ABSTRACT
Several major theories have informed current approaches to teaching writing: Cognitive theories, focusing on individual development of skills and strategies; sociocognitive theories, which build on these but emphasise the role of social factors; theories which include community experience; genre theory, which identifies a range of text types linked to social purpose; writing as design, which sees the construction of meaning much like the construction of a material object and multiliteracies and critical literacy perspectives. Recently, there has been emphasis on teachers as writers and their role in modelling writing. The chapter identifies the range and repertoire of writing: Text type, medium, purpose, readership and function. Children’s perceptions of writing can inform teachers about how best to approach writing, and a brief outline of early writing development shows how, even before they are writing recognisable words, children know a great deal about using marks to make meaning, as well as the purposes for writing.
The chapter concludes with a section considering the range of writers, including biliterate and multiliterate learners, and gender and writing.
