L2 children and writing: a neglected skill?

Abstract

This is a summary of an online discussion hosted by the IATEFL Young Learners Special Interest Group (SIG) in February 2007. Writing is not so much neglected in primary classrooms as not noticed and not adequately prepared for. It tends to take on a great deal of significance at later stages of primary and secondary education when it is increasingly used as a main vehicle for assessment or the demonstration of learning. The term ‘writing’ was seen as ambiguous and it was argued that teachers need to define the way they use the term ‘writing’ and consider whether they are concerned with: development of the motor skills of writing, writing to communicate, writing to learn, and/or writing to demonstrate other skills. Writing potentially performs many different functions in the L2 classroom but this will vary according to context, children's level, and teachers’ goals. For example, writing to learn is more likely to be a goal in an ESL or bilingual CLIL (content and language integrated learning) context. Consequently, some contributors argued for writing as a form of communication and viewed the integration of reading and writing with other skills as natural and appropriate in the young learner (YL) classroom in activities such as telling a story followed by children writing their own version in whatever way they can. However, in other contexts, writing is used more as a support skill (e.g. as a support for speaking in Korea) or as a means of demonstrating language knowledge.