Question #1
It is important for teachers to guide their children on ways in which they should gather and organize ideas before they attempt to write. By gathering important information about a topic that we want to write about gives us a better understanding of the topic making it easier for us to write. This will make it easy for us to write about it because of the prior knowledge we have about the topic. After gathering important information, the next step is to organize the ideas in the order in which we will write them. This is equally important as we are able to organize these ideas in a proper order in which we will write it down. This will be helpful because it will help us not to forget about the ideas that we have gathered from the topic we want to write about.
This practice is very helpful especially for learners like me who have to write about several topics during our course of learning. For me to be able to have better writing and teaching techniques, it is important to apply this practice to enhance my skills. By gathering ideas about a topic before writing on it, I will be learning more about it and in the process understand it better. After gathering these ideas, the next step should be organizing them into the order in which they will appear in my writing. This practice will go a long way into helping me produce quality writing for my studies.
Question #2
Compare and contrast Best Practice in Writing as described by Zemelman, Daniels, and Hyde with Bromley's definition of "best practice".
According to Karen Bromley, writing is a complex interaction of cognitive and physical factors. It involves the use of hands, eyes, and both sides of the brain. This process entails the use of connections and construction of meaning. It involves explorative thinking and the development of new knowledge through understanding of grammar, spelling, punctuation and form. From this definition we find out the meaning of writing according to Mrs. Bromley.
Bromley argues that best practices in writing involve the context or environment for writing which includes individual, physical and social aspects that influence instruction. She says that a self-evaluation is also an important practice for students as it enables them to take responsibility for their own writing progress. The other practice for writing is the social interactions that a teacher offers to his students to improve their writing. Teachers should also convince their students to engage in buddy reading, discussions and collaborative writing. Teachers should also establish a writing community in the classroom as it helps in developing a context and improving student writing.
Zemelman, Daniels, and Hyde on the other hand, have laid down the various qualities of best practice in teaching writing. They argue that for a teacher to succeed then he or she should apply these qualities. They challenge the teachers to give teachers real drive to be able to perform writing. The teachers should also help the students draft and revise their writing to be able to identify mistakes. Then these teachers should apply an evaluation constructively and efficiently to find out the best students.
The students, on the other hand, also have to take ownership and responsibility for their writing for them to improve. They will also require real audiences and a classroom context of shared learning. To be able to improve their writing they should also ensure the writing process does not only remain in the classroom. By applying these practices, students will be able to improve their writing techniques for the better.
Reference List
Tompkin, A, Scaffolding Children’ writing Development
Bromley, Karen, Best Practices in Teaching Writing
Zemelman, Daniels, and Hyde Best Practice in Writing
