Writing. It is one of those conventional and standard skills that not many of us have any recollection of how we got to where we are. As a result, many of us just assume that we somehow “picked it up” along the way and that is that. To those people - I’m sorry to say but studies show that is not as effective as you may think. Unfortunately, for many Generation Y people, we were not explicitly taught reading and writing skills as, at that time, the political, academic and education system encouraged a more “Whole Reading/Writing Approach” (Westwood, 2008). So much so, that while at uni with my Masters or teaching my own students, I’m shocked when I come across things that I swear I have never learnt before. Writing involves understanding text structures, top level approach, genres, expressions, syntax, pragmatics, expression, receptive, analogies phonemes, phonological awareness, phonemic awareness, graphemes, phonics, digraphs, trigraphs, quadgraphs, blends, diphthongs, triphthongs, soliloquy, theme, euphemism, homophones, homographs, adjectives, nouns, adverbs, verbs, articles, pronouns, motifs, independent clauses, anecdotes, dependent clauses, assonance, alliteration, figurative language, hyperbole, imagery, similes, metaphors, juxtaposition, onomatopoeia, paradox, spoonerism, a whole heap of grammatical marks, and...do I really need to continue? So, it is no wonder students can be anxious or find writing to be quite challenging, especially the early to middle primary years. Westwood (2008) describes how competent writers have not only the mechanical abilities to write, but an understanding of the structure, style and aspects of the writing process, such as generating ideas, planning, organising, drafting and editing. This awareness ensures that writing is a satisfying experience that is self motivated and intrinsically rewarded, which only encourages them to further their writing skills as they actively engage in writing (Westwood, 2008). Conversely, less proficient writers lack these abilities and attributes leading to negative feelings and perceptions as they continue to avoid any writing tasks (Westwood, 2008). This further interferes with their attitude towards writing and, thus, the Matthew affect, a self-perpetuating failure cycle (Westwood, 2008; Wrightslaw.com, 2015). It isn’t all grim. Studies show that these students react well to explicit instruction as they gain not only the literacy skills, but the self-regulatory strategies (Westwood, 2008). But a sour taste and aversion to writing is still there. Westwood (2008) states “the challenge for teachers is to restore students’ lost interest and motivation for writing.” This is where popular culture steps in. The following slideshow was most likely created to amuse distracted university students who are procrastinating from their 3 assignments at 2am (just hypothetically, of course)! But, it’s potential to prompt and kindle students’ inner authors is immense. Have a click through!! The ideas would be amazing writing stimulus and allow students the freedom to experiment with whatever they can manage to get on the page! It is then that teachers are able to see the steps we can take to further assist, support and guide the students (Westwood, 2008).
Now, I won’t embarrass myself by listing the unanswered questions I have about animation movies, because that means I would need to admit how many I’ve watched and how closely I’ve watched them. But for students, this process would encourage writing using a stimulus they are generally interested in. But it would also increase higher order thinking skills as they start to analytically evaluate text types. Students are often asked to use stimulus in Naplan writing tasks and I even remember high school assessment requiring us to change genre, perspective or “filling a gap” of a literature piece. Using popular culture items as writing stimulus would allow students to be naturally engaged in a task as well as gaining literacy skills and notions. And for older students? Check these writing prompts out! Tad more complex and in depth, but just as alluring. I also really like these other popular culture writing stimuli.
References:
Clipd.com. (2015). 17 Gaping Plot Holes Disney Left To Drive Everyone Insane. Retrieved from http://www.clipd.com/movies/11361/17-gaping-plot-holes-disney-left-to-drive-everyone-insane?utm_source=fbk &utm_campaign=dsk-11361-fa-au 15092913&utm_medium=referral&pid=null%23slide /6/1#slide/8/0 Downes, S. (2015). Column: What is Fan Fiction – and why is it making people nervous?. TheJournal.ie. Retrieved from http://www.thejournal.ie/readme/what-is-fan-fiction-and-why-is-it-making-people-nervous-1334505-Mar2014/ Egnconference.com,. (2012). Writing On Popular Culture: A List Of Arguable Topics. Retrieved from http://www.2012egnconference.com/writing-on-popular-culture-a-list-of-arguable-topics Merriam-webster.com. (2015). Fan fiction | stories involving popular fictional characters that are written by fans and often posted on the Internet called also fanfic. Retrieved from http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/fan%20fiction Westwood, P. (2008). Chapter 1: Current issues in literacy learning and teaching. In Westwood, Peter, What teachers need to know about reading and writing difficulties. (pp. 56 - 68). Australia, Victoria: ACER Press. Westwood, P. (2008). Chapter 5: Difficulties with writing and spelling. In Westwood, Peter, What teachers need to know about reading and writing difficulties. (pp. 56 - 68). Australia, Victoria: ACER Press. Wrightslaw.com,. (2015). Assessment & Testing - The Matthew Effects - Wrightslaw.com. Retrieved from http://www.wrightslaw.com/info/test.matthew.effect.htm
1 Comment
Carl
10/25/2015 03:31:03 pm
I can certainly relate to the idea that students need to be taught the mechanics of writing well. During my years at high school, I was at best, someone who could write assignments to a sound standard and nothing more. It has only been in more recent years, through practice, and plenty of reading widely, that I feel I am a more competent writer. At my school, students are encouraged to write for pleasure... there are a number of writing competitions and opportunities to display their work. Students also have the opportunity as part of their English studies to work with published authors. This allows them to gain confidence in their writing skills, by way of feedback from talented writers. If we want students to develop their writing skills, we need to provide opportunities for them to improve their craft.
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