THE WRITING PROCESS:

Task Analysis/ Steps in the Writing Process:

There are many steps in the writing process (hundreds).  Barb’s chart is a wonderful visual of the process.  Unfortunately, it is hard to see on the blog, but you can get an overall sense of how detailed a process it actually is.  If only one little step goes wrong, we may have an issue with writing.  If more than one step goes wrong, oh boy, we are probably looking at a BIG problem.  Research has shown that spoken language is innate, so we naturally learn it.  Written language, however, is a learned skill, not something we will learn on our own if not shown.  Some children will have very rich vocabularies but cannot get those words down on paper.  Perhaps they cannot write legibly or cannot spell the words they want.  What will they naturally do?  They will dig within themselves to use what tools they have.  The kids will spell shorter and simpler words or they will not do the work or they will produce work that is illegible to all but a chosen few. 

Let’s look at the complex world of writing:

Executive functioning is going on initially.  Prior to this course, I had never thought I was executive functioning so much. He he.   We must give our attention to the task

We must be able to hear, see or feel the instructions (if in class), we must be able to tune out surrounding noise and concentrate, we must find our tools for writing, find a place to sit, be able to see or work with whatever we are going to use as our writing apparatus, and visualize what we are going to write about.  Etc, etc, etc.  You get the point.  Once again, as my instructor in class has said, “And we haven’t even begun writing yet.”  Sheesh!  Here studying at my dad’s, I have to consciously tune out the surrounding noise.  It is quiet in the house (I am the only one here), but he has a bird repelling device outdoors so the birds will stay away from his blueberries.  During daylight hours, it constantly sounds like different birds are attacking.  I am now used to it and it is slight background noise.  I am going to have to tape it before I go away so I can listen to it at home in Newfoundland when I am studying.

We then move on to higher level content skills.  Here a knowledge of writing using different styles, flexibility in writing and understanding that different writing occurs in different situations is important.  With each of these skills, there are so many components within them also.  Prior knowledge, experience, meta-cognitive skills, recall and retrieval are all important at this stage.  We need, for example, to know that we do not send Christmas cards in July to a person who has lost a spouse.  This is an example of higher content skill in action.

 Lower level mechanical skills are next.  Here I am talking about.  If I am hoping to physically write using a pencil or pen, I have to be able to grasp that pencil or pen in my hand, get it to paper and put in on the left side of the paper in the proper spot or on the applicable line.  This requires being able to visualize spatially, fine motor concentration, mental image of the letters I want to form, long term memory (what do the letters look like, how do the words spell), efficient recall, efficient grapho-motor skills, directionality, sensori-motor, spatial placement of letters, pressure control, automatic motor memory, concentration, and visual motor skills.  Even in this level, there are many more subheadings (organizing, self control, etc.).  We are not even close to being done yet.

Next I move on to higher level mechanical skills, including punctuation and capitalization; then spelling; a coming together of many skills (such as visual memory, active working memory, auditory processing, long term memory, automatic letter formation, phonological processing, sequential processing, etc); grammar and semantics  the study of meaning; speed of motor response (which includes phonological processing, graphomotor, memory, directionality, motor planning, etc.;) and the editing and revision skills (which ties back into what we started with in our executive functioning).  Writing is a process of coming together for all those things!!  Whew.

Of course, the steps are complex and multilayered.  It can be disheartening if you cannot see your way to clearly being able to write.  It must be especially disheartening to be nine years old, not being able to figure out how to do it and seeing what appears to be everyone else getting it.  Luckily there are assistive technologies to help.  I will mention some below.  On top of this, there are apps for iPod Touch’s (my new favourite toy) and iPads, lots of computer programs and websites and another new toy that I have not tried but would like to – the Live Scribe Echo Smart Pen.

Assistive Technology that exists for:

1)     Higher level content skills

a)      Draft builder

b)     Inspiration

c)      Kidspiration

2)     Lower level content skills

a)      Clicker 5

b)     Cloze pro

c)      Sym Writer

d)     Boardmaker Plus

3)     Lower level mechanical skills

a)      Seating and positioning

b)     Slant boards

c)      Make n Sit Cushions

d)     Pencil Grips

e)      Regular keyboard

f)       Portable keyboard, Fusion Writer Plus

g)      Word Processing with Spell Check

h)     Text to speech software

i)       Write out loud

j)       Readplease

4)     Higher level mechanical skills

a)      Word Prediction

b)     CoWriter 6

c)      Word Q (with topic dictionaries)

d)     Voice input (with appropriate match to user)

e)      Clicker 5

f)       Cloze Pro

g)      Sym Writer

h)     Classroom Suite

i)       Boardmaker Plus