Chapter 13: Writing

Chapter 13 was probably one of the more fascinating chapters in this book! I agree with Bruning that writing requires that all cognitive functions to work! The Flower and Hayes model of writing could be placed on top of the cognitive function models from one of the first chapters. When we write, we must use our long term memory to recall what we want to write about and it also provides the knowledge of how we are going to write about our topic. Short term/working memory focuses on the words and grammar we will need to express individual ideas and then applying our long term memory's "plan" to generate and organize the flow of ideas. Finally, we have the task environment: this describes the exterior factors that influence our writing. For example, what material do have for research, what is the writing assignment about, how long the assignment is, and what medium we have to write on to name a few. One thing I wish this model would have included, and this is important for young learners, is the dexterity needed to write (or type, as the case may be). It may be that good hand writing translates into good writing in general (and if this is true, I'm in deep trouble). I also wonder if dexterity would fit in the working or long term memory, but maybe, it's a part of both....

What does this model tell me about my own writing? Well, I would make the general observation that I am not a prolific writer: I don't and haven't written as much as I should in order to be good at it. Whether speaking or writing, I've found my working memory to be a limiting factor as I struggle to express what's going on in my head. Constantly forgetting what I'm trying to convey or how I was going to organize it. I know I don't plan nor review my writing enough to become a good writer: Bruning would describe me as a knowledge teller. Although I would hope to say that I can do more than string some ideas together, I really don't take the time to make an abstract road map of what I need to say: well, let me take that back, on longer assignments, I do write outlines, but on shorter writing assignments such as this journal or the items within my outline, I know I organize them sequentially instead of conceptually. Well, I guess I have more work to do on this front!