Reading/Writing Blog Entry #4

Donald Graves (2004) stated “Writing is, after all, a medium for learning to think” (p. 90). I think this quote speaks wonders about the power of the writing process. The writing stages: prewriting, drafting, revising, editing and publishing all involve cognitive processes that require one to engage in deep thought and critical thinking. I usually engage in writing as a way to better understand what I am currently learning. I use my writing to guide my comprehension on various topics within different subject areas. Often, I try to engage in a variety of thought processes like discovering, questioning, synthesizing, clarifying and refining as I am writing. When I am engaged and interested in what I am writing, it takes me a long time to finish that particular piece because I am always going back to revise my ideas. To me, it is important that I do not ever complete a piece in one sitting. I take the time to step away from the piece and process what I have written so far. After I have taken a break from that piece, I return to it with a fresh pair of eyes. This helps me to add other necessary ideas or make improvements to my writing that I may not have thought of in my first original draft. Even when I have ‘published’ a piece I enjoyed creating, I continue to think about what I could have done differently to improve that given piece. On the other hand, if I am not passionate about what I am writing, I do not take as much time to process what I have written. In this case, I am just writing to get a piece done or to meet a specific word count requirement.

The process of writing is a tool I use within my own teaching career. I keep a journal and I also take anecdotal notes about how well my students are responding to the lessons I present to them. Within this writing activity, I am able to remind myself of the strengths and weaknesses of a particular lesson. These writings help me to become a better teacher because I can alter my lessons accordingly to meet the needs of all my students. As I am writing these reflections and evaluations of my lessons, it probes me to continue to think about the different activities or strategies that could be engaging but also meaningful for each of my students. This writing activity also allows me to become more flexible within my thinking because I am able to reflect on the choices I have made during my instruction and then reevaluate my procedures depending on the context, the purpose of a given lesson and my audience (grade level) (Council of Writing Program Administrators, National Council of Teachers of English, & National Writing Project, 2011).

Writing these blog entries also help me to process what I am learning within this class. They help me see the value in blogging as a way to reflect on the different educational research and studies that are relevant to today’s classrooms. These blogs have allowed me to notice the various ‘habits of mind’ I currently possess when it comes to writing. Some of these include: allowing myself to take the time to reflect on my writing and devoting an equal amount of time to each stage of the writing process. I must continue to look for ways to become a stronger writer. Because I will not always enjoy every genre of writing or writing topics, I need to find the value in everything I write to make sure I am always producing my best work. I also need to develop more of an openness and “consider new ways of being and thinking in the world (Council of Writing Program Administrators, National Council of Teachers of English, & National Writing Project, 2011)”. Often times, I find myself stuck within my own opinions without ever considering changing my way of thinking. I hope to become more open within my thinking by taking the time to learn about various perspectives and connect with others who have different viewpoints from myself.

References

Council of Writing Program Administrators, National Council of Teachers of English, & National Writing Project  (2011). Framework for success in postsecondary writing. Retrieved from http://wpacouncil.org/framework/