculum – Language, 2006, p. 12). We provide an environment that has students writing for different purposes with a variety of tools to develop their creativity and critical thinking.

References:

Anderson, Jeff. (2014). What Writing Is and Isn’t.  Educational Leadership, 71 (7), p10-14.

Buckner, Aimee. (2005).  Notebook Know How. Strategies for the Writer’s Notebook. New

           York:  Stenhouse Publishers.

Jago, Carol. (2014). Writing is Taught, not Caught.  Educational Leadership, 71 (7), p16-21.

King, S. (2000). On Writing. New York:  Simon and Schuster.

Ontario Ministry of Education. (2008). A Guide to Effective Literacy Instruction, Grades 4 to 6. Volume Six, Writing. Toronto:  Queen’s Printer for Ontario

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Ontario Ministry of Education. (2006). The Ontario curriculum, Grades 1–8: Language. Toronto: Queen’s Printer for Ontario.