ABSTRACT
It is easy to take the ability to write for granted. For many it is an everyday feature of life – from making lists to sending emails – but for those who cannot write, it is a precious skill that opens the way to a better life. Being able to write means being able to express one’s identity (Cremin and Myhill, 2012; Ryan and Barton, 2012; Cummins, 2016) and to communicate thoughts, emotions and insights. Being able to write is crucial not only to a productive working life but also to a sense of social belonging and self-expression. However, although there are records of writing dating back to ancient times, it is only over the past 150 years that writing has been seen as something that is within the scope of ordinary people and taught in schools (Chamberlain, 2016). More recently, with the introduction of global communications, writing reaches more people throughout the world. In the (very near) past, writing has been seen as a ‘basic’ requirement and literacy as only necessary to serve the purposes of being able to do a job. Writing is much more than that. It helps to think through ideas, communicate emotions and thoughts, grapple with difficult issues, cement relationships, create different worlds of the imagination, establish a sense of community and express cultural experience. It is useful, creative, communicative. Any writing curriculum should allow for all these different aspects of writing to be developed and nurtured. However, as with other aspects of English, there are differing views and theories. Many of these seem to be in opposition.
