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WRITING AS SOCIAL PURPOSE © Dr Jan Turbill University of Wollongong

Beliefs about the learning andteaching of writing

What does this mean for the teaching of writing?

1. writing is both a process and aproduct

2. we learn to write by writing

3. spelling and handwriting are tools for writing

4. writing is a powerful learning tool

5. the conditions which existed for learning oral language can be appliedin classroom settings for learningwritten language; namely, immersion,demonstrations, expectation,responsibility, approximation, use,response.

6. readers learn about writing fromreading and writers learn aboutreading from writing

7. evaluation of written language is aconstant part of the teaching cycle

8. learners need constantdemonstrations (models) of both

process and product of that whichthey are to learn

9. when writers perceive themselves aswriters they read like writers; theyengage in how texts work

10.different subject areas purposes andaudiences require different 'forms' or 'registers' of language

11.language is functional, social and

contextual; it is the principal vehiclefor making sense of our world

12.spelling is thus functional, social andcontextual activity

13.spelling serves writers but is learnedprimarily through reading

14.spellers need to be effective readersand proof readers

15.language learning is a problem

solving process; namely gatheringinformation; formulating and testinghypotheses; gaining feedback andconfirming the hypotheses

16.learners use a variety of coping

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strategies to solve the writtenlanguage puzzle

17.teachers need to know why they dowhat they do with respect to thewritten language classroom practice

18.children need to learn to writedifferent kinds of texts for differentpurposes; they need to know avariety of genres in order to besuccessful in their future lives

19.writing in schools should be morethan 'story writing'; it should focus onparticular genres

20.children learn language, learnthrough language, and learn aboutlanguage as they use language

21.teachers and students need alanguage to talk about language

22.teachers need to make explicit howdifferent genres work; how they areconstructed; what the functions of different genres are

23.teachers and students need to shareunderstandings and language aboutsuccessful written genres

24.teachers need to make explicit their

own beliefs about learning, aboutwhat writing is & why they teach it asthey do

25.teachers need to be able to justifytheir evaluation judgements aboutwriting

26.profiles have the potential of supporting teachers and learnerswhen teachers have developed a

thorough understanding of languageand literacy27.profiles should be viewed as a

framework for student learning and aguide for student assessment inwriting development