Because one can speak does not mean that one can read and because one can read does not mean that one can write. However, reading and writing are invariably intertwined and I don’t think that one should occur without the other. For isn’t one of the purposes of reading to communicate, in written form, what we have read? One problem I see with writing instruction parallels one difficulty in reading, “students appear to lack the ability to relate the ideas expressed and frequently pick out small, insignificant facts as the main theme” (Carr, 1967, p. 30). If a student were to write with the same philosophy as in the previous statement then conveyance of the read material would be of a lower skill level. It would be considered simple recall rather than a higher order skill such as analysis, synthesis, or critical evaluation. The question then becomes what are some sound educational practices that writing teachers can employ to improve student writing? “One often-overlooked tool for improving students’ reading, as well as their learning from text, is writing” (A Report from Carnegie Corporation of New York, p. 4). One simple solution to improving student writing is to have students read more. I believe it to be true that the more good models one has while reading the better the one’s writing will be. Research indicates that repetition of a certain topic and of specific vocabulary enhances comprehension and retention. Repeated exposure to a genre of writing may enhance the quality of written work that a student produces. The Carnegie Report also makes 3 overarching recommendations suggesting how to improve student writing: “Have students write about what they read”; “Teach the students the writing skills and processes that go into creating a text” and; simply “increase how much students write” (p. 13). These recommendations make me think of both writer’s workshop and metacognition skills. Writer’s workshop teaches the process of writing while teaching thinking about thinking can help students critically evaluate their own work. Lastly, I think that the use of dialogue journals is an excellent way to bridge reading and writing because the writer eventually becomes the reader and the reader becomes the writer.
The Carnegie Report also talked about how writing began, just as Bazerman does. I wonder if children progress through writing stages analogous to the stages that early man went through.
Kathy-
ReplyDeleteIt's funny that you are talking about this study because I just read it last week and passed it on to my literacy coaches today at our monthly meeting. We didn't get a lot of time to talk about it, but I really like how it ties reading and writing together. BUT, like was mentioned...the focus is still reading. :) Does reading develop better writers?....
First, I have to address that YouTube video. That is FABULOUS! What a creative young man.
ReplyDeleteYour last thought reminds of the stages that children go through as they learn to write through invented spelling. It's fascinating to watch the progression in the very early pre school/Kindergarten years where they dictate stories and then start learning their letters and approximate sounds in order to write what they've drawn or what they're thinking, usually in response to some picture. I just love to pull out my kids' old journals and watch the growth of their written language as the year went by.
Your dialogue journals with ELLs can be like that, too, I imagine.
Kathy, this is an interesting post. I totally agree that writing is an integral part of reading, and I'm astounded by the way it's devalued within education (I still honestly cannot believe it's so ignored!).
ReplyDeleteI think perhaps though, we need to start thinking about writing in its own right, and not as something that can be used as a tool for improving reading. The two are so closely intertwined as you say, and that cannot be ignored, but for writing to be truly valued in the educational world, perhaps we need to start thinking about it separately from reading...perhaps not - just a thought.