Reflection on the NCTE beliefs about the teaching of writing

Reflection on NCTE beliefs about the teaching of writing

At the secondary school level my concept of writing seems to have altered. I always liked expressing myself through writing rather than speaking. I used to enjoy writing my essays at Primary school because then the selected topics were interesting. The teachers’ constant attempt to stick to the Language Arts at the secondary school syllabus stifled our creativity. Students had to write about topics which the teacher considered was at their level which limited the extent to which teachers selected topics that catered to the interest of students. Also, the attempt to get students to become excellent writers in so little time, rather than getting students to enjoy the writing process did students more harm than good. The constant methods of assessing students understanding through writing really cause students to develop a negative attitude towards writing.

Many of the beliefs of the National Council of Teachers of English (NCTE) about the teaching of writing are beliefs I share about writing. I strongly agree with the belief that “everyone has the capacity to write, writing can be taught, and teachers can help students become better writers”. Unlike speaking, which is acquired naturally, writing has to be taught. However, I believe that though writing can be taught some students maybe better writers than others. Therefore, teachers must plan lessons to cater to their needs as well.

Another belief which seems to intrigue me is that “people learn to write by writing”. I think it has been proven that with practice students become proficient writers. However, teachers must be careful how they plan instruction in an attempt to motivate students to practice. One of the strategies my teachers used was to give students a practice essay at least one day in a cycle. However, students hated that day with a passion; some students went as far as skipping class. Thus, teachers should use other form of assessment such as journals, portfolios to allow students to practice writing in other forms, bearing in mind that “writing is a process”. At the secondary level, students were taught that writing is a process but were never given the opportunity to practice the process. The teacher explained the process of writing and expected students to write an essay based on what was just learnt. Emphasis was placed on the final product rather than getting students to develop the skills needed to write a completed essay.

At secondary school I remembered my teachers saying that Literature students are normally the best writers. She never said why though, but now I clearly understand the obvious reason which is; Literature students had plenty of reading to do. Thus, the belief “writing and reading are related” is definitely a statement that I can relate to. This says as teachers we must ensure that students are provided with sufficient reading material in the classroom and given opportunities to write as well. Also, lessons must be planned in such a way that reading and writing is integrated in the classroom. Thus teachers can use reading and writing strategies such as KWL and RAFT.

Based on these beliefs I would plan instruction in order to allow students to enjoy the learning process. I would ensure that students are given a choice in the selection of topics. In addition, in order to help students improve their writing, I would ensure that I use different activities in other to give students sufficient time to practice. Also, I would ensure that students are provided with adequate reading materials.