Newsletter – 03 March 2023

Many children find learning to write enormously challenging. Given the significant cognitive demands of the task, this is understandable. Early writers are trying to learn and integrate a range of complex skills including:

•   – Generating ideas
•   – Planning, organising and drafting
•   – Revising text
•   – Editing – applying correct spelling, punctuation, and grammar
•   – Managing the demands of different genres
•   – Considering their audience
•   – Managing motor skills such as holding a pencil, correctly forming letters or using a keyboard
•  

This is a lot for all learners to manage simultaneously, particularly young children with English as an Additional Language (EAL) or a disability.

To support early writers at RGLPS, we try and engage children in ‘low stakes’ writing, as much as possible. This is writing is writing that is not directly responsible for a grade or mark. ‘Low stakes’ writing allows writers to experiment with language and take risks – without the pressure for perfection on the first effort.

In contrast, ‘high stakes’ writing can lead to many children becoming anxious, even paralysed by expectations. Some children will refuse to write or produce very little, rather than potentially make a mistake. Fear of making an error can slow the writing process down enormously for children. By stop-starting their thinking to ensure each word is spelt accurately, children can struggle to retain their train of thought and to adequately develop their ideas.

As teachers and parents, we can make writing less pressurised by reducing expectations that children will produce perfect spelling, grammar, and punctuation in their first draft. The learner’s cognitive focus during the drafting phase of writing should be on capturing their ideas and expressing themselves. Once the writer has recorded their ideas and is satisfied with the content of their writing, they can then switch their focus to the mechanics of writing – spelling, punctuation, grammar, and presentation. We encourage all parents to ask your child/ren to prioritise getting their ideas down on the paper and remind them that they can return to and fix up spelling and punctuation later for their final copy. Stress that the spelling, punctuation, and handwriting is not what their brain should be focusing on when they are recording initial ideas in their draft.

After they have drafted and revised their writing, children are taught to carefully check through their writing to apply punctuation and correct spelling. It is important that all children know that published or final copies of writing needs to be accurate so the reader/audience can understand it.

If you have any questions about the writing process and your child, please contact the school or speak to your child’s teacher.

I hope everyone has a great week – best of luck to students sitting NAPLAN tests next week!