Reflection on NCTE's beliefs about the teaching of writing

The article by the NCTE about the teaching of writing emphasizes that just as the nature and expectation of literacy has changed so has the nature of writing. The article also highlights the principles that should guide the effective teaching of writing. These principles are: Everyone has the capacity to write, writing can be taught and teachers can help students become better writers; People learn to write by writing, Writing is a process, Writing is a tool for thinking, Writing grows out of many different purposes, Conventions of finished and edited texts are important to readers and therefore writers, Writing and reading are related, Writing has a complex relationship to talk; Literate practices are embedded in complicated social relationships, composing occurs in different modalities and technologies and Assessment of writing involves complex, informed, human judgement .As a novice Social Studies and Language Arts teacher I experienced many difficulties in getting my students to comprehend certain concepts through reading as well as writing. This problem was most prevelant among my Language Arts students across the forms. Students experienced difficulty expressing their ideas through writing as well as developing an informed response to a question given. This was very frustrating as I was not equipped with effective instructional strategies to help students become better writers although I considered myself to have a sound understanding of the art of writing as a former Literature student. As result of this my students continued to performed badly and this affected my confidence.

After reading this article I realised that I share some of the same beliefs about writing. I always believed that all students have the capicity to write, writing can be taught and teachers can help students become better writers. However, I always questioned the instructional strategies used to help students become better writers. I also believed that teacher support is a key factor in getting students to become better writers and this, together with proper instruction which would entail acquiring new and effective strategies and skills to improve their writing, would equip them with the skills that they would need. Most importantly, I also share the idea that students must be given an opportunity to write. Another idea that I shared after reading the article is that people learn to write by writing. Students need to be given alot of practice in order for their writing to improve. However, in my teaching experience, time did not permit me to give students many opportunities to practice their writing.

I always thought that wrting was a simple process that anyone could acquire after a few lessons. After I read the article and through doing my English and Communication courses I realise that the writing is not as simple as it seems. I also realise that I was setting high standards for my students that they could not meet at their level. I did not provide the students with an opportunity to go through the entire writing process and that strategies were not employed in the classroom to help students under the processs and inturn become better writers. I therefore realise that my teaching strategies need to change in order for the student to develop a love for writing through practice and as a result they will become better writers.

I would introduce these ideas learnt to the teachers at my school during department meetings when student performance is being discussed. These ideas will be posed and through lenghtly discussions these ideas can be used to develop effective instructional stategies to help students become better writers. Also, novice teachers are given the opportunity to express their ideas on teaching practice were teachers share the ideas and strategies with their cooperating teachers who will then employ some of those same strategies and ideas and pass on their knowledge to the other teachers on staff.

Assistance can be given by providing appropriate materials and resources to to implement the strategies learnt at the schools. Also, lecturers at the Division of Teacher Education and Educational Administration should be knowledgeable about effective teaching strategies that student teachers can employ in the classroom to help students improve their writing and they will inturn employ those strategies effectively in the classroom.

The Beginning

Hi guys,
Welcome to my ENG 2O4 blog.'' What makes a good teacher? Is it warmth, humor, and the ability to care about people? Is it planning, hardwork, and self descipline? What about leadership, enthusiasm, a contagious love of learning, and speaking ability? Most people would agree that all these qualities are needed to make someone a good teacher, and they would certainly be correct" (Wayne & Youngs, 2003). I therefore hope to use this blog to share my ideas and insights concerning the art of writing and to become a better teacher in helping students become better writers. This blog will be useful since it will allow me to exchange ideas, clarifiy misconceptions and most importantly to discuss strategies that can be used to improve instruction in heping students become better writer and to enjoy writing. Enjoy blogging and all the best!