By -

 

Reflective Journal 2 Understanding the Stages of Writing Development

Weekending 19th September, 2025

      As we continue on our journey of acquiring conventional methods of teaching writing, throughout the primary school system, I continue to be impressed with the amount of strategies and tools that exist for this purpose. I am indeed impressed, however in a state of awe in relation to my lack of knowledge, thereof. I thought I was quite knowledgeable and competent to teach writing. As has been the popular belief by many; writing is a simple skill, which any literate person can teach.

      Last week’s sessions opened my eyes to the whole principle of writing in stages and the need to start at an early age. A fact that stood-out was the high level of success in writing that is possible with an early start. I then realised how much our children’s true potential is hindered by a late introduction to the writing process. Then my introduction to the ROG writing system, which focuses on genres most interesting to children, was really a fascinating experience. This one and its stages, made me feel rather ineffective as a writing teacher. It allowed me to understand that there are many effective systems and tools geared at targeting different types of writing learners, especially in the early stages (the foundation).

      In culminating, I must honestly admit, I have decided from a position of humility and a willingness to learn, that I was not equipped with the necessary skills, to teach writing. From my experience so far, I can see that after completing this course, I will adequately prepared to meet the needs of my writing learners.    

By Polly M. Jeremiah

 

Comments

  1. Gloria WellsOctober 6, 2025 at 4:07 AM

    Polly, I really appreciate your honesty and humility in this reflection. Many of us can relate to that feeling of realizing how much more there is to learn about teaching writing effectively. Your point about early exposure to the writing process truly resonated with me. It’s amazing how much potential students have when given the right start.

    I also liked how you connected the ROG writing system to the importance of building strong foundations. It’s encouraging to see how this course is reshaping our understanding of what it means to teach writing. Your willingness to grow as an educator is inspiring and reminds me that good teachers never stop learning.

    ReplyDelete
  2. Tamyer MunroeOctober 10, 2025 at 7:53 AM

    Polly, you took the thoughts right out of my mind, because I too was in awe of how little I knew about the many strategies used to teach writing. I almost feel the need to ask my students for forgiveness, realizing that in some ways, I may have short-changed them in their writing journey. As Dr. Charles often reminds us, “Now you know better, do better.”

    Being exposed to Rog’s writing phases has opened my eyes to the importance of understanding each phase, what to expect, and how to support my students as they move through them. With this new knowledge, my mindset is shifting from being product-driven to nurturing the process. I now see the value in developing and incorporating strategies and tools that guide my students gently through each stage, helping them grow as confident and capable writers.

    ReplyDelete

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Reflective Post 1: The Value of Understanding the Stages of Writing

By -
Learning about the different stages of writing really opened my eyes to how students’ skills develop over time. The first three stages are mostly seen in the lower grades (K–3), while stages four to six appear as students move further along in school. For instance, emergent writers often begin with scribbles and drawings, while early writers use letters and invented spelling to form words and simple sentences. One of my classmates pointed out that writing can actually begin as early as Kindergarten. That insight reminded me that writing doesn’t have to be perfect at first; it’s a messy process of trial, error, and revisions before reaching a polished piece. I also realized that even the earliest attempts, like scri bbles or drawings, are meaningful and should be celebrated as the first steps in a child’s journey as a writer. As an educator, this makes me think about the importance of realistic expectations. I can’t expect a Grade 1 child to write like a Grade 6 student, b...
Read more

Reflection 1: Stages of Writing Development

By -
      Last week, we conducted our own research on the  Stages of Writing Development  before the teacher introduced us to those outlined in ROG (2007). In my research, I came across the work of  Teale and Sulzby (1986) , which provided me with some insight into how children transition from scribbling and drawing to more conventional forms of writing. Then, our teacher later showed us the stages of ROG. It was interesting to compare what I had found with that of ROG's.       It was then, during my research, that I realized what I used to think of as “just scribbling” actually has real meaning. Teale and Sulzby describe how those early marks are a critical part of the preliterate stage, and ROG confirmed that children’s random symbols and drawings are not meaningless but are their first attempts at written communication. Before, I might have dismissed these as play, but now I see them as the very foundation of literacy.    ...
Read more