Exploring Writer Identity - Reflections and Pedagogical Insights for Teaching WritingPrimary Professional Experience 1

centercenter

Exploring Writer Identity - Reflections and Pedagogical Insights for Teaching WritingPrimary Professional Experience 1

Mohammad Samman

6/26/24

00

Exploring Writer Identity - Reflections and Pedagogical Insights for Teaching WritingPrimary Professional Experience 1

Mohammad Samman

6/26/24

Contents

TOC o "1-3" h z u 1. Introduction PAGEREF _Toc170319616 h 12. Reflections on Task 1 PAGEREF _Toc170319617 h 23. Reflections on Task 3 PAGEREF _Toc170319618 h 34. Reflections on Task 5 PAGEREF _Toc170319619 h 45. Writer/Teacher Identity PAGEREF _Toc170319620 h 66. Theories and Pedagogy PAGEREF _Toc170319621 h 77. Future Teaching Philosophy PAGEREF _Toc170319622 h 98. Conclusion PAGEREF _Toc170319623 h 10References PAGEREF _Toc170319624 h 10

1. IntroductionAs part of this essay, I will explore my writer identity and use my reflections on the three journal activities to generate ideas about the teaching of writing. The tasks chosen are, include Task 1, Writing River, Task 3, Observation of a Natural Place and Task 5, Informational Text. Each of them will be considered in connection with theories of writing, including cognitive, socio-cognitive, and genre theories the process approach, and the four resources model. However, I will elaborate on the channels and process of writing concentrating on the aspects of how they impacted the writer. Lastly, I will highlight my philosophy on the teaching of writing with special emphasis on how to encourage and support the learners in the process.

2. Reflections on Task 1Task Overview

In the first assignment, the focus was to draw a river, representing the path of my writing, and mark on the river, the milestones that shaped me as a writer. I was able to learn from this task as it provided involvement and insight into self-investment and a graphical perspective of development.

Analysis

Writer Identity and Importance in Teaching

According to (Ivanic, 1998), writer identity subjectivity is the feeling that a writer has for their writing, it encompasses the processes, values, and emotions a writer has towards writing. The information on the writer's identity contributes to the profession of a teacher as it shapes the perspective of writing and its propagation. First and foremost, the process of completing this task illustrated the transition of my writer self, various achievements and challenges are highlighted on the way.

Theories of Writing Reflected

This task is one of the components of the cognitive theory of writing. Reflecting on the writing process, I realized that there are processes, that must be considered, some stages have to be described, and it is also necessary to determine how these moments influenced the development of personal ideas about writing and ones own writing experience. Such cognitive translation plays an important role in the metacognitive approach to teaching, which aims at helping the students improve the methods applied in writing (Flower and Hayes, 1981, p. 365).

Pedagogical Approaches

In teaching, I will use a process approach with special emphasis on the prewriting stage, the composing, the revision, and the proof stage. This method of writing, just like the Writing River task, will help students understand their progress in writing and therefore experience progress (Graves, 1983).

Support and Hindrance Factors:

The ability to engage in self-reflection was a factor that assisted me when and as a writer in this task as well. This is in accord with literature on learning that stresses self-awareness in writing skill acquisition (Graham & Perin, 2007). The only drawback was the lack of feedback, this is a very important phase when it comes to learning and growth (Sadler, 1989, p. 119).

3. Reflections on Task 3Task Overview

In Task 3, one was required to locate a natural setting and then concentrate on the numerous aspects including the feel, thoughts, and emotions associated with it. This task required writing descriptions and employing many other related apparatuses.

Analysis

Writer Identity and Importance in Teaching

As a result, this reflection allowed for the appreciation of the importance of paying attention and involving the senses in the writing process. Pointing out environment and personal experience as features essential for writing proves that real-life practice and purpose are meaningful for writing instruction (Dyson, 2003).

Theories of Writing Reflected

The socio-cognitive framework of writing that acknowledges the coexistence between the psychological processes that the writer undergoes, and the actual social setting can be seen in this was so because the natural setting provided a social and environmental context that influenced how I thought and how I wrote. This theory provides support to the argument that even though writing is a brainstorming task it is also a social activity (Vygotsky, 1978).

Pedagogical Approaches

As pedagogy, I will employ the four resources model Fetching, Engaging, Using, and Analysing codes to boost teaching performance. Hence, by letting the students observe and write descriptions themselves, I can explain the use of language for certain purposes to them, as well as challenge and explain to them how a context is related to the text (Freebody & Luke, 1990, p. 7)

Support and Hindrance Factors

The supportive factor here was the opportunity to receive Peer interaction, which introduced a different perspective and made writing richer. When introducing social interaction as a mediator of development in his sociocultural theory, pointed at the same time to the problem that the focus should not be oversimplified and, at the same time, the reaction that is the well-known problem of collaborative writing (Bruffee, 1984, p. 635).

4. Reflections on Task 5Task Overview

In task 5, the participant was to write any text of an informative nature using the structure and how information is created. This activity was more inclined towards the informative and well-formatted style of writing.

Analysis

Writer Identity and Importance in Teaching

This particular task made me realize the importance of rules, organization, and purpose throughout the writing process. It referred to my propensity, when arranging material, to do so in an orderly and exact way, which is a component of ones writer persona. Combined with these preferences, the content knowledge allows me to assist students develop better patterns of writing.

Theories of Writing Reflected

In this task, there is a relative genre theory of writing as people had to have a proper understanding of separate genres. The thesis formulated for the completion of the genre analysis implied that writing an informational text required adhering to the interventions of the genre that was structured as an introduction, body, and conclusion and the usage of proper and accurate educational language. This theory, therefore, supports the expansion and clarification of such context-specific features in an attempt to help learners write adequately in different genres (Hyland, 2004).

Pedagogical Approaches

To teach, I will use the Skills approach where there will be an explication of the traditional aspects of the given genre and management skills. Thus, by presenting several samples of model texts and guiding students through the process of the study and production of informational texts, it will be possible to assist students in developing suitable attitudes towards correct and efficient writing in different genres.

5. Writer/Teacher IdentityExploration of Writer Identity

My writer self-practice encompasses all personal experience, cognition, and the social milieu in and through which I have emerged as a writer. It is important to understand these issues when thinking about an approach to the process of teaching writing to learners. Here, the writer's identity and background influence the pedagogy of teaching writing, which engages reflection, process, and context. With this understanding of how these elements work together, I can create an ideal learning atmosphere that would be beneficial to my students.

Factors Supporting and Hindering Writer Identity

Summarizing the posts of the journal, the following appear to have supported the development of my writer persona. Some teachers and friends have encouraged me given me confidence and provided me with suggestions and recommendations. Praise and even some kind of scolding carry positive results in improving the quality of my writing and giving it a stronger tone. Moreover, getting to know numerous contexts helped to broaden the outlook on the different writing attitudes and that writing could be not only one type and not only one approach.

On the other hand, some of the challenges that helped me to avoid a writer persona include the following, there are very few writing opportunities in the earlier levels of education. Some of the limitations developed from the study include inadequacy in linking the writing activities conducted in classroom with the real life. Besides, there was a lack of clue on how to manage various writing exercises and there was no clear policy of what one is supposed to do when writing in a certain style. At times it seemed almost impossible to write relevant and efficient pieces of writing when I did not understand the set requirements of different categories of writing.

The Influence of Identity on Teaching

The writer's identity is present in the classroom as the teacher influences what I write. In my desire to create a writing classroom, I also wish to recognize reflection in addition to emphasizing the process and context since each writer is equally shaped by their experiences. Thus, I have personal aims to make the students reflect on what they have written and to write differently to make students independent and flexible in their writing. What I want is for them to understand the purpose of context in writing and be able to write in different modes with ease.

Encouraging Reflective Practices

To establish reflection as the practice among my students, I get them to reflect on their own written work critically. This includes peer evaluation, self-evaluation, and at times class discussion on the writing approach. Therefore, liberating students to write what they want to write allows them to engage with the material in a closer manner more frequently. In this respect, practice essays are no less helpful not only in terms of improving students written language but also in terms of constructing their writer self which enhances metacognitive processes and learners uptake.

Embracing Diversity in Writing Instruction

Because of this, I ensure that the students understand that it is possible to write in any style since there is no right way of doing it. Exposing students to different dimensions of writing enables them to embrace their uniqueness to improve their writing. This approach allows the students to develop a receptive attitude of diversity and effectively address any writing tasks. Add these activities to the teaching process to motivate the learners and help them to grow into better writers.

6. Theories and PedagogyCognitive Theory put forward by Flower and Hayes is a theory of the mental procedures that are involved in pre-writing, writing, and post-writing processes including planning, translating, and reviewing. This theory is more concerned with the thinking processes as the learners write and how writers plan out their ideas when developing texts. Understanding such cognitive processes helps teachers in the development of the types of strategies, which will enhance the ability of the students to write more effectively within a shorter time.

Socio-Cognitive Theory according to the beliefs of Vygotsky explains the relation between the cognitive process that occurs in an individual and the environment in which it is situated. This theory implies that writing is not an activity that occurs solely within the learners heads but is strongly influenced by the social context in which learning takes place. That is why, taking into account social factors and their impact, the teacher can assist students in managing the process of working in teams, which involves discussions, peer readings, and group assignments aimed at enhancing the overall writing skills as well as the learning processes of the students.

Hyland, explains that Genre Theory recognizes and underlines the importance of appreciation and utilization of, numerous genres and their attributes. Here the author postulates that in other to write one has to master the rules and practices of writing that are relevant to specific genres, which is very important when conveying something purposefully across domains. When genre conventions are taught, the students will be well prepared in terms of what is expected of them as writers for a specific writing assignment and therefore write more contextually relevant.

Pedagogical Approaches

The Process Approach which has been expounded seems to correspond more to the stages of writing and rewriting. This approach assists the learners to have a perception that writing is not a single process, but one that involves prewriting, writing, revision, editing, and producing the final copy for printing. As in each of these stages, teachers can check individual work and provide recommendations at each stage, which will make the student a confident writer, developing his or her skills step by step (Graves, 1983).

The Four Resources model identified by Freebody and Luke consists of code cracking, text engaging, text accessing, and text interpreting. In principle, this model entails an all-encompassing vision of how students write and, specifically, how they read texts, meaning from them, write with texts, and analyse them. Despite the type of practice incorporated, these practices make it possible for teachers to develop the skill and knowledge of writing and reading, hence making the students critical writers.

It involves the explanation process of writing skills and other characteristics of the genre to be written. This is in a bid to positively influence the writing; this includes features such as syntax or even style as well as the style of the writing being taught. In this way, the teachers, who set up the lessons and give special instructions, can assist the students in controlling writing mechanics and skills associated with given genres and, thus, can help the students learn how to write and produce good texts (Berninger & Swanson, 1994).

7. Future Teaching PhilosophyWhen shaping my future teaching philosophy, I will rely on the cognitive, socio-cognitive, and genre theories to address the learners in the class. To meet the needs of the learner, the writing process approach which includes the following stages: pre-writing, writing, revising, and editing as postulated by Graves will be implemented. Finally, I will use the approaches of the four resources model to enable the students to cope with several aspects of literacy from the word level to the text level (Luke & Freebody, 1999).

To enhance student achievement of various learning experiences of diverse learners, I shall ensure that the class has a positive reception of every learner. According to the different strategies of Culturally Relevant Teaching that I am going to use, the act of writing will be associated with the cultural and learning interests of the learners (Gay, 2010). In addition, I shall provide constructive feedback and advise the students, especially on how they can work together in a group to improve their work output.

8. ConclusionConsequently, the observations with the selected journal tasks have further highlighted the perspectives on the writer self and how it applies to the pedagogy of composition. Understanding cognitive, socio-cognitive, and genre theories of writing, child-adult learning, and the practice of effective teaching and learning strengthens my motivation for other learners. If so done, reflection, process, and context will help the students to develop their own writer identities to transform them later into competent communicators.

ReferencesBerninger, V. W., & Swanson, H. L. (1994). Modifying Hayes and Flower's Model of Skilled Writing to Explain Beginning and Developing Writing. In E. C. Butterfield (Ed.), Children's Writing: Toward a Process Theory of the Development of Skilled Writing. Greenwich, CT: JAI Press.

Bruffee, K. A. (1984). Collaborative learning and the conversation of mankind. College English, 46(7), 635-652.

Dyson, A. H. (2003). The Brothers and Sisters Learn to Write: Popular Literacies in Childhood and School Cultures. Teachers College Press.

Flower, L., & Hayes, J. R. (1981). A Cognitive Process Theory of Writing. College Composition and Communication, 32(4), 365-387.

Freebody, P., & Luke, A. (1990). 'Literacies' Programs: Debates and Demands in Cultural Context. Prospect, 5(3), 7-16.

Gay, G. (2010). Culturally Responsive Teaching: Theory, Research, and Practice. Teachers College Press.

Graves, D. H. (1983). Writing: Teachers and Children at Work. Heinemann Educational Books.

Graham, S., & Perin, D. (2007). Writing next: Effective strategies to improve the writing of adolescents in middle and high schools. A report to Carnegie Corporation of New York. Alliance for Excellent Education.

Hyland, K. (2004). Genre and Second Language Writing. University of Michigan Press.

Ivanic, R. (1998). Writing and Identity: The Discoursal Construction of Identity in Academic Writing. John Benjamins Publishing Company.

Luke, A., & Freebody, P. (1999). Further notes on the four resources model. Reading Online.

Sadler, D. R. (1989). Formative assessment and the design of instructional systems. Instructional Science, 18(2), 119-144.

Vygotsky, L. S. (1978). Mind in Society: The Development of Higher Psychological Processes. Harvard University Press.

Assessment 2: Exercise (50%)

Glossary

Learning goal:this is a statement that expresses an overarching ambition and spans a long term. A learning goal can be a teachers aim for students to achieve after a series of lessons, over a term, or over a year. Goals are not specific, have a longer time frame and are not always expressed in ways that are measurable and observable. Goals describe what a student will gain from a sequence of learning over time.

Learning objective:a statement that indicates what a student will be able to know and do by the end of a learning activity, e.g., a single lesson. The statement includes a skill or behaviour, the conditions by which the student will demonstrate this and a criterion to measure performance. A learning objective is specific and measurable, and therefore contains action verbs such as explain, list, define, outline etc. For example:Students will write a 100 word fictional narrative that incorporates at least five adjectives.

Aim of this assessment:

This assessment builds on Assessment 1 in that it requires you to distil theory into pedagogical practices. The work in this assessment is designed to develop your skills and knowledge with:

Identifying a goal for learning based on students needs which you will determine from observations, conversations, and interpreting student data, such as work samples and assessment.

Interpreting the relevant curriculum descriptor(s) for chosen year level and English writing focus

Creating a series of incremental lessons that build upon each other and provide opportunities you to teach and for students to learn and to demonstrate their achievement of your overarching learning goal

Drawing from the curriculum descriptor(s) a clear and assessable learning objective for each lesson

Clarifying how compositional and transcriptional elements of a particular genre of writing can be addressed to ensure that student agency, confidence and motivation is supported

Analysing, interpreting and applying the theories and practices that support the achievement of learners with diverse needs and creating logical and sequential teaching, learning and assessment opportunities

Explaining and justifying your choices of pedagogical practices within your series of lessons

Appraising the evidence from this assessment that addresses the relevant AITSL standards and is suitable for inclusion in your DPP (Digital Professional Portfolio).

Task Details:

There are two parts to this Exercise. The first is evidence of planning. There is no word count for Part A.

The second part is a rationale that explains the choices you have made in the planning you have set out in Part A. There is a word limit maximum of 3000 words for Part B.

Part A:Create a sequence of learning experiences to teach one writing genre with a focus on strategies to meet the diverse needs of students. These need to address both compositional and transcriptional elements of writing.

Identify a central focus for the four sequential lessons on writing. Lessons can be based on a book (including a picture book) as a mentor text. Choose a year level (1-6). Using the lesson plan proforma (professional experience handbook) select one or two curriculum content descriptors that include reference to compositional and transcriptional elements of writing. Links to the curriculum should be evident.

Your lessons should also include the following:

explicit teaching of metalanguage of the genre type (e.g., illustration, etc.)

teaching the vocabulary needed to create an engaging piece of writing (e.g., descriptive language needed for fiction etc)

opportunities for feedback

appropriate assessment

Part B:In your rationale explain and justify:

how your learning sequence addresses the teaching of both compositional and transcriptional skills of writing.

how the learning sequence enables effective learning about the particular characteristics of the genre type you have chosen, particularly through the use of the mentor text, and how children are supported to develop their writing skills to achieve that genre of writing

how as a teacher you can determine learning goals for students. Examine and explain how your sequence of lessons draws on childrens funds of knowledge and develops learner agency.

how the lesson sequence provides explicit opportunities for collaboration and teaching of self-regulation. Explain the importance of these, particularly in relation to motivation and engagement.

where and how feedback is provided and your choice of assessment strategies. Explain why you have chosen this and how it supports writing skills, knowledge, the students writer identity, agency and choice, motivation and engagement.

How you will communicate progress/achievement to the parents/carers & colleagues.

Ensure you justify your lesson plan choices by referring/linking to the research evidence

Due Date: Thursday 1 August