Reflection on Sousa Article-Writing Difficulties

I was very interested in reading this article as our PBL group decided to focus on the Task Analysis of Writing. I found that learning how to write is just as difficult and maybe even more so than learning how to read or speak.

Sousa mentions that the process of learning to write does not develop without instruction. He also discusses that writing has two components. They are the combination of the content of writing (the writing process) and the physical act of writing.  In addition, it is stated that writing involves a multiple of neural networks. Students hear a word or visually process the word, convert sounds to letters then form the letters on the page (motor output). So many other factors can be involved when teaching a student to write, such as, the experiences they have had with writing, their emotional state and whether they have an understanding of the organization of writing as well as the rules (e.g. spelling, grammar).

With all that is involved with learning to write, it does not surprise me that students have difficulty with writing in schools. I think of my classroom last year and the work that was being done to assist the students to improve their writing. So much has to be learned by the teacher in order to assist their students to help them through the writing process. As I continued to read through the Sousa article and reflected on the research with dysgraphia I can think of two students who were labelled as being lazy or unmotivated to try. I really believe, as Sousa states, that teachers need to assist students in understanding what is effective writing, they need to build their confidence and they also need to pinpoint where the struggle is for their students. Not that the teachers in my school are not practicing this but I believe gaining insight into the understanding of what the writing process entails as well as the various strategies and techniques that are available (many are present within this article which are wonderful) will have a benefit for both the teachers and students within the classroom.