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Color the Classroom

Breaking the boundaries of diverse writing instruction.

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Color the Classroom
Google Images- Reading Rockets

Writing is a complicated math equation requiring knowledge of English as well as syntax, structure, vocabulary, topic, and audience; so it is not shocking that many children find writing challenging. There are ways to have strong writing instruction and incorporate writing instruction into the classroom as practice. This instruction can happen by using writing tools such as notebooks, journals or even laptops. The focus should reinforce the important aspects of pre-writing and making notes for revision.

There are many reasons why children find writing to be challenging, however, three stick out most. First, assembling a text is a complex and downright harrowing task that depends on formation and compiling of multiple emotive, cognitive, linguistic, and somatic functions to achieve goals that are correlated with genre-specific conventions, the audience's wants and needs and most importantly the writer’s communicative purpose.

The second reason is that the image if a typical classroom has undergone numerous changes in recent years. Many more students today come from poverty-stricken structures and homes. Also, many speak English as a second language, and various students are identified or suspected to have a form of disability.

Diversity is what makes America what it is. Increasing diversity in school has caused the context of standardized testing to be reevaluated on a higher scale. The consequence is that with more demands for even higher performance, students are put in a box where one or two tests have them labeled throughout their education. It also heightens the expectancy of teachers to instruct on a mastery level even with those students who are not performing at adequate levels. Teachers are not only struggling with composing writing instruction but basic writing tools and skills.

Perhaps teachers do not feel that they have the tools to handle competing forces of instruction versus standardized testing. What is being put on a test is mismatched to what is being taught in the classroom. This unease can be because teachers lack the prerequisite knowledge, teaching capability, and esteemed resources for teaching writing. The cause could be in part due to the writing curriculum, which brings a strong influence on the writing instruction that is taught.

A third reason could be due to the quality of teaching students are receiving based on achievement. In some classrooms, writing assignments solely focus on text transcribing skills like handwriting, spelling, etc. Therefore, there are not many chances to create meaningful authorial text and finding their writer’s voice. In another classroom, writing instruction is based on a process for students to self-learn as they write. However, little time is put on teaching strategies of writing.

Moreover, in other classrooms, most likely no time is spent on writing instruction or writing the main activities. In a minority class, students may be taught by exceptional educators who mesh the process of skill and strategy of drafting into mini lessons, presentation, conferencing, sharing, etc. This method is not helpful for those with more difficulty. It is not to say educators have to individualize writing instruction to fit the needs of a particular person, but perhaps regrouping the writing instruction method will produce more positive results.

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This article has not been reviewed by Odyssey HQ and solely reflects the ideas and opinions of the creator.
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