Writing may be considered a learning tool, playing a relevant role in knowledge acquisition, development and expression. The role of writing in knowledge construction can be understood focusing on linguistic features, the cognitive processes involved, or the social and cultural practice in which it occurs. Based on the relevance that writing can take in these processes in the school context, we conducted a study aimed at verifying the extent to which this dimension is valued in Portuguese schools of primary education (1st to 9th grades). We chose two complementary methodological pathways: analyzing textbooks and inquiring teachers by means of a questionnaire. The data collected show that, in the school context, writing is used particularly in tasks aimed at the reproduction of information and that only very seldom is writing viewed as a promoter of knowledge creation.
writing; learning tool; knowledge reproduction
