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Reflecting upon the first lecture video, it was mentioned that each individual may have a different encounter or experience when it comes to writing. Where one person may be able to easily express their thoughts, others may find it to be a challenging task. As a prospective teacher, it is crucial to ensure that students grasp the various content shared, in a method that facilitates their learning needs while enjoying the process. Based on what was presented in the first segment entitled, “The Teaching of Writing” I learnt that educators can implement effective techniques in order to teach the skill of writing successfully to students.

Essentially, the teacher ought to simplify the teaching of writing. When this is done, knowledge can be easily retained which will be reflected in the results of the learning process. Secondly, it is imperative to examine personal beliefs as it pertains to writing because this will become evident in the classroom through various aspects such as the lesson, activities, etc. Additionally, teachers should become more knowledgeable in the area of writing in order to improve delivery to students as each child is unique, and learns differently. This session also highlighted that the essentials should be taught in order for learners to be effective at any academic level.

Miss then went on to state that writing, should be genuinely taught based on how ‘real’ writers operate. From a personal perspective, it was understood that once students develop an accurate sense of what writing entails, and the proper techniques, this is what they will execute. To aid this process, educators can demonstrate to students what should be done to enhance the learning experience. Prior to this session, I was not aware of the importance and significance writing holds, especially as it pertains to the development of skills, which can be used in future endeavours. Reflecting on the lesson, I also learnt about four (4) domains/ broad categories of writing which enabled me to understand that writing is more than what it appears to be. Overall, the session provided me with relevant and effective information to take into consideration when teaching writing.

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The second lecture addressed the topic, “Status of Students in the Writing Class”. Miss mentioned, that this essentially focuses on the roles the students play in the writing classroom. As educators, it is important to note that each child is different in their own way, whether it be how they interact with each other, or how they learn, each child is unique. Before writing can be taught, I learned it is significant to know what students know, and what they can do. From a personal standpoint, based on the information received, writing, when taught to students should also contain some form of enjoyment. This way students can have fun while learning without feeling stressed or overwhelmed by the lesson.

Further along the session, it was highlighted that the teacher can also change the status of the children in the classroom through various aspects. For instance, the teacher can invite a writer to the class for students to interact and develop further knowledge and understanding. Essentially, I’ve gathered that it is primarily the responsibility of the teacher to ensure that he/ she creates a comfortable environment for students to learn and understand, especially if the lesson has proven to be challenging for students.

Teachers can implement different strategies while teaching writing such as conversations with the class to promote engagement, distribute sample writing for students to have a visual understanding of what writing entails or the teacher can even incorporate assessments in various forms. This can be used to track students’ progress when they started and compare it to their current progress. This session emphasized some essential and effective elements that can be utilized when teaching students, in order to have an effective writing lesson.

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This session was based on writing development in children, and it was addressed that there are specific details teachers should be aware of before teaching students writing. Firstly, teachers should have an understanding of what students know before the lesson is taught. Additionally, there should be awareness of knowledge of grammatical structure or syntax, knowledge of the genres (including literary styles and rhythms of writing), knowledge of the information encoded in writing itself, and prerequisite understandings about the nature of writing and reading, and the conventions of writing and print.

Before starting this course, I was unaware of the various aspects associated with writing, which is linked to reading, and how important and relevant it is. Throughout this lecture, I learned that the reading and writing processes are basically the same and involve similar steps to help students develop fundamental skills needed for life. As a prospective teacher, I believe the education system should seek to make adjustments to the curriculum within the early stages of school, so students can have adequate time to understand, develop and apply the knowledge taught to them. Primarily, my concern, regarding core assets such as reading and writing should not be rushed since it is the foundation of all learning. If students this is not grasped by students, they may encounter challenges the higher they go.

Within each age bracket, there are multiple traits students would possess, and a variety of information and skills students should be introduced to at an early age. Hence the significance in ensuring learners have a solid foundation that can withstand the knowledge they would receive as they increase in levels. This would effectively prevent confusion and misconceptions that learners could potentially have if they do not grasp basic content. Overall, today’s lesson, for me, definitely shed light on the importance of each stage in writing for the lower primary level, and why it is so critical for educators to set aside ample time for students to connect and understand core concepts, along with its application.

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The fourth journal entry is a continuation for the topic, “Writing Development in Children”, with reference to the upper primary level. Miss commenced with a recap and she displayed a chart that was based on ‘Literary Genres’ such as: mystery, legend, poetry, tall tale, fable, fairy tale, historical fiction, science fiction and informational, myth, biography, autobiography, folktale and fantasy.

Further along the lecture, miss stated the different features and characteristics associated with each stage of writing, which were supported by graphic examples to illustrate what can be expected with each new stage. Based on my personal observation, there are particular aspects to writing and reading that I was aware of, such as children trying to mimic what they see from a young age, even if the letters are structured properly or in accurate order. But, I was not aware of the terminology that corresponded to the different levels. This session allowed me to make the connection.

Reflecting on this session, I also learned about development of word knowledge in reading and writing. It was mentioned that children, at a young age would attempt to write full sentences, even if it is not legible, and expect you to be able to understand what was written. As educators, it is important to analyze and evaluate what students have knowledge on. From a personal standpoint, only when the teacher becomes aware of what students know, then the teacher can determine what needs to be worked on and reinforced to facilitate effective learning.

At the upper primary level, students would have progressed in various aspects as it pertains to reading and writing. Overall, based on this lecture, I was able to link and understand the different stages of writing involved at the upper primary level, along with the age bracket that is associated with each stage. This was new to me, but I thoroughly enjoyed learning about the process and importance of reading and writing, especially at the primary level.

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Writing Development in Children (upper primary level)

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Based on the resources available, this entry is associated with a YouTube video entitled, “Enjoy Writing”. This video primarily highlights tips and strategies that can be implemented when teaching students how to write. According to Kimberly Zapata (2020), Children's cognitive, physical, social, and emotional development is aided by play. Critical thinking abilities and healthy development are encouraged through play. It helps children explore the world and their place in it, improves memory, and grasp cause and consequence.

"Through play, young children learn how things fit together. It enables them to engage their senses and fosters curiosity and exploration, which are the abilities that underpin intellectual growth and cognitive processing. Children are encouraged to pretend, create, and invent via play. Children can conceptualize, brainstorm, and practice critical thinking abilities through imaginative, open-ended play. Essentially, creating an atmosphere that is both fun and educational for learners can promote and enhance a variety of skills.

Within the video, it was addressed that students associate writing with multiple rules that can restrict their freedom of expression. Therefore, as educators, we can instill different techniques that can make writing enjoyable for children such as: ’10 Second Writing’, where students only write for 10 seconds while creating a short story. This simple activity can allow students to have fun while expressing their creative side with their peers. Watching this video allowed me to understand that learning does not have to be limited to ‘pen’ and ‘paper’. Teachers can develop unique methods to promote learning for students in an atmosphere where they do not feel pressured and overwhelmed. But instead, they feel excited and eager to participate in the lesson which will encourage a more effective learning space for students to grow and develop academically.

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Within this Literacy Toolkit, it examined how educators might encourage children to write in a real-world setting, while incorporating crucial learning objectives for the growth of emergent literacy. Throughout this toolkit, I learned it is essential to emphasize that teaching children to write involves predominantly enabling their written expression as they go from mark-making, scribbling, and drawing.

This toolkit also highlighted, the benefits of writing with children for emergent literacy development, such as “Early childhood interactions with writing and text-creation provide children with a significant means of self-expression. Additionally, these encounters serve as a foundation for eventual reading and writing growth.” There was mention of pedagogies for writing with children, modelled writing behaviours, shared/interactive writing behaviours, independent writing behaviours, facilitating multimodal written expression, facilitating drawing as writing, text structures and features, elements of print among other relevant and effective factors.

In essence, I gathered that educators may dynamically model, facilitate, and enable students to engage in increasingly more sophisticated writing experiences by using these many writing activities. At the end of the toolkit, there were positive outcomes outlined, such as: children gain knowledge and self-assurance, start to comprehend and evaluate how texts construct identities and perpetuate stereotypes, respond to traditional and modern music, dance, and storytelling from their own and other cultures through movement, and engage with a variety of texts and derive meaning from them.

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The seventh journal entry is based on a YouTube video entitled, “Instructional Strategies for Teaching Writing to Elementary Students”. Reflecting on the video, it commenced by stating that writing in itself a fundamental aspect of participating in professional, social, community, and civic activities all need writing. Writing well is an essential skill for being able to communicate successfully with a range of audiences, for instance, many employees have at least some writing responsibilities. In addition to helping children express themselves and communicate with others, writing may also be a useful tool for learning and self-clarification. Furthermore, having good writing abilities may give a child an advantage in their academic career and employment market.

Further along the video, I understood that early writing instruction gives students access to important tools for learning, communicating, and expressing themselves. These abilities can be developed through efficient writing techniques that allow kids ample time to compose. Six strategies for teaching elementary students were described in the video. Firstly, educators ought to provide explicit instructions from the time students begin writing in kindergarten. An important aspect that stood out to me, that I never considered prior, is that students should also be exposed to the writing process which includes: planning, drafting, sharing, evaluating, revising and editing in order to help students develop their writing skills.

Additional strategies mentioned were: teach students how to use various strategies in order to help them engage in the writing process, and, include explicit writing content instructions across all areas of the curriculum so students become aware of the different characteristics of writing, modelling, which involves the teacher demonstrating to students how to write. Due to the varying levels of learners, it is significant to implement scaffolded instruction which can essentially promote writing skills among others.