EDEL 305 Literacy Autobiography: Reading and Writing Journey

This assignment presents a literacy autobiography, detailing the author's personal journey as a reader and writer. The author reflects on significant experiences, both in and out of school, that shaped their literacy development. Key influences include teachers who encouraged reading beyond the syllabus and a grandmother who fostered a love for stories and writing. The author discusses the challenges faced in developing writing skills and the evolution of their expressive abilities. The autobiography also addresses areas for improvement in their schooling, such as providing opportunities for work revision and peer critique. Finally, the author explains how their experiences will inform their future teaching practices, emphasizing the importance of grammar, content, and providing constructive feedback to students. The document is contributed by a student to be published on the website Desklib, which provides all the necessary AI based study tools for students.

What significant experiences (in-school, out-of-school) have contributed to your
development as a reader and writer?
The experiences in the school have helped me to develop myself as a writer and a reader.
Instead of focusing and remaining confined to the books that were there in the syllabus, the
teachers in the school always encouraged to read beyond the syllabus and not remain confined to
the bookish knowledge (Aliponga, 2013). Though one could access the library and take any book
for the purpose of reading and studying, a special day was being made where the students had to
visit the library and take a book to read. Session were also conducted where we were being asked
to write the words which was not known by me in the index cards. The words were then
discussed in the next day. Instead of remaining confined to the bookish studies, magazines and
other materials were also being taken into the academic session which enabled me as well as the
other students to read the other books and magazines and study them. The school plays a great
role in the development of all studnets including me as a writer (Nasir, Naqvi & Bhamani, 2013).
Special focus was being given to the development of inner creativity by making sure that instead
of writing the bookish language, we tend to understand the concepts and write in our own words.
Unseen essays where we could express our own ideas were also conducted in the school activity
which developed creativity. (Allan & Driscoll , 2014). In my person life, I used to maintain a diary
where I used to write everything that happened with me. This enabled me to be more expressive
in my thoughts and helped me in becoming a writer presently. Reading story books and articles
as everyday basis helped me to develop my self as a reader in my personal life.
Can you identify any key incidents (positive or negative), any significant individuals or
relationships?

One of the most significant individual who helped me in developing my skills as a reader
and a writer is my grand mother. During the time of myc hidlhood, she used to read story books
to me before the time of sleep. Later in my growing period, she encouraged me to read articles,
newspaper and books.in order to make sure that I have read the book, she used to ask me to ask
me questions related to it. apart from this, the habit of writing everyday is also being encouraged
to me by him.
How was your experience of learning to read and/or write?
In the initial days when many of the words were unknown to me and I was not much
expressive as I wanted to be, I felt myself to be very low. I had no idea of how to express my
thoughts and even develop myself as a writer. However, practice makes everybody perfect. With
practice, I developed myself and presently is capable enough to write and express my thoughts
without much hesitation. However, learning is a continuous progress. Therefore, I intend to learn
more as a reader and a writer in order to be more knowledgeable and expressive in the upcoming
future.
What do you wish had occurred in your schooling regarding language and literacy
teaching and learning?
Though the school played a great role in the development of my reading and writing skills, there
are few things that could have been done in the school which would have encouraged me and
developed me more as a writer. One such thing that the teachers in the school could have
followed is that the encouragement should have been given to the students in order to revise their
work. Formal steps could have been provided by the teachers to the students for the purpose of
revision. This could have been done by asking the students to first submit the drafts of the paper

for the review or for the purpose of the peer critique (Schunn, Godley & DeMartino, 2016). The
reliability and validity of peer review of writing in high school AP English classes. Journal of Adolescent &
Adult Literacy, 60(1), 13-23. The option of revising and rewriting one task or assignment during the
time of the semester for the higher gradation could have also been encouraged (Bauchmüller,
Gørtz & Rasmussen, 2014). Another such thing that could have been done by the teachers in my
school is that students like us could have been given the time to speak about their own thoughts.
Time should have been given to the students each day for the purpose of generating the ideas and
putting the focus on their topic.
How do you think this experience will inform how you understand your students’
experiences of learning to read and write?
It is through the experiences that I gained in my school days, I will be able to develop the
teaching of my students. I will be making them understand the importance of the grammar. On
the other hand, I will also make them understand that the English teachers do not focuses on the
grammar only. I as a teacher will not only see the quality of the work but will also see the
content of the work. I will be even giving them with feedback which will be helping them to
develop the sectors in which they are wrong (Guasch et al., 2013).

References
Aliponga, J. (2013). Reading journal: its benefits for extensive reading. International Journal of
Humanities and Social Science, 3(12), 73-80.
Allan, E. G., & Driscoll, D. L. (2014). The three-fold benefit of reflective writing: Improving
program assessment, student learning, and faculty professional development. Assessing
Writing, 21, 37-55.
Bauchmüller, R., Gørtz, M., & Rasmussen, A. W. (2014). Long-run benefits from universal
high-quality preschooling. Early Childhood Research Quarterly, 29(4), 457-470.
Guasch, T., Espasa, A., Alvarez, I. M., & Kirschner, P. A. (2013). Effects of feedback on
collaborative writing in an online learning environment. Distance education, 34(3), 324-
338.
Nasir, L., Naqvi, S. M., & Bhamani, S. (2013). Enhancing Students' Creative Writing Skills: An
Action Research Project. Acta Didactica Napocensia, 6(2), 27-32.
Schunn, C., Godley, A., & DeMartino, S. (2016). The reliability and validity of peer review of
writing in high school AP English classes. Journal of Adolescent & Adult Literacy, 60(1),
13-23.