DRAW, TALK, WRITE, SHARE

Thursdays 18 & 25 February 2021 – 4.00 – 5.15 pm on Zoom

In two x 1 hour presentations*, Ass. Prof. Noella Mackenzie will share recent outcomes of her ongoing investigation of the relationships between drawing, talking and writing in the early years of school. She will share examples from classrooms and discuss how this practical, pedagogical approach can operate in the classroom. Through this approach, writing is introduced as a parallel means of meaning making rather than a replacement for the drawing and talking children already do so well when they arrive at school. Noella will also share the ways that DTWS can work alongside Interactive Writing.

“If teachers encourage and value drawing they can build a bridge between children’s prior-to-school experiences, a current system of meaning making and the new system of writing. In this way writing becomes a parallel means of meaning making rather than a replacement for the drawing and talking they already do so well when they arrive at school.” (Mackenzie, 2011, p. 338)