ZURAWSKI_21082393_A3

.docx

School

Curtin University *

*We aren’t endorsed by this school

Course

121

Subject

English

Date

Jun 18, 2024

Type

docx

Pages

Uploaded by CaptainSeaLion4265

Miroslawa Zurawski 21082393 An exploration of myself as a writer A writer must first develop enthusiasm and confidence in their own writer identity before they can competently teach writing. In this paper, I will discuss my growth as a writer over an eight-week period of weekly diary entries of different styles and topics, as well as the resulting reflections, with an emphasis on three polished pieces of writing. In addition, for contrast, this essay will examine my experiences to those of another person, the interviewee. This dialogue will make use of the interview transcript in appendix one as well as the weekly diary entries and observations in appendix two. A good writer considers their readers and satisfactorily communicates their intended meaning. This perspective was conveyed in both my and the interviewee's answers when asked what characteristics make a person a good writer and what knowledge and skills a good writer should possess (questions 5 and 6). The interviewee discusses punctuation, grammar and imagination, whereas I acknowledge "a broad and structured vocabulary." The first refined piece addressed, A Day in the Life of Dexter, in contrast, uses a simpler lexicon to convey the story of an elderly man who was inspired to live again after the tragic death of his wife. The collaboration emphasises my effort to think outside the box with a self-created style of writing or structure, illustrating my growing strength as a writer. Playing with the writing styles of other authors and poets, according to Loane and Muir (2017, pp. 135-136), can help an individual build confidence in their emerging style. At this point, I was my own audience, establishing my style based on my own feelings and evaluation. Polished piece number 2 shows a demonstration of being able to break down walls and reconnect with ones emotions. As humans, we seem to find it difficult at the best of times to express our feeling and emotions, let alone, being able to write about them. We react as readers and as humans, with the commonality that entails. We can not only connect with the text on an emotional, responsive level, but we can also dig deeper, exploring how the writer has created such a vibrant, physical image for their readers (Loane & Muir, 2017). As per question 5, my interviewee agreed, that being a good writer is all about having imagination, feeling and emotion as it inspires us to write pieces of artwork. It is important to express feeling, emotions, memories through writing as it gives the reader an insight into the message that the write is trying to convey. Every writer brings the sum 1

Miroslawa Zurawski 21082393 of their personal experiences to their writing. No matter how good the work, writing about an event, an issue, or a character can only be a representation by one person at a given time. The writer's point of view will reflect life's influences, whereas another writer will express an entirely different point of view (Loane & Muir, 2017, p. 179). My third polished piece demonstrates the creativeness and ability to write my own biography as a write in the third person. It really made me think and challenged my writing ability. It made me realise how much I have grown as a person especially as a writer. Writers' identities matter because they are shaped by diverse histories and experiences. They are likely to influence how writing is approached and viewed, and they arguably merit more recognition and development in education (Cremin, 2015). In agreeance with my interview, I agree that the most important skills you need are knowledge of the English language and the ability to captivate your reader with your story. It's not enough to talk about the weather or the type of day you're having without using words to paint a vivid picture in your reader's mind. The reader must be drawn into the plot by your storyline. Creating my autobiographical self was an empowering experience for me in two ways. One important lesson was that learning English entailed more than simply memorising the linguistic code (Flowerdew & Miller, 2008, p. 204). It entailed learning about and comprehending the world around me using English as a medium. For me, creating my autobiographical self was a goal-oriented activity that allowed me to see and make sense of the world around me. This led to a second learning experience: learning how my perspectives around racial groups, sexual identity, and status differed with language made me realise that my identities were strongly influenced and redefined by the sociocultural and socioeconomic circumstances in which I had grown up in. CONCLUSION: Whilst recounting and evaluating on the interview, the weekly diary entries, and their evaluations, my writer's confidence and creativeness have steadily grown. My preliminary perception of a writer was somewhat entirely limited to journalists, book authors, and poets. As the weeks passed, my perspective widened, and I started to see myself as an emerging writer. A writer can begin to establish a distinct identity through environment, exposure, experimenting, and feedback, which can then be used to expose others to writing. 2

Miroslawa Zurawski 21082393 My approach to the teaching of writing During a recent eight-week period, I created original pieces of writing to complete a writer's diary with the intention of creating a writer-identity. I have documented the writer's journal and reflections, which can be found in Appendix 2 and will be referred to on occasion during this whole essay. I believe that a teacher-writer can become a proficient writer teacher by devoting time to reading and writing numerous types of texts and developing literacy pedagogical practices that reflects a writing ideology based on a desire to share and discover new ways to make meaning. The intention of this essay is to discuss the advantages of being a writer-teacher who teaches writing and how this benefits students. I'll go over how to create a teaching philosophy and pedagogy that will best help students understand meaning-making. Finally, this essay will briefly analyse the use of functional language in classrooms to adequately support learner-writers. Teachers who are confident and passionate about their subject matter help students develop self- efficacy. How teachers model writing and the writing process influences student participation in writing and their writing identities in school (Yeo, 2007, as cited in Cremin, 2015). According to Loane and Muir (2017, p. 7), students who have passionate and enthusiastic teacher-writers will undoubtedly be inspired to view literacy positively. Albert Bandura's (1997) social cognitive theory proposes that our confidence and self-efficacy can be influenced by our social environments, such as effective modelling from teachers and positive feedback (Duchesne & McMaugh, 2019, p. 160). This emphasises the significance of a well-crafted literacy pedagogy. Some aspects of Halliday's functional language framework have been applied to show students the writing process. Language, according to Halliday (1978), is a useful component that evolves over time through social relationships (Thwaite, 2019, p. 43). The proposed method is consistent with Halliday's belief that learning occurs through interactions between students, their classmates, and their teachers (Derewianka, 2015, np). This method proposes that educators use modelling and collaboration, along with scaffolding, to assist students in making sense of texts (Derewianka, 2015, np). According to Loan and Muir (2017, p. 19), the process is similar to holding a loupe up to a piece of text so students can evaluate its meaning. 3

Miroslawa Zurawski 21082393 Favorable attitudes towards writing among pre-service or in-service teachers cannot be assumed. Several studies show that a concerning number of student teachers regard writing as both difficult and potentially embarrassing; they express concerns about teaching writing and tend to make negative judgments about their own writing expertise (Cremin, 2015). Positive attitudes towards writing cannot be assumed among pre-service or in-service teachers. Several studies show that a significant number of student teachers regard writing as both difficult and potentially embarrassing; they express concerns about teaching writing and make negative judgments about their own writing expertise (Cremin, 2015). It seems clear to me that, whether we are concerned with the function of writing or the aesthetics of writing, denying our students the opportunity to enjoy their authorship will never be acceptable. My experience has taught me, and continues to teach me, that when teachers are enthusiastic learners, readers, and writers in the classroom, students want to share in the joy of enjoying words and how they are put together (Loane & Muir, 2017). CONCLUSION: Ultimately, student literacy achievement is dependent on the writing skills they learn from educators. Teachers who write and aspire to nurture a strong writer-identity have been shown to have a beneficial impact on ambitious learner-writers. Learner-writers with strong self-efficacy and meaning-making skills are more likely to be produced by a teacher who incorporates a writer's philosophy into their literacy pedagogy. Reading and writing are used to interpret and convey meaning, and this should be demonstrated to students in a way that they can confidently understand. Teachers can effectively demonstrate the power of literacy and the various styles of the writing process by using scaffolding, positive modelling, and supportive feedback. 4

Miroslawa Zurawski 21082393 References Byron-Cox, D. H. (2019, September 19). Self-Efficacy Theory of Motivation - Bandura's Self-Efficacy Theory. Retrieved from Study.ccom: https://study.com/learn/lesson/bandura-self-efficacy- theory-of-motivation.html Cremin, T. (2015). Teaching writing in today's classrooms: Looking back to look forward. In J. Turnbill, E. Brocke, & G. Barton (Eds.), Exploring teachers’ identity positions as teacher-writers and writer-teachers in the classroom (pp. 51-68). Sydney: Australian Literacy Educators Association (ALEA). Derewianka, B. (2015). The contribution of genre theory to literacy education in Australia. Duchesne, S., & McMaugh, A. (2022). Educational Psychology for Learning and Teaching (6th ed.). South Melbourne: Cengage. Flowerdew, J., & Miller, L. (2008). Social structure and individual agency in second language learning: evidence from three life history cases. Critical Inquiry in Language Studies, 5 (4), 201-224. Kirby, P. (2022). What was Putin's original goal? BBC World News. Retrieved from https://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-56720589 Loane, G., & Muir, S. (2017). Developing young writers in the classroom: I’ve got something to say. New York: Routledge. Thwaite, A. (2019). Halliday’s View of Child Language Learning: Has it been Misinterpreted? Australian Journal of Teacher Education, 44 (5). 5

Your preview ends here

Eager to read complete document? Join bartleby learn and gain access to the full version

Access to all documents
Unlimited textbook solutions
24/7 expert homework help