Scaffolding can be used in any area of language learning, as it is the process of guiding a learner toward a desired objective of understanding by aiding them cognitively, motivationally, or even emotionally (Engin, p. 27). This technique can be especially useful for writing, as many students experience anxiety about writing. Writing anxiety can be viewed as a type of language anxiety as well (Bayat, p. 1135). Many students will claim that they dislike writing or that they aren’t any good at it, this is where the teacher needs to provide additional support in the form of scaffolding. It is also imperative that a particular setting be created for writing, it should be as stress-free as possible, and while form is important it is not the only goal of writing. The process approach supports this, in using this approach we see an emphasis on the drafting and rewriting stages, it is as the name suggests, a process and it does go through steps all of which are building blocks toward well-developed writing skills. I have experienced difficulty writing myself and although the ability exists sometimes it is difficult to assess the words you need (Bayat, p. 1135). In knowing all of this, I would be sure to reiterate that first drafts are a way to put thoughts on paper, and that the focus at that point is on meaning and not form. Also, I believe that choosing interesting topics to write about allow students to freely express ideas, and not concentrate as solely on the grammatical
Scaffolding for this student would include activities to develop the technical vocabulary necessary to understand the reading materials, or having the teacher provide reading materials appropriate to the child’s reading level. Additional instruction may be needed in reading skills, to support the student in a reading activity. The zone of proximal development explains the need for student and task to match, making the task of learning attainable (p87). Teaching to one zone of proximal development is likely to leave some students frustrated and confused, while others can coast through the lesson (p88). It is not so important for the teacher to know exactly what the student’s status is, rather to be aware when the students are becoming frustrated, and are in need of more practice, or when the task is just right for the individual (p89).
As someone who can look at a blank paper for hours at a time and not have a single idea on what to say, drafting can be one of the most crucial steps in writing. It allows you to have many different ideas before setting your mind on one solid point. Drafting allows you to release all your ideas onto the paper, no matter how good or bad it is. It makes writing 7 pages of just pure nonsense, okay, giving yourself enough to work with later on when editing. It can also help you develop your ideas into more solid pieces, by taking specific parts and allowing you to elaborate on them. My Favorite quote from Anne Lamott’s Shitty First Drafts is “For me and most of the other writers I know, writing is not rapturous. In fact, the only way I can get
Within the past eight weeks, I have realized my strengths and weaknesses within the writing process. I have realized that I do not utilize the first step within the writing process of prewriting. However, for the drafting, revising, and polishing steps of the writing process, I am very familiar and use additional resources to strengthen the writing assignment. I create multiple drafts, which includes revising and polishing in each step. Therefore, I use all three of these steps in multiple drafts as I reach the final product for
In first grade, I had started reading, or that is what I recall as my first time. My stuttering problem was always there, but I was a “great reader” according to my teacher Ms. Brown. She was a kind elderly woman, who wanted to see everybody in her class succeed in reading a whole book. Then second grade came at the snap of a finger. There, I wrote my first paragraph full of “mumbo jumbo”. Even though I wrote my first paragraph in second grade, I did not learn about the writing process until high school. After I left high school, I learned that we had barely touched on the writing process due to a significant place in my life… College! In my first English class (Eng 180), my professor went over the ideas of rhetoric, the writing process, and discourse community. Since my old professor did not go in depth on these topics, meant that they were still fresh in my head with no place to stay. In English 280, we went into full detail on these topics and understood more about the meaning and purpose of them all. I know that the writing process includes brainstorming, researching, proofreading, revising, and etc.; however, I felt like I have been doing it all wrong for years. I have made many improvements to my writing due to English 280, but the skills that I improved in the most were researching and synthesizing.
My vocabulary has improved due to the many words we have learned in English II and I have learned that in order to create the perfect paper, you must have many rough drafts. One of my strengths as a writer has been my editing, which helps me fix the fluidity (one of my weaknesses) of the paper. Another weakness in my writing is not brainstorming before I write. In most instances I am able to start a paper right away but then get stuck after the first or second body paragraph. However, I often fix these mistakes by having multiple peers and mentors read over my drafts. By adding this step to the process of my writing, I am able to produce a stronger paper. My goal in writing for the next year is to improve upon the structure and format of my paper. This could be easily accomplished by learning how to write SCQuIRT paragraph. In the future I hope to be able to build upon my skills as a
The first step is something I like to call, The Royal Rumble of Ideas. The path in which my paper will follow as well as my thoughts and ideas are formed from the first process. The way in which it does this, is by requiring the writer to apply an abundant amount of focus on one particular area; whereas, the typical strategy, asks for the writer to just write (cue eye roll). If I am to construct a story, I must utilize this step. En passant, I might add, the crux of the former element is very much similar to the latter, as well as in the way in which it works. The commonality to which I am referring, is rumination. The simplicity of it is bemusing, especially considering it’s efficiency, but I will describe that later. The way this is utilized, is by requiring the writer to mull over what they will write next. For example: When I am writing, regardless of the type of paper, I will deeply contemplate what my next sentence will be and how it will be phrased. Incidentally, in English class, I will often be seen staring into the ether, as if I am on a psychotropic drug. There is, however, a reason behind this seemingly sinister image. As I described, rumination is crucial in my writing process: In order to produce a sentence, or a paragraph for that matter, I must distill information from that contemplation. (See, it even
Throughout English 101, I learned that the following the writing process was imperative. Before taking this class, I use to always skip the pre-writing step considering that it is just an easy and unnecessary step. Consequently, I struggled to figure how to start writing, and most importantly I struggled to figure out the main point while writing the draft. And then I finish the first draft close to the deadline that I do not have time to read it not to mention revising. It was after I started this class that learned that pre-writing is vital, and requires time and attention as it holds the base of the whole writing. My professor used different analogies such as blueprint for building and map for navigation to explain the importance. It really speeded up my writing after I started to utilize it. I have learned outlining before, but part of the pre-writing that I was fortunate enough to learning in English 101 is the writing triangle. Even before outlining, the topic, purpose, and audience of the
Throughout the seven weeks that I have taken this writing composition course, I have developed skills to help me improve my own writing. Using the writing process is one of the main focuses in the course. The writing process helps writers develop and revise their essay as they work their way up to creating the final draft that can be presented. Although there are many areas in my own writing where I can get better, I have found that my writing has improved in many ways while practicing using the writing process.
Concerning my assignments, I always take hand written notes before writing up either a first draft or segments of one. This allows myself to clearly organise my thoughts to properly delve into the task at hand. Afterwards, I re-organise my first draft in a typed format and begin developing my voice; which happens along the progress of my written piece, creating a stronger and more advanced piece of writing.
My writing process in the past has never been concrete. It was even very rare that I had a process or even realized that I had a process going on. All I did was write without revision. For example, one time I had a research paper due the next day. I made the decision to take all of the examples I had, write it out, explain it, then give my take on the example, 30 minutes before it was due. Although it was littered with grammar mistakes, I got a passing grade. However, this anxious direction of writing held me back from creating great writing assignments and projects.Because I was being told constantly that I had "great ideas but terrible form" made writing extremely hard and close to depressing.
My writing process starts before pen meets paper. When I receive the assignment and read the rubric, my mind starts working. I have a general idea of what I am going to write about, along with a few main points. My writing process is like a puzzle; it is very confusing to most, but makes sense to me. I have realized my faults and how important it is to be more organized in order to improve my writing process.
When beginning any writing assignment, it can be a rocky start. It involves critical thinking and applying to your writing. First, you have to be skilled and be prepared in writing to get where you want to be. Therefore, my writing was complicated until I got into writing better than before. There comes a time when you have to start from scratch and work until you earn what you deserved. It was complicated to figure out what to write about, and to be precise. At first, I had adequate writing skills, but as I progressed through middle and high school, I have made vast improvements in my writing.
In my writing assignments, I found that I am good at organizing my thoughts and notes in an appropriate way, also going back and revising my mistakes along the way. In my future writing assignments, my goal is to make sure that I know how to start my writing properly and taking extra time to proofread the whole assignment.
Scaffolding is defined by Educational Psychology, 8th edition as: “Support for learning and problem solving; might include clues, reminders, encouragement, breaking the problem down into steps, providing an example, or anything else that allows the student to grow in independence as a learner (45).” The key concepts of scaffolding in the zone of proximal development is how Vygotsky believed the most learning can take place as the students are amongst peers whose “private speech” can be discussed among one another to come to new conclusions. (aka learning.) private speech Children 's self-talk, which guides their thinking and action; eventually internalized as silent inner speech. For example, a teacher could introduce a concept requiring prompting,
(Technique 1: transitions) The process of writing is not so simple. It takes a lot of effort to bring thoughts from one’s mind to the physical plane that is a piece of paper. One of the more difficult parts to writing is being able to transition from one idea to another. Without proper transitions, writing is just bits and pieces being forced together instead of many thoughts flowing seamlessly from one to another into one conglomerate piece.