Entry #1: A Reflection on My Own Reading & Writing Process
Paulo Freire, a Brazilian educator and philosopher once said, "Learning is a process where knowledge is presented to us, then reshaped through understanding, discussion and reflection." As a current student pursuing a master's degree in literacy, I have gained a new perspective on what literacy truly is. As explained by Tierney and Pearson (1983) literacy encompasses reading and writing which actively work together to allow individuals to continue developing as literate individuals (p. 568). We use various processes interchangeably as we engage with reading and writing.
When reflecting upon my own reading and writing process through previous texts and Gail E. Tompkins' text Teaching Writing: Balancing Process and Product, one message continues to come to mind. Literacy is a complex process that incorporates various moving parts in order for us to effectively acquire new reading strategies, build background knowledge and communicate with others. Prior to beginning my journey as a master's student, I believed that an individual must first acquire the ability and strategies to read before they can learn to write. However, Tompkins (2012) explains that students do not first need to learn to read or spell correctly before they are able to become writers, rather writers are developed as an individual learns to read (p. 4). As individuals engage with each of these processes, they are able to develop new linguistic methods for reading and writing. Tompkins outlines the “planning” phase of the writing processes through four stages including choosing a topic, setting a purpose, selecting the audience, and considering the genre. As I reflected upon each of these stages as an aspiring author and current college student, I routinely consider the topic choice, purpose, and genre when planning each of my writing pieces. I recognize that gathering and organizing ideas varies from one individual to another, however I find constructing an outline has always supported me in effectively structuring my writing. I find organization and structure are two key points in the writing process that all writers should consider when developing their own work of art.
Tompkins embodies the writing process through five stages, including prewriting, drafting, revising, editing, and publishing. As I continue to establish my own reading and writing blog, I believe each of these stages will consistently be considered as I complete each entry. When planning, I will consider the topic, purpose, audience, and genre at hand. As I begin to draft my focus will be on writing all my ideas down on paper not stressing the little details (e.g., grammar, spelling…). In the revising phase, I will navigate my attention to adding, deleting, substituting, and rearranging my draft. As an editor of each of my blog entries, I will look at the fine details of my writing by proofreading and editing. Each of these previous stages will support me as a writer and future educator as I immerse myself in the reading and writing process.
As I conclude this first blog entry, I would like to document my goals as I begin the journey of creating my Genre Pieces Project. In this project, I intend to use the knowledge I have gained from Tompkins' text to support me in the early stages of the writing process. Below you will find a tool I have created that will support me in my own planning and prewriting stages. This document will support me as a reader and writer in outlining the topic choice, purpose, audience, and genre of each of my genre pieces. I define writing as a constant process of redefining the smallest details over and over again. A writer does not become a writer by chance rather by learning, growing, and enjoying the process.
References
Tierney, R. &
Pearson, P. D. (1983). Toward a
composing model of reading. Language Arts,
60(5),
568-580.
Tompkins, G. E. (2012). Teaching writing: Balancing process and product (6th
ed.). Upper
Saddle
River, NJ: Merrill.
Lauren, I couldn't help but smile when I clicked on the link for your blog and up popped the floating house from the movie, UP. Given what you shared about how much you enjoy this movie, I love that you selected this image.
ReplyDeleteYour post this week clearly illustrates the ways you see yourself using the strategies Tierney and Pearson and Tompkins when you write. I also appreciated the planning outline that you have created for yourself as you begin to think about your process for the Genre Pieces Project. My one recommendation is that as you begin this exploration, you spend much more time thinking about topic, audience and purpose/voice than trying to determine genre/form. Sometimes when students focus on form too soon, they miss out on unique opportunities to meet the needs of their audience as well as their purpose.
In regards to the format for these entries, it is helpful if you include page number within the entry *if* you are quoting directly from the readings -- this includes Tompkins. However, you do *not* need to include Tompkins in the full reference list at the end of the entry.
You DO need to correctly cite Tompkins when you refer to her work in your entry (i.e., use quotes when necessary and identify page references).
You DO need to include full reference citations for all entries that discuss ANY source other than Tompkins.
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