Process and Post process and writing pedagogies

I enjoyed this discussion as I have been involved with the topic both as a Language arts and ELL teacher. I was interested in reading about MY history as it is a little less than 20 years ago that I received my LA teaching certificate.

I did not not know the vocabulary that goes with it but I was there.Somehow I got a hold of Nancy Atwell and then Donald Graves and Lucy Calkins?? I read Reading and Writing in the Middle and it made so much sense to me. The only pedagogy I knew if at that time was my own experience in High school and a little from my children's teachers. When my soons were in school I was too but I remember that writing was being discussed.

I tried to use as much as I could of Nancy Atwells information when I did student teaching and it served me well and I think my students. There and later in my first Reading teacher I asked students to journal each day often on themes of our novel. I definitelty think that exercise helped students to write good essays on the nuances of what they read. Later when I was restricted ( sort of ) to reading teacher I used Nancy's letter to the students explaining how we would have a conversation with them journaling about what they read and I would answer.

I am glad that Matsuda stated that, " There is no doubt that the process movement helped to call attention to aspects of writing that had been neglected in many writing classrooms."
I was not surprised that there were writers/teachers like Barrett Wendell who were trying to, " make composition a humane and intimate discipline. But I was surprised to read that, " the process movement hads been themost successful in thehistory of pedagogy reform in the teaching of writing."

I believe Mr Matsuda makes his point in the end that the process and post -process writing theories paralleled what was going on in second language writing. Just as the process movement developed theories against current -traditional rhetoric ; second Langauge writing began to move away from the audiolingual approach which did not include writing.

I am aware that the two pedagogies the rocess writing and the move to include composition within ELL instruction as valid , and turning to techniques as free association and emphasis of quantity over qualilty.

I am glad for the process writing pedagogy that has developed and yet there are concerns -both for ELLs and other composition students. Those that struggle with literacy either from lack of experiences and background as a child or because of growing up in a non english language, many students young and adult have gaps. They have huge gaps of vocabulary which affects reading and writing and they often have gaps in conventions, spelling and general phonics.

Thus the discourse over phonics for young children or whole language. My children learned to read and write at home before entereing K ( on a basic level) But i agree that there is aneed for phonics for those who need it and there is a place for whoe language. ELL students do much better when everything is whole. It is easier for them to understand the vocabulary in context, and frm there concepts across the contexct areas. Those struggling students do need explicit teaching in some areas but they also can benefit of a mix with the whole and process writing theories.