Learning Portfolio of Writing

Running Head: ENGLISH 1
Learning Portfolio of Writing
Name of University

ENGLISH 2
Learning Portfolio of Writing
The paper discusses the development as a professional writer with the help of self-created
texts and theories of literacy. The objective is to understand the processes of written composition
and construct a pedagogy to meet the needs of young, developing writers.
Section 1:
I look at myself as a young writer who is at the very begging of his journey of self-
exploration as a writer. I read somewhere that writing is like a muscle, the more you exercise, the
better it gets. The idea may hold true to some extent as when I compare my writing of
yesteryears to what I write today; I find a significant improvement in the quality of writing. I am
better with my ideas, the flow of the text, and make fewer grammatical mistakes. My vocabulary
has expanded with time, and I feel a lot more confident when using certain words or phrases.
There are various theories of writing, cognitive process theory, social cognitive theory,
and sociocultural theory of writing (Leggette, Rutherford, Dunsford & Costello, 2016). Over the
years, these theories have been modified to define concepts and ideas for writing. Although each
theory is unique, the social cognitive theory of writing is seen to be the most complete as it
involves cognitive processes and society’s influence involved in writing development.It makes
me wonder if the improvement in my writing skills has been due to the pedagogy and curricula
followed in the classroom or my own efforts to write well, or is it a combination of both.
Whatever the reasons, today, I carry a better understanding of the process of written
composition. A small piece of writing below is a good gauge to evaluate my writing skills today.
Although certain selective teaching practices are well known to create a suitable learning
environment in the classrooms, it is yet to be seen if those methods can help students develop as
writers. The teachers and instructors are advised to create a positive atmosphere for writing,
reading, learning for the students, and develop them as a literate community. The teacher should

ENGLISH 3
share their writing skills as a model for the students and communicate that they are still learning
and evolving as writers. Teachers look at themselves primarily as readers and not as writers and
thus get used to the mechanistic writing approaches followed in classrooms. Gardner (2018)
suggests that teachers should be given a writing curriculum.
Object
This one thing I use daily, I take it for granted. Open and shut, multiple times a day.
Mindlessly opening and shutting it behind me. One day I slow, I grab the handle on this tall dark
colored cabinetry and pull. It's like opening up a cave of wonder. As I pull, the light starts to
shine on my pastel skin. I open the door uncovering a world of vibrancy. All the colors of the
rainbow. Time stands still in the ice cave. Simple creatures with a load of potential. They can be
anything they want to be. I stand there and stare. What did I come here for? Oh yeah?! Let’s
make a salad.
According to Behizadeh (2014), dominant literacy practices must align with sociocultural
theories of writing and should be student-centered. The curriculum should expand and evolve
and be flexible enough to meet the diverse needs of a vast and assorted student body. A good
teacher knows how to develop an atmosphere of freedom of thoughts in the classroom. Every
student should feel confident that his voice would be heard and noted by the teacher. Most
students are bursting with thoughts that are just waiting to get expressed. Writing is the best
medium to give those students a medium of expression, and all they need is a bit of
encouragement and notice by the teacher. An essential part of pedagogy is not just teaching the
right content but teaching the right way. This requires a teacher to be more patient,
understanding and appreciative of the writing efforts of the students. She should encourage the
students to speak out their thoughts and share their feelings. Current teaching methods focus