Presenter: Noella Mackenzie. MASTERCLASS. UNDERSTANDING AND SUPPORTING EMERGENT WRITING. How does our understanding impact children s learning?

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3 Presenter: MASTERCLASS. UNDERSTANDING AND SUPPORTING EMERGENT WRITING. How does our understanding impact children s learning?

4 Introductions Why did you come to this masterclass? What do you want to learn about?

5 Context Increased pressure on school teachers created by high stakes tes5ng and community expecta5ons measurable outcomes Risks associated with pushing the school curriculum down into kindergarten and prep to meet these expecta5ons Educators uncertainty about how to support/teach wri5ng Loca5on of children between ages of 4 ½ and 6 across preschool and prep N.Mackenzie, CSU, 2014

6 When children start at your school... what do they know about writing? "Clip art licensed from the Clip Art Gallery on DiscoverySchool.com"

7 What do you think they should know? "Clip art licensed from the Clip Art Gallery on DiscoverySchool.com"

8 Early childhood literacy the single best investment for enabling children to develop skills that will likely benefit them for a life5me. (Dickinson & Neuman, 2006, p. 1).

9 ... prompts a re-imagining of what children bring to early childhood learning contexts and expectations of how and what they will learn. (Mackenzie & Petriwskyj, under review)

10 Contemporary theories view literacies as mul5modal, complex, culturally embedded human ac5vi5es which encompass the many codes and symbolic systems humans use for construc5ng and represen5ng reality and communica5ng with others. (Kennedy, Ridgway, & Surman, 2006, p. 16).

11 Driving theories Behaviorist theories Developmental theories Socio constructivist theories Critical literacy theories Multiliteracies Goals Children develop increasing pro2iciency over the of sub skills of writing. Children encouraged to be active constructive learners engaged in discovery learning and child centered teaching. Children learn with others as texts are jointly constructed. Skills and strategies learned are then applied independently. Children are encouraged to analyze texts and use writing to address power relationships and social inequities. Children develop awareness of and increasing competence in using a range of representational text forms to create meaning. Classroom practices Teaching handwriting, spelling and punctuation as component skills of text composition. Language experiences approaches and process writing Shared, guided and independent approaches to teaching writing Genre approaches to teaching writing Use of digital technologies and multiple semiotics to produce texts.

12 Success in learning to write is critical, to success with literacy proficiency generally (Cutler & Graham, 2008),... reading achievement specifically (Gerde, Bingham & Wasik, 2012), and... accomplishment in school overall (Clay, 2001; Fang & Wang, 2011; Mackenzie, 2009).

13 ... is a means of expressing or communicating in print, which involves the interaction of cognitive and physical factors (Bromley, 2007),... promotes social, emotional and cognitive development (Love, Burns & Buell, 2007).... requires making connections and constructing meaning (Bromley, 2007).

14 Writing is a message-sending, problem solving activity... involving the linking of invisible patterns of oral language with visible symbols (Clay, 2005, p, 1).

15 The writing process is complex cogni5vely, socio- culturally, and linguis5cally;... at every age and stage it is an efformul ac5vity. (Myhill and Fisher, 2010, p. 1).

16 Writing entails the interac5on of cogni5ve and physical factors involving the hand, eye, and both sides of the brain (Bromley, 2007)... develops at many levels simultaneously (Tolchinsky, 2006).... is not a natural communica5ve competence like speech and thus normally requires inten5onal teaching (Olson 2009).

17 Write: Today I can write using the new alphabet with my other hand a = α g = γ m = µ s = σ y = ψ b = β h = η n = ν t = τ z = ζ c = χ i = ι o = ο u = υ d =δ j = ϕ p = π v = ϖ e = ε k = κ q = θ w = ω f = φ l = λ r=ρ x = ξ

18 How did you go? τοδαψ Ι χαν ωριτε υσινγ τηε νεω αλπηαβετ ωιτη µψ οτηερ ηανδ

19 Read: Ρεαδινγ ανδ ωριτινγ αρε ρεχιπροχαλ προχεσσεσ a = α g = γ m = µ s = σ y = ψ b = β h = η n = ν t = τ z = ζ c = χ i = ι o = ο u = υ d =δ j = ϕ p = π v = ϖ e = ε k = κ q = θ w = ω f = φ l = λ r=ρ x = ξ

20 Reading and Writing are reciprocal processes. oral language is a further rich resource serving both (Clay, 2005, p. 2).

21 Young children begin their wri8ng journey crea8ng meaning by combining mul8modal symbolic system or modes such as talking, drawing, singing and role- playing, long before they engage in the mature wri>en linguis8c forms of their culture (Kress and Bezemer, 2008).

22 Early milestones 0-1 a child notices others writing this is well before they can tell you they have noticed something (0-1 years).

23 Early milestones cont. 1-2 children begin to engage with writing tools pens, pencils, crayons, electronic devices and possibly mark making tools that are not necessarily designed as writing tools (e.g. Lipstick). (approx 1-2 years).

24 Early milestones cont. 1-3 children intentionally engage with writing tools in an exploratory way this often resembles scribble (approx 1-3 years).

25 If children see an advantage in being able to write, they will apply the same focused aoen5on to learning how to write that they applied to learning to be oral language users. (Mackenzie, 2010, p. 30).

26 What are you thinking about now? Jot down two points and then compare with neighbour

27 How does school transi5on impact learning to write? How can we make it easier?

28 Help for parents

29 When children start school usually able to create spoken and visual texts (drawings) but have limited skills in wrioen text crea5on (wri5ng). (Mackenzie & Veresov, 2013)

30 Children s drawings are an example of sign creation, while standard or nonstandard uses of conventional print are examples of sign use. (Vygotsky )

31 Children s drawings are important to early wri5ng however drawing is not always seen as an important means of making meaning. Consequently children s early efforts are not always valued and they are not encouraged to draw.

32 If given the models, opportunity, tools and encouragement, children spontaneously start to add writing to their drawings.

33 Drawing allows for timely and appropriate intentional input from an adult to assist an already successful meaning maker to learn another way of self-expression.

34 Drawings act as an anchor for children s emergent writing helping them remember ideas as they learn the rules of conventional writing.

35 Children who are encouraged to draw, talk, write and share become confident, flexible writers who create more complex texts than when they are restricted to just writing.

36 Children who are encouraged to draw, talk, write and share become confident, flexible writers who create more complex texts than when they are restricted to just writing. Why?

37 If we encourage and value drawing and talking we can build a bridge between children s prior-to-school experiences, current systems of meaning making and the new system of writing. Impacting the learner! N.Mackenzie, CSU, 2014

38 In this way writing becomes a parallel means of meaning making rather than a replacement for the drawing and talking they already do so well when they arrive at school [or preschool]. (Mackenzie, 2011, p. 338) Building on what they know and can do.

39 What do you want to take from this session? How could this impact learners at your school? Who do you need to work with to get change at your school? What should be your first step? 39 N.Mackenzie, CSU, 2014

40 Thank you! Dr Tel: nmackenzie@csu.edu.au Web page: hop:// noella- mackenzie click here

41 Further Reading Mackenzie, N.M. (2014). Transitions to school and emergent writers. In B. Perry, S. Dockett & A. Petriwskyj (Eds.), Transitions to school: International research, policy and practice (pp ). London: Springer. Mackenzie, N.M. (2011). From drawing to writing: What happens when you shift teaching priorities in the first six months of school? Australian Journal of Language & Literacy, 34(3), Mackenzie, N.M., & Veresov, N. (2013). How drawing can support writing acquisition: Text construction in early writing from a Vygotskian perspective, Australasian Journal of Early Childhood, 38(4), Mackenzie, N.M., & Hemmings, B. (2014). Learning to write: What predicts success with writing in the first year of school? Issues in Educational Research 24(12), Mackenzie, N.M., Hemmings, B., & Kay, R. (2011). How does teaching experience affect attitudes towards literacy learning and teaching in the early years? Issues in Educational Research 21(3), Mackenzie, N.M (2009) Becoming a writer: Language use and scaffolding writing in the first six months of formal schooling. Journal of Reading Writing & Literacy, 4(2),

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