The Effective Teaching and Learning of Writing

Writing is an important skill that allows participation in society, and ability to express oneself meaningfully. In saying this, there are various ways to teach writing, and they all have their place. It is important to teach children to learn how to write as it covers all areas of the curriculum, and enables them to express themselves and be assessed in various ways. Learning how to write involves expressing ideas through various textual means, attention to editing, and attention to text structure (Seely Flint, Kitson, Lowe, & Shaw, 2014). Effective teachers will make decisions on how they teach writing based on students needs. The effective teaching and learning of writing through the linking of theories such as behaviorism, constructivism, and sociolinguistics to classroom practice will be discussed, along with a balanced approach, and the importance of writing itself.

The theory of behaviourism is teacher-centred and delves into the teaching and learning of writing through skills-based development. Skinner (as cited in Ertmer & Newby, 2013) states it is a theory based on learning that changes based on consequences and observable behaviour, and instruction is based around presentation and practise of desired targets. Relating to this theory, a model for literacy development is called the skills-based model. This model is based on schooling practises that are competitive, uniform, and efficient, and aim at providing students with skills when the enter the workforce (Seely Flint et al., 2014). Students can master these skills by practising-orientated activities (usually independently) where they build on their previous skills (Tompkins, Campbell, & Green, 2012). A classroom example of how behaviourist theory links to classroom p...

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