Children writing backwards but expecting to go forwards     005

These days the teaching of writing seems to have become far more complicated. Now even young children have to learn the narrative structure whereby an ‘orientation’ is followed by a ‘complication’. And it is not just the structure that is important. Children are plagued with matters such as characterisation, dialogue, themes, settings and of course language.  For older students the number of writing types is almost unlimited. Of course you might reasonably expect teachers to be concerned about ideas and paragraphing but now inside these paragraphs children have to worry about topic sentences, linkages and thesis statements.  Then on top of all this there is the need for persuasive devices and cohesion. It’s a miracle that anybody gets any type of writing done.

Now some of these concerns do have a place, particularly during any rewriting or editing stage. The trouble is though that many children have the idea that if they start with something which is boring, predictable and ugly they simply have to decorate it with all these writing and language techniques and devices, and finally it will turn into a good piece of writing, especially if it’s so long that most readers will fall asleep before the halfway mark.  It’s always best, children believe and some teachers even advise, that large words should be used instead of small ones. Please!

This type of approach to writing is working backwards. Good writing begins with having something to say and this means that seeing or hearing, feeling and thinking has to occur first. The child then communicates this something using language—and language that does not get in the way of the meaning. It’s the thing itself which speaks, not the text.

So what does all this mean for parents?  Do parents teach writing?  Well, yes they certainly can and do.  Every time children are provided with the opportunity to have some type of interesting or different life experience then they have something to write about because they can think of ideas.  Indeed the best writing lessons probably occur outside the classroom. So parents, keep up the good work. When your child is doing writing homework then help him or her to relax. Certainly parents should not create a climate of fault finding and perfection seeking.

All content copyright—Mark Thackray—Australian Educational Services