Oral Patterns as a Resource in Children’s Writing

The effectiveness of word-processing as a supplementary written language intervention was examined in a sample of 14 children with mild intellectual disability. The children were enrolled in two special classes in an Auckland primary school. The study was initiated in the senior classroom (age-range 9–11 years), where a personal computer had been installed. In the initial week the children were taught to use a word-processing package, and for the next eight weeks, the children used the computer for daily writing activities. The computer was then shifted to the junior classroom (age-range 6–8 years), and after an initial 1-week period of learning to use the computer/software, the children used the computer for daily writing activities for the next four weeks. Samples of the children’s writing were collected over a 16-week period immediately prior to the introduction of the computer and immediately following the completion of the computer writing period. Each of the samples was subsequently rated on eight qualitative categories. Both classes showed significant improvements in the “organisation” of their writing, and the senior class also showed an increase in their “authority” as authors. The results suggest that use of a word-processing package can help to facilitate the written language development of children with mild intellectual disability

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Developing children’s writing

English 5-11 ◽

10.4324/9780203135419-16 ◽

2013 ◽

pp. 199-218

Keyword(s):

Children's Writing

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Early Writers in Northern Communities: Ways Teachers Might View and Reflect on Writers’ Representations

Language and Literacy ◽

10.20360/g2s091 ◽

2017 ◽

Vol 19 (2) ◽

pp. 90

Author(s):

Judy Parr

Keyword(s):

Young Children ◽

Early Writing ◽

Symbol Systems ◽

Learning Contexts ◽

Children's Writing

“What did I write?” is the title of a seminal book (Clay, 1975), illustrating how we can learn what children know about print, in part, from their representations. Children’s writing is socially and culturally situated; play is one context shown to help develop the use of symbol systems. A framing with several lenses is designed and applied to illustrate to teachers ways to consider the samples of early writing accompanying the play of young children in remote Northern communities in Canada. There is consideration of how information could be used to inform and optimize educative actions in such learning contexts.

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