Blog#2
The Writing process
Hello again, ladies,
Another week of LIT 101 is over. This week went by very quickly, and I know you will agree. This week, we focused a lot on reviewing descriptive writing and looking at our classmates’ blogs. Since we are new to the forum, I thought that was an innovative way to see firsthand how we can improve and make our blogging experience successful.
This week, what stood out for me was the writing process. Did you know that writing is a process? Yes! It is actually a sequential process. No matter what you are writing, whether it is a book, story or blog, it must follow the writing process. All authors must go through this process; no one gets it right the first time. So imagine all the Romance Novels, Hardy’s Boys and Nancy Drew books we read in the past, and we were unaware of that sequential process of peeling off each page.
The writing process takes time; there are five steps involved. Prewriting is where you think about what you want to write about and jot down ideas. The audience and the purpose must be reflected in this step. Then, drafting is where you begin to write the ideas from the prewriting stage. This is followed by the revising stage. This is where an author makes their story better by adding details. The fourth stage is the editing stage, where one focus is the mechanics (grammar, punctuation, capitalization). The final stage is the publishing stage, where illustrations can be added, and your writing can be shared with others.
These steps are imperative to me as a student/teacher since many of my courses require me to write; therefore, keeping the writing process at the forefront of every piece I generate will allow me to practice and skillfully use each step to my advantage. Students can also be taught the writing process no matter their grade level; helping them see writing as a sequential process can no doubt aid in them becoming better writers in the future. The key here is teaching the steps involved in the process and practice done at the end of each step. Also, another aspect that stood out for me in the writing process session is that the process is recursive and not linear. This means that teachers must allow students to return; it will not be one shot for many students. I can say that this process works. I had the opportunity of using it at both Grade 3 and Grade 6. I took the time to bring my students through every step with practice, and in the end, they could produce good pieces for their grade level. So, I encourage you ladies to try it, one step at a time. Let me know how it turns out for you.
Ok ladies, sign out now; see you again on our next blogging week.
Cordelia, your expertise in this area truly impresses me! You’ve had the chance to work with this method in both Grade 3 and Grade 6, making you a master at it. I, on the other hand am, relatively new to this concept. Previously, i never considered writing as a structured process. I used to believe that when tasked with writing, you simply put pen to paper and write. However, this week has completely changed my perspective. I am fascinated by the recursive nature of this approach, involving constant back- and- forth, which allows for more exploration and refinement of one’s writing. Learning about this process has been incredibly enlightening for me. It has made me realise the importance of each step involved, something I hadn’t truly appreciated before. Kudos to you writing master! I would absolutely love to attend your class whenever you are teaching this. It would be a great opportunity for me to observe and pick up a few techniques.
ReplyDeleteGreetings Cordelia,
ReplyDeleteThank you for sharing your reflections on the writing process in LIT 101. The emphasis on the writing process as a sequential and recursive approach is indeed fundamental in developing strong writing skills. Your experience in applying this approach with students in Grade 3 and Grade 6 provides valuable insights into the practicality and effectiveness of implementing this process in an educational setting. The line in your blog that really resonated with me is, “Students can also be taught the writing process no matter the grade level they are in, helping them to see writing as a sequential process can no doubt aid in them becoming better writers in the future. The key here is teaching the steps involved in the process and practice done at the end of each step.”. Not only does it surmise the reason for teaching the writing process; it highlights the fact that students at any grade level can be taught the writing process. It is unfortunate, but many teachers do not teach nor utilize the writing process in their classrooms, much to the detriment of their learners. It can either be due to a lack of knowledge on the process, stemming from teacher’s end (for example, our colleague Andrea stated in her post that her focus in her kindergarten class involved teaching them basic skills such as holding the pencil and writing simple sentences) or it can be fear of using the process due to its “time consuming nature”. A common misconception held by teachers is that the writing process is linear, and it must be completed by a certain time. Nevertheless, I’ve learned that one of the key element of creating good writers who use the writing process is by modelling. I have spoken more about this on my blog, please feel free to check it out as I’m afraid I have exhausted my space here. Lol
Happy blogging! - Criss