It all began in the early 2000’s, I’d only been teaching for three years. Staff at my school participated in a two-day workshop run by Gail Loane. She made us write - it certainly wasn’t what I expected because I thought I would learn how to better teach children to write. I actually felt my heart pound, and couldn’t believe it when I recognised that I was scared. Worse was to come, when we were asked to share our stories with a peer, and then with the group and from there how to improve our pieces.
It dawned on me that I had put the ākonga I taught in that position on a daily basis.
Gail used a variety of strategies to help us find ‘personal significance’ from ‘universal experiences’ and for me that was a game-changer. Back in the class I noticed more about the interests and ideas of the ākonga I taught, I deliberately drew out their perspectives and stories. Relationships were strengthened and trust built. It was through knowing more about them that I was able to create ‘hooks’ that were flexible enough for each person to connect at an emotional level. The magic happened and suddenly I saw and heard stories that meant something to each of them. We played ‘hide and seek’ and ‘blind man's bluff’, we went outside and noticed details in everyday objects and settings, we drew, we talked and listened, we used our senses and the stories came tumbling out of them.
They would write ‘fast and furious,’ and then pause to consider who they were writing for, what they wanted to say, and how best to say it. Once they were able to answer these questions, I was able to challenge them to revise and recraft until they had created something they felt proud of and wanted to share with others. We dedicated time for this hard work. We wouldn’t give up and didn’t finish our pieces until we were happy with them.
Over a year, they made significant improvement and I got the best results compared to previous years. I discovered that by being a writer myself, I became a better teacher of writing.
I’ve been curious about why people write and the value they get from the writing process for many years. Patrica Grace was seeking to add a few stories that Māori children see themselves in and that reflect their lives; I liked that. Sabaa Tahir grew up in an isolated place and felt like she didn’t fit in, writing gave her a voice. I’m still motivated to identify and understand what to do so every person finds their voice, enjoys writing and feels proud of what they have created and achieved.
Now, I work in schools all around New Zealand, most of what I have done is not new. The progress we made has come about through collaborative inquiry alongside improved systems and processes. When people have quality time to think together, plan and collaboratively teach, then reflect, improvement happens. The difficulty was in the ‘how’. Improving the quality of the interactions between teacher and student, and between peers had the biggest impact of all. A whānau approach, where everyone felt like they were in a community of writers and readers shared the power and increased agency, and mana.
What have I learnt that is worthwhile sharing?
Unite through a shared sense of purpose and a clear philosophy - what is your why? My philosophy is based on the fundamental human need to effectively communicate; that there is joy in expression, connection and exploration. Every person has a voice, and that voice reflects their identity, aspirations and experiences. Thinking and working as a writer helps us make sense of who we are, each other and the world we live in. Writing captures vignettes of our lives. It can bring back special memories, like snapshots that can be revisited and shared. I know this philosophy makes a difference because I have seen many young people discover or rediscover their joy as they become more confident and capable writers.
Focus on relationships - how well do you know the ākonga you teach? How well do they know each other, and how safe do they feel to be vulnerable as writers? I observe young people - they provide me with the feedback I need in order to adapt my approaches. Providing multiple opportunities to talk and to listen about things that matter to them and you, builds relationships. Using collaborative strategies to facilitate this has helped me and others. Explicitly teach ākonga how to co-construct: ideas, strategies, processes, indicators and outcomes. Develop the capacity for them to work as peer coaches. All of these ideas contribute to a community that engages in ako (reciprocal interactions where power has been shared).
Reject deficit theory and have high expectations for all. What do you attribute success or failure to? What do you blame for low achievement or lack of engagement? Do you find it easier to work with some compared to others, why? I recognise now that I blamed poor progress and low achievement on things I felt were out of my control, for example, young people coming to school with low oral language development. Experience has proven that every person has many rich stories of their lives that they can share when the conditions are right. This is one of the reasons I love Gail’s work. I recommend her book ‘I’ve got something to say leading young writers to authorship’ by Gail Loane with Sally Muir.
Focus on the ‘how’ through collaboration and coaching. Do you have the opportunity to plan together, to inquire into your practice, to notice what is happening with ākonga, and to examine the quality of the writing they produce? A culture of collaboration through coaching has improved teaching interactions in the classroom. I’ve learnt about coaching from Jan Robertson ‘Coaching Leadership’ and Jim Knight ‘Impact Coaching’. Both are concerned with educational coaching and how to do this.
Co construct a writing process that everyone understands and is underpinned by best practice and the science of learning. What writing processes are being used? Is it consistent across the school? How well do ākonga know the process? Can they self regulate? Do they use it with their peers to help improve their writing? The writing process I use with teachers (as a starting point) reflects research and evidence of best practice. There are four stages that can be used as a continuum or more fluidly in response to identified needs. I’m happy to share this with you. Briefly it looks like the following:
Stage one - Hook for Personal Significance. I have something to say. This stage creates conditions for motivation (see Ch 4 - Loane, ). Provides the opportunity to explore and develop vocabulary and ideas. Makes thinking visible; and supports planning.
Stage two - fast and furious drafting with fluency. Who do I want to say it to? This stage focuses on impact, voice and first Ideas. Provides opportunity for feedback from peers, teachers and self using strategies like read out loud and Loane’s Helping Circle. The writers share personal stories and anecdotes (see Ch 5 - Loane, 2010). Making connections between reading and writing by exploring models and through explicit teaching is essential at this stage (and promotes a love of reading). Help ākonga stay focused on audience awareness (which might be themselves).
Stage three - revise and recraft. How can I say it? Analyse to identify strengths and weaknesses of the piece of writing in relation to purpose and audience. Identify errors and weave in grammar, mechanics and spelling workshops. Continue to emphasise purpose and audience awareness. Create opportunities for writers to seek feedback and feed-forward e.g., the Helping Circle, and workshops in which people share and discuss elements of quality writing to encourage critical thinking.
Stage four - evaluate. Analyse the features (deep and surface) to improve the piece of writing. What do I want to say? Who do I want to say it to? How can I say it? Final crafting and editing using feedback e.g., the Helping Circle, and workshops to ensure the piece of writing: clearly conveys the message; is suited the purpose; constructed to be read fluently; has carefully chosen vocabulary; and shows evidence of attempts to include specific and more sophisticated language features with the audience in mind.
Revise and Recraft - repeat in cycles as needed until the writer is ready to publish
6. Be assessment capable - be writing capable (teacher and student). Where do you feel challenged as a writer and as a teacher of writing? What are your strengths and gaps? What do you notice in the ākonga? What are the standards and levels? What might prevent ākonga from making progress and achieving high standards? How do you accelerate progress? How effective are the adaptations? Grammar and mechanics is something most writers find difficult. I often hear people say that after the first draft has been completed motivation, persistence and the capacity to improve writing, wanes. I use high quality models and facilitate a co-constructive process to identify the features. It can be general to begin with, and then focused. For example, identify where the commas are, highlight and then we will discuss what we notice about the different uses of the comma. Identification of the features create indicators that can be used like success criteria. I highly recommend Jeff Anderson’s book ‘Mechanically Inclined’. The philosophy underpinning his work aligns to the one I shared above. He also mentions that 40 years of research into improving grammar and mechanics shows that de-contextualised lessons don’t work for most people. Instead, weave into the writing process so ākonga use their own writing in comparison to the model(s) and indicators. There is a lot more to being assessment capable than can be covered in this blog, however, the five ideas preceding this all contribute.
I have mentioned joy several times and why not! Why wouldn’t we focus on creating conditions for young people (and us) to feel motivated, excited, confident and capable writers? It is hard, it is challenging and it is rewarding. In these uncertain times, I’d argue there is a greater need for this now. Enjoy!
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