12:1 Writing to learn

When and where did I find the word:  Writing to learn was a term found in this week's assigned reading.  It was found in the following article:

Knipper, K.J., & Duggan, T.J. (2006).  Writing to learn across the curriculum:  Tools for comprehension in content area classes.  The Reading Teacher, 59(5), 462-470.

What it means: According to Knipper & Duggan (2006), writing to learn is a catalyst for further learning and making meaning out of what one has read.

Level of Familiarity: I have never heard of the term writing to learn before; however, after reading Knipper & Duggan (2006), the process seems familiar and is similar to exercises that were used during my undergraduate education.

Do I want to know this word well and tell why? I think that writing to learn is an important concept.  According to Knipper & Duggan (2006) writing is often left out of content classrooms as a way to de-emphasize the process writing; however writing to learn is an opportunity for student to gain interest in an already familiar subject.

Do I think others should know this word well....if so who and why?  I think that content area teachers can make good use out of this strategy of writing to learn. From my experience as a student in secondary education and at my undergraduate institution, I think at lot of emphasis was  put on the final product of the writing process rather than what I learned from the process of writing about a given subject.  Knipper & Duggan (2006) provided some interesting insight on the process of writing to learn and how to make valuable assessments from this process.