Cross - Talk pgs 3 - 15

The first article, by Donald Murray, talks about teaching writing as a process and not a product. I 100% agree with his views in this article. That learning the process of writing shouldn't be about "correct" and "incorrect", it's about making mistakes and finding what works best for you, not using a rule book. I also agree with his views on where the teacher stands in a students learning of the writing process. Murray says, "when you are talking he isn't writing." I think this is such a great point. We learn writing by doing. Lastly, Murray's 10 Implications really struck a chord with me. I think the last one covers it all, "there are no rules, no absolutes, just alternatives. What works for one may not work for another. All writing is experimental."

In the second article, by Janet Emig, she talks about writing as a mode of learning and how writing corresponds to certain learning strategies. She states that the four languaging processes of listening, talking, reading and writing are crucial in learning. However, these four processes are very different from each other. I thought it was a very intriguing argument, with many valid points, however, the first article made more sense to me.