Teaching Writing Effectively: Reviewing Practice

This book invites readers to engage in a thoroughgoing review of classroom practice in order to teach writing more effectively. Used as a self-support tool, it provides the potential for fundamental classroom change, bringing together key ideas about teaching writing from contributors with extensive experience of working with teachers to improve classroom writing. With overviews of the history of writing instruction and of teachers’ own resources for teaching writing, there are also formats to help survey provision and perceptions about writing. The classroom environment is seen as a central theme, including teaching for learning, planning for writing and how to offer choice and foster independence. The book considers the purposes for writing in the curriculum as a whole, the place of talk in promoting writing and how authentic experience can unlock young writers’ potential. Issues of diversity and inclusion, response to writing and assessment are included as essential elements in teaching writing effectively. Most particularly, however, the book focuses on the role of the teacher as a writer and as a teacher of writing, sharing experience and expertise with younger writers while guiding them towards writing authentically and with their own voice