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Reflective Journal-1 Writing Acquisition

Weekending 12th September, 2025

      As a foreign language teacher, I am naturally inquisitive about all the developmental processes of the language Arts, and therefore, writing is naturally one of them. During the course of this week, the process of quenching my writing knowledge thirst started, with the task of doing personal studies of literature that exist, internalizing its significance, and expressing its impact on my knowledge and philosophy, of writing development.

      As expected, the principle of its development in stages was highlighted, as is the case with the development of all skills. Though man-made, the results of research (which the documents I read were based on) seem to show a natural human predisposition to developing the art of writing, with a somewhat predictable pattern for everyone; even children with exceptionalities.  Like listening and speaking, anyone whom is exposed to writing, with some practice, tend to acquire the skill. This new knowledge, changed my whole perception on writing, which I only saw as an artificial skill, with no natural connection to the human speech communication system.

      Throughout my years as a teacher, I never gave much thought to the occurrences of the preliterate stage as a point at which writing is actually taking place. Although I saw scribbling as a necessary skill for writing development, I never thought of it as a form of writing. Now I see the need for the writing process to begin as early as possible, in order to get the best outcome, as it relates to writing proficiency. I always focused on writing at the upper grades where students are better able to produce pieces that are closer to adult quality. However, this week’s class sessions made me see the importance of placing great emphasis on writing at the lower grades, where the best trained teachers, with experience, should be placed to ensure that the best practices are followed in giving students the right opportunities to develop their writing skills adequately.

      Once again, another grate course has humbled me into recognising the pivotal role adequate training plays in teacher efficacy. Writing which is central to any education programme, is no exception. Therefore, I must submit the fact that this week, has left me with a yearning to learn more about children’s writing development.

Comments

  1. Gloria WellsSeptember 29, 2025 at 6:24 PM

    I really appreciate how you connected writing development to natural skills like listening and speaking. Your point about the preliterate stage being a true start to writing made me rethink how important early opportunities are. You’ve encouraged me to see the value of placing strong, experienced teachers at the lower grades to lay the right foundation.

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  2. Cami GeorgeOctober 2, 2025 at 5:10 PM

    I really liked your reflection Polly. I like how you connected what you learned about writing development to your teaching. It is interesting how you moved from seeing writing as something artificial to understanding it as a natural, staged process, like speaking and listening.

    I also agree with your point about the preliterate stage. Scribbling is often overlooked, but it is actually an important first step in writing. Recognizing it as real writing changes how we support students in the early years.

    I liked what you said about having strong teachers in the lower grades. I wonder, though, is it also important to keep focusing on writing in the upper grades?

    I admire your openness to keep learning more about writing development. It shows your commitment to becoming a better teacher and helping your students succeed.

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