What happens when a group of educators holiday together? This week I have the privilege of holidaying with four educators from interstate and New York. As we all arrived we placed our current reading out on the coffee table to share. As I have relaxed and read the coffee table offerings I have been reflecting on the connection between responding and composing. Part of responding to text is deconstructing the way the text has been written to suit it’s purpose. This ‘reading like a writer’ is important for writers developing their craft- another indication of the reciprocal relationship between the key processes of responding and composing. All writers ‘borrow’ from other writers. Helping students to unpack what they read and judge what makes the writing effective and then allowing them to experiment with those techniques themselves builds their skills as writers. Increasingly the English block needs to be viewed as responding to and composing text not separate reading and writing sessions.
Hi Jenny,
Saw you today at Parkes. This blog is great, but it is limited in its representation of what creative and inspiring presenter(s) you and Mary-Ellen are. Literacy pedagogy is awesome in theory, but on my/our two hour drive home, my peers and I discussed your ideas in the context of our own classrooms. (Pity you weren’t in the car). May I say, you lovely ladies are exceptional catalysts for the creative, critical literacies that permeate today’s education. THANKYOU.
PS. Please don’t critique this post’s grammar:)
Thanks very much Michaela and carload of peers. We greatly appreciate your taking the time to acknowledge our efforts. Jenny finally has someone commenting on her blog. Ta heaps!