Assisted Writing & Independent Writing

According to the authors, during assisted activities the teacher uses language prompts and adjustable levels of support to enable children to accomplish writing tasks they would be unable to accomplish on their own. The progression of children’s writing is developed by their experiences of different types of writing activities with assistance. These new skills and strategies are then reinforced through independent practice.

The continuum of assisted writing includes:

Interactive writing.

Writing aloud.

Revising and editing.

Throughout the different types and levels of writing proficiency, teachers’ support and clear instruction are vital to the success of the student. “A common characteristic of struggling writers is their reluctance to take risks with their writing” (Dorn, et. al., 1998). Children do this with an overdependancy of specific letters and words. This then causes the students to miss out on opportunities for new learning and problem-solving. They focus on their words rather than the story they are trying to share.

Teachers guide the process, assist children as needed, and evaluate the level of learning, to always be planning the next steps to teach. As for group revision conferences, this book uses two important principles to convey successfulness: Children must be comfortable having their work displayed to the class for group revisions and editing, and Teachers must ensure a supportive environment that focuses on collaboration and problem-solving. I think that if we learned more of this while in school, maybe more teachers would utilize collaboration as a resource.

According to the book, children’s writing ability is directly influenced by three important factors:

The appropriateness and quality of the demonstrations provided by the teacher.

The types of opportunities they have to revising and editing techniques.

The teacher’s feedback during group and individual conferences.

Practice is the key in order for our students to continually move to higher-levels of development.

It is important to distinguish between the zone of proximal development and the zone of actual development. ZAD is what’s known as the child’s ability without assistance, whereas ZPD refers to the child’s learning capabilities with help, assistance of any kind or level. In regards to literacy, progress is measured through these two levels of performance. “What the child is able to accomplish today with the teacher’s assistance she or he will be able to accomplish independently tomorrow” (Vygotsky, 1978). Just like balanced reading programs, balanced writing programs are essential to the growth and development of our students’ learning. The authors define a balanced writing program as three types of support that build on one another: assisted writing with a group of children with similar needs, independent writing, and individual conferences about writing.

When teachers are trying to figure out the level of learning taking place in their students, they must measure both assisted and unassisted work in order to acquire an accurate report. As for the independent learning abilities, this must be an objective of the teachers. The child’s independent work will assist the teacher in knowing how to better help that student. “Independent writing gives children personal opportunities to apply recently demonstrated techniques and strategies” (1998). Journal writing is a great way to promote independent writing, whether it is in class or their personal diary. Both reading and writing are reciprocal practices, in that one practice may contain simple and or personal stories that will support and strengthen the other process.