Writing
Many
people think of a writing center as a place where students or children
specifically write letter, notes, poems, essay, and other things. In early
childhood this is not simply the case, writing comes in various forms. What a
parent may see as a drawing that was made by the student, it could be an entire
story.
In
many childcare centers to be recognized as NAEYC approved, then they must have
certain centers set up, one of them being writing. Writing for some students
opens up, especially for some students with autism. Many autistic students are
trained to use certain colors, for example when a student scribbles or writes
with red then that signals to teachers that the student is upset.
There
are many reasons to write, but to me there are about five important reasons to
write. Writing can improve communication skills, because writing mimics. As in
the example earlier, it provides a window into self-expression, without needing
to be a certain age. Writing is or can be an outlet for students’ feelings.
Writing
is needed to understand yourself, even teachers write to understand. Some
people blog, vlog, tweet, or even write in a journal. This is a creative outlet
for problems, feeling, and really anything that need to be let out in a
professional appropriate way. As classroom teachers we may choose to have
students write in a personal journal during their Daily 5 reading and writing
workshop. Through reading these samples, the teacher can find out personally,
writing style, and basic comprehension of presented materials.
Writing
can be used for memory! This is what I do, I write my notes with pencil and
paper to help me remember material. Writing something down, and reading as you
write it are two ways to concretely remember something or information better.
Many
people say that teaching is killing creativity, and I for one hope that that is
not true. I want to foster and help creativity grow, because we need
creativity, and original ideas to push the world farther. A wheel would not
have been invented if someone did not think outside the box. Technology would
not be where it is today, without creativity. Writing is a part of a creative
process, it can help students explore possibilities to better problem solve.
Finally,
writing helps us as teachers assess. Who does not love know where their
students are in their own academic careers? In fact we all need to know, it is
a part of our job. It actually is what our job is about. Students need to know
how to demonstrate what they know, and how they know it, writing is one of the
ways that students can do that without feeling the pressure of being tested.
I like that you made the point that writing can be seen differently to students as it is seen to adults. I agree that a picture could represent a very complex story, but many adults would not consider that writing. I think many activities such as sensory writing stations with sand or shaving cream could greatly stimulate writing practice and keep the creativity! I believe we should encourage kids to write in any way they want in the early years because any practice will help them, and any help is beneficial since writing is such an important skill in every day life!
ReplyDeleteGreat Post! I like how you made sure to add at the beginning that writing comes in various forms. I think it is super important for people to understand that. For example, some parents may be worried that their children are not writing yet, when in fact they are but just in a different way. I also agree with the fact the writing centers are very important to include. Writing is a gateway to many things, especially a child's expression and how to get their words on paper. It is also a great way to know, like you said, where your students are academically.
ReplyDeleteI really enjoyed this post, what I liked most about it is that you listed ways that writing can be done and also used for. For example that fact that writing can take a variety of forms is one that is very important not only for students to understand but teachers as well. Students express themselves in a variety of ways and just as students can express themselves in art such as painting, drawing, and sculpting they can do the same with writing in ways such as journals, blogs, lists and a variety of other ways. It is important for students to write in a form that they feel comfortable and for teachers to value all types of writing. I also liked the fact that you told what writing can be used for such a creativity, memory and assessment it helps to give purpose of why we write.
ReplyDeleteI really enjoyed this post, what I liked most about it is that you listed ways that writing can be done and also used for. For example that fact that writing can take a variety of forms is one that is very important not only for students to understand but teachers as well. Students express themselves in a variety of ways and just as students can express themselves in art such as painting, drawing, and sculpting they can do the same with writing in ways such as journals, blogs, lists and a variety of other ways. It is important for students to write in a form that they feel comfortable and for teachers to value all types of writing. I also liked the fact that you told what writing can be used for such a creativity, memory and assessment it helps to give purpose of why we write.
ReplyDeleteI really enjoyed your post! It's important to know that writing for assessment is only scratching the surface of the purpose for writing. There's so many reasons that children write that you mentioned in your post. In addition, I liked that you talked about the many different ways that children can write. Words on paper isn't the only way to tell a story!
ReplyDelete