Writing facilitates learning by motivating students to explore, clarify and think deeply about ideas and concepts they encounter in reading according to Vacca and Vacca 2010. It is important that students understand that they need to concentrate on both content as well as the mechanics of their written work. This especially so if they are being prepared to be academically successful at a written exam.
These are some writing sites that students,teachers and parents can take a look at:
Difficulty planning/organizing Assignment Calculator http://www.lib.umn.edu/help/calculator/
The tasks associated with a (An innovative tool to break a large project into manageable daily tasks) research project
So You Have to... http://www.ri.net/schools/East_Greenwich/research.html (A teacher created web site with step by step guidance and resources)
Difficulty getting ideas on Inspiration, Kidspiration http://www.inspiration.com
Paper to get started (Graphic orgnizers provide a great way to brainstorm and organize)
Graphic organizers http://www.eduplace.com/graphicorganizer/ (Ready to reproduce graphic organizers)
Difficulty in the process of PixWriter http://www.slatersoftware.com/pixwriter.htm l
Composing written work (A word processor designed for emerging readers and writers)
Scholastic Keys http://www.tomsnyder.com (Provides developmental and cognitive access to Microsoft Word)
Co:Writer http://www.donjohnston.com (A predictive word processor)
iDictate http://www.idictate.com (A dictation service; dictate over the phone, receive draft via email)
Now I hope you make use of some of these ...
Hi Sheldon, Clara here.
ReplyDeleteAs I read your blogs, it struck me that yes, students come motivated to share or communicate their past experiences with us (that constitute the content of their writings), but what do we do? We stiffle their creativity by demanding that they "concentrate on both the content as well as the mechanics of their written work". In my opinion, the biggest contributor to our students' relunctance to write is that demand to concentrate on the mechanics of their writing. The Board of Education of the City of New York (1999)issued a list which constitute the range of choices of tones, pitch, structues and styles available to a writer. After reading the list, the only conclusion I came to was that writing is truly "an art form." They suggested that, to some degree, writing is an idiosyncratic process. How students learn to write, the tools they prefer to use, the style they ultimately develop, the strategies they routinely use to revise and edit - all of these vary from student to student. Hence, I look forward to the day when the great powers that be, would realize and allow students to write in whatever style they think would be best to convey their desired meaning,and still be successfull, academically, in their written exams.
One such avenue, whereby students can write freely is through blogging. At present a lot of research is being undertaken in this aspect, so in the meantime, we (as educators, anxious for the students to succeed acdemically at their writings) must be positive, patient, encouraging, and always generous with commendations for the students efforts.
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ReplyDeleteShell,
ReplyDeleteThere is definitely some sort of reading writing connection. I have observed in my classroom that the good readers are the good writers. I always try to encourage students to journal and to do a lot of reading in their spare time. I believe that this would always improve their reading and writing. Would you believe that the student who journal and read frequently perform better academically? Shell, I think that the important point here is that we must always encourage reading and writing. Both reading and writing go together. I would browse those websites that you posted for further information.
Hi Sheldon,
ReplyDeleteThank you for the sites I will definetely use them.Writing allows us to think on paper expressing our thoughts and memories.In addition,it is described as the flip side of reading.Tompkins (2010), believes that stuents negotiate withe text as they read and write theby showing their connection.Reading is also a medium that canbe used successfully to teach writing. I love to teach writing,Iget my enjoyment from reading the end product.Amazing.