Writing is constructing thoughts. Writing is NOT copying.

From the desk of Hope…

My blog topics are inspired by the work I do in classrooms as a literacy specialist, my 13 year old son’s educational experiences and my own literacy life.

This particular topic hit me slap in the face this week as I was out and about “living literacy”. (This is a new term I learned this week and I love it!)

Some people define a copying activity as writing……. and this bothers me.  Writing is composing thoughts. Writing is NOT copying something out of a book, off the board, spelling words 10 times each, or other similar tasks.

Writing does not just involve learning to use orthographic symbols (copying), but also involves how to select and organize experiences according to a certain purpose.

Consider a few of the purposeful reasons I write personally:

• When I write my blogs, I am composing thoughts and opinions that I want to share with ERG followers and also teachers I teach.

• When I write my grocery list I am thinking about what I need to buy so I can make my trip to the grocery store efficient.

• When I write my son, who is turning 13 this week, a letter for his birthday, I am reflecting on his life and writing a heartfelt message to him.

• When I write lesson plans for teachers I am selecting information and organizing it in a sequential way that will paint a picture of a lesson.

A purposeful selection and organization of experiences requires active thought. When writing, the writer must keep in mind their purpose and think about the information they will select which is relevant to their purpose.  A writer must also think about how to organize the information in a coherent fashion.

The type of thinking that happens in writing is nowhere close to being the kind of thinking that happens when you copy something. Transferring words from one place to the next takes minimal low level thought and has a mechanical robotic feel to it.

So why does this practice prevail in classrooms everyday everywhere? As an observer of this practice I have a few theories.

1. Believe it or not, students seem to like copying. My best guess is because it is easy, no thinking required.
2. If students are sitting at their seats copying the class is “in control”.
3. There is a misunderstanding or a lack of understanding of what writing really is and how to effectively teach writing.

I did some reflecting on my own tenure as a teacher and I do remember using copying when I was doing handwriting lessons. I would stand in front of the room and form letters/words and then my students would copy the letter/words on their paper. Again, active thought is not required.

Finally, as I was writing this blog I googled things like: Does copying help you learn to write? Are there any benefits to copying? What is the puprose of having learners copy things?

I wanted to make sure I wasn’t missing something.

In my research, I found no support for copying.