Learning through Writing: Mimetic Processes in Action

Abstract

This chapter offers an explanation of the processes of learning that arises through individuals engaging in writing and for professional development purposes. It proposes that this learning arises through mimetic processes (i.e. observing, imitation, practice and monitoring) that are central to the thinking and acting that comprise the act of writing. These mimetic processes are foundational to human cognition, meaning-making and engagement in and outcomes of participation in goal-directed activities, such as writing. The account provided here is aligned with how these processes are or can be directed to worthwhile and purposeful goals, such as professional development. In all, mimetic learning is founded on both inter-and intra-psychological processes. That is, how individuals engage with the world beyond them (i.e. inter-psychologically) and also their cognitive, sensory and neural processes (i.e. intra-psychologically) when enacting goal-directed activities. Central here are foundational human processes associated with cognition and how humans engage in processes of construing what they experience and constructing knowledge from them. Such foundations are helpful for considering how learning arises through engaging in writing activities, and as such its contributions to individuals’ professional development.