Reflection 4

On the 16^th September, the course, LIT 102 began with oral presentations that gave way for newfound ideas. Throughout the session, innovative ways were presented by groups to give an insight into the various activities that can be utilized to teach the writing process. Each group's oral presentations exhibited understanding, which allowed them to accurately demonstrate the writing process. During the presentations, it was also evident that it was an interactive session as we were all actively engaged in the activities. On the 18^th September, the commencement of lecture four began with a new topic.  In this lecture, the writing stages of children were highlighted and discussed. The purpose of this lecture was to give an insight into what is needed to assist us in completing one of our writing assignments.

During the teaching of the stages, we were able to immediately understand the stages, as we were already familiar with the writing stages. Our first encounter with the writing stages was in EDCL, a course that was offered in the summer. Therefore, this lecture was a reminder or acted as reinforcement for the concepts. As the class proceeded, it became clear that it is integral that as teachers we possess knowledge of the stages of writing. Awareness of the stages of writing, provides us with the advantage to pinpoint students’ writing issues. This will result in teaching instructions being planned effectively, as the intent will be to improve students’ writing.  During the teaching of the lecture, it was also mentioned that reading and writing are intertwined.  In essence this is indeed accurate, as a child who is able to read or is exposed to books is able to write to achieve academic success.

Overall, the oral presentations that were presented on 16^th September stood out the most. The opportunity to present our ideas and creativity gave us adequate practice. We have realized that through practice, our confidence in teaching improves.  Furthermore, the exposure to other group members’ perspective gave us ideas into the various ways we can teach the writing process to our students. After thorough consideration, we think a short video clip of a child moving through each writing stage would have enhanced the lesson. This will assist individuals who are visual learners to better grasp the information.