Which view of writing corresponds to my experiences: The acquisition view or learning view?

Blog Entry #2

In the book Essential Linguistics: What You Need to Know to Teach Reading, ESL, Spelling, Phonics, and Grammar, Freeman and Freeman describe two views of writing: the acquisition view and the learning view. From an acquisition perspective, writing is acquired from the need to produce some authentic written response. The teacher creates conditions for authentic writing, and then helps students express themselves in writing (Freeman & Freeman, 2004). Student writing naturally progresses from inventive spelling to conventional forms. From a learning point of view, writing must be taught directly. The teacher directly instructs students how to form letters, then words, then how to combine words into sentences and then sentences into paragraphs (Freeman & Freeman, 2004).

Reflecting on my writing experiences through the sixth grade, I believe my experiences most closely correspond with the learning view in the early years, but my later elementary years seem to align better with the acquisition view. I learned to print letters in kindergarten. I recall experiencing read-alouds with the alphabet people and playing with the inflatable characters. Then, I learned to form cursive letters during the third grade.

Some of my greatest writing experiences came from an acquisition view of writing. I wrote original stories and used them to enter the Young Author’s competitions from 1^st through the 6^th grade. I also remember writing book reports throughout elementary school. The public library would have summer reading competitions, and kids would have to read a specified number of books and submit book reports to receive certain prizes. During the school year, similar competitions were held within the classroom. We would accumulate stars for every book report submitted, and prizes were awarded each week. Through all this book report writing, I do not recall receiving any specific instruction on how to write. It seems like I just acquired the necessary skills by writing.

Source:

Freeman, D. E. & Freeman, Y. S. (2004). Essential linguistics: What you need to know to teach reading, ESL, spelling, phonics, and grammar. Portsmouth, NH: Heinemann.