We place a great deal of importance in reading, which is very good, but sometimes I feel as though writing is not given the same measure of importance. In my recent readings, I have come across quite a number of instructional writing strategies which I believe can be implemented in the classroom to enhance the writing skills of students, whether it is used with or without the aid of technology. Beneath I have highlighted a few examples but more can be obtained from the website that will be seen at the bottom of this blog. Writing can be improved through the use of:
1. Free writing: This is where the student is encouraged to just write about anything with little emphasis being placed on grammar and the mechanics of writing. This is known to improve fluency in writing and improve thinking.
2. Sentence Combining: This is where students are asked to combine a series of short sentences into longer, more complex sentences. This improves the quality of their writing.
3. Modeling: Like reading students need to be provided with examples of good writing as often as possible so that they can see what good writing is and model the same efforts.
4. Students should be provided with clear rubrics, scales or criteria so that they know or understand what their goal is and have a good idea of what is required for successful writing.
5. Writing should be inquiry based.
These are the main points highlighted by George Hillcocks in his article. However, more information can be obtained from the following website:
http://michiganreading.org/cms/images/stories/PDFs/overmeyermarkhandout1.pdf
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ReplyDeleteI agree with you that not much emphasis is put on writing. Being able to write fluently goes hand in hand with being able to read fluently. They are two sides of the same coin and yet they are so inextricably intertwined that it’s even hard to put them on two different sides of a coin. We read what has been written and so if nothing was written then what would be read? (Interpretations of gestures do not count).
ReplyDeleteCreative Writing has the strongest weighting on the Secondary Entrance Assessment (S.E.A) examination as evidenced by high scorers being included in the top one hundred students in country list. Therefore it is critical that students are taught to write creatively and fluently by Standard Three at the most. As they progress to the higher standards they should be perfecting their writing styles in the various genres.
Yes, I know what you are thinking wake up to the real world Jewel.
We can do it if we use every tool that is available out there. Yes, teaching is a taxing job. Freewriting is a great strategy that I employ with my kids though I find the transition to “real writing” (writing with a purpose) is sometimes difficult for them. Modeling is a good strategy as well but sometimes they get so hooked on the prototype that it stifles their creativity. The technological tools that we learnt about in this course also will definitely enhance students’ writing experiences. Wikis are excellent to use with the writing process and blogs are great for cementing the reading-writing connection because you have to read blogs and interpret them in order to type a comment (case in point).