These days, we know reading and writing go together like peas and carrots, but that was not always the case. In fact, some years ago, both reading and writing were taught independent of each other. This is because the prevailing thought was that one learns to “read” before students learn to “write.” However, we now know that both reading and writing work together in a reciprocal process. Both processes do not work one after the other. This encourages a more graceful and gradual learning of concepts. While these topics are are typically difficult for humans to overcome, understanding how reading and writing as a reciprocal process works eases the burden of knowledge .
What We Know About Reading and Writing
As we know now, reading affects writing and writing affects reading. Reading instruction works when there is writing actively taking place alongside it in a process. Research indicates that when young people read a lot, their writing becomes more refined. And, their skills in both departments increase. As long as students are completing both processes together.
Moreover, children who study many facets of reading–the conventions of reading–become more aware of the concepts of writing. For example, writing in an unfamiliar genre for students, like mystery, can give kids and adults the skills they need to tackle reading genres they don’t understand. For example, if you read a mystery novel, like The Westing Game, writing one becomes that much easier. This is true because you now have a mentor text to refer back to when writing.
As James Patrick writes in “The Reciprocal Relationship of Reading and Writing,” the processes involved in reading and writing complement one another deliberately and effectively. They work as one to improve both skills by utilizing one subject as a source while taking part in the other. Writing, in this instance, can take the form of emulation, or it can excel as a mode of immersion.
“This path to literacy instruction requires a fluid school schedule instead of one that separates reading and online writing courses into different blocks in the school day,” he writes.
With that said, as educators and learners, we can’t separate the two ideas from one another. They both positively effect each other, therefore that must be the focus for engagement. Teaching the ideas of reading and writing needs to be done in a seamless way to allow an ardent approach to both subjects. The adverse may be to suggest that humans learn these processes in a linearly–and that seems to be false.
Why is the Reciprocal Process Important?
Reading is hard. Even as someone who enjoys reading, they have to find time for it and they have to be patient. For people who don’t like reading, that’s exponentially more difficult. The same thing goes for writing. For those who love writing,, that doesn’t mean anything necessarily, because they similarly have to find the time to write. And they have to be patient, which is completely daunting to someone who struggles with writing.
As Patrick states: “Early literacy instructors see great gains when employing reciprocal instruction.” While it can be said that teaching a child a new skill is more effective than teaching an older person, it is still helpful to understand this process. Even if you are an experienced writer, these ideas can help. Knowing that reading effects writing and writing effects reading may encourage you to pick up that book you’ve been putting off. Or, maybe it will encourage you to spend more time on that journal you don’t write in anymore. In summation, if we If we want to be better writers, we have to be better readers, and vice versa. Both work together to make successful readers and writers.
