The Explicit Nature of Current Writing Instruction
I am noting with concern, increasing attention from Science of Reading advocates towards the teaching of writing in Australian schools. My concern arises from the mischaracterization of current writing approaches, as evidenced by comments similar to the following:
'It’s great to see the growing emphasis on and discussion of teaching writing. This is another casualty of Whole Language’s scorched earth approach to explicit teaching of how spoken and written language work. Teachers did not learn this in their whole language school days and now can’t teach it.'
Apart from the absolutism of the comment, the words totally misrepresent the current reality within writing classrooms. Across the last 20 years of working regularly with Australian and U.S. schools, teachers and the young writers in their care, explicit, targeted teaching has been an integral element of the work undertaken. It is by far the dominant scenario I witness when visiting classrooms.
In further comments posted on social media and in on-line articles, I am reading claims that work is not being done regarding sentence structure. Further suggestions advise using decodable 'readers'(not my word) to better inform teaching around sentences.
I suspect such claims are driven to some extent by a desire to exert control over the writing children do, without sufficient effort to investigate how writing develops. I strongly suspect proponents of this view of writing are non-writers themselves, and therefore possess little appreciation of writing as a problem solving activity.
It would be disheartening if the teaching of writing ever fell prey to a teaching approach more closely resembling direct instruction; an instructional method employing skill decomposition -thus removing the essential scaffolding and use of authentic texts currently informing writing instruction.
Such an approach would most certainly stifle writing creativity and diminish the desire for student engagement. Its rigid structure would further serve to hinder a teacher's creativity. I imagine teaching demonstrations possessing little contextual relevance.
I regularly witness teachers demonstrating that it is possible to teach explicitly without adopting a linear, inflexible script. It does not mean micro management of learning. It is about specificity and clarity of message.
Sentence structure has been a feature of writing programs stretching back to the work of Donald Graves in the 1980's. I continue to note explicit teaching at the word level, the sentence level and the paragraph to this day. Work around sentence combining and rehearsing sentences as a prewriting strategy are commonly sighted. Our youngest writers are receiving explicit tuition in sentence structure. To suggest otherwise is at the very least, mischievous.
Robust, validated and effective practices presented by teachers who are writing partners with their students, continues to be a vital part of classrooms striving to achieve successful outcomes for young writers.
There is a significant amount of accessible research regarding the explicit teaching of writing elements. Such findings comprehensively discount the obvious falsehood being promoted regarding a lack of explicit instruction with regard to writing:
*An essential part of instruction in the processes of writing is to make visible what would otherwise remain merely implied. Displaying, demonstrating, teaching and making explicit through systematic instruction, the variety of strategies and techniques writers need, sits at the heart of writing instruction.
Englert, et al 1991, Kellog 1987, 2008, Kellog et al. 2013) Koster et al. 2015
*Many studies suggest teachers can provide children with essential writing craft knowledge through daily mini lessons informed by assessment of writing samples and pupil conferencing.
Danoff et al. 1993, Lipson, et al.2000, Schneider 2003, Pritchard & Honeycutt 2006, Graham & Sandwell 2011, Levitt et al. 2014, McQuitty 2014
*Coupling this explicit instruction with sustained opportunities for children to write and personally manage the full range of writing processes will provide teachers with what researchers consider to be a base for highly effective teaching.
Langer 2001, Pritchard & Honeycutt 2006, Graham & Perrin 2007, Graham & Sandwell 2011
Explicit instruction is enacted when a teacher focuses upon clearly identified goals and outcomes. The teacher explains what students will be learning and how and what that will look like. Students are asked to show evidence in their resultant work, indicating their new learning. Teachers can employ an explicit approach to teaching writing while also providing the inexperienced writer adequate time to practice particular aspects of writing.
This approach is regularly utilized in teaching writing to stress the value of 'explicit' knowledge of grammar, writing craft and sentence structure. Explicit instruction is a key element of an effective teachers’ repertoire of skills and approaches. It is planned and deliberate, while at the same time, the approach considers learner variability.
Accompanying these misleading claims regarding the current teaching approaches in writing, I note continuing efforts to promote writing 'programs' as a quick solution to these characterizations of shortcomings in writing instruction.
These writing 'programs' frequently market themselves as 'easy for teachers,' often presenting the teaching of writing as a neat and tidy recipe to follow -just follow the steps. They hold little expectation of the teacher to be a writing partner with their students, something the research continually promotes as important to student engagement. (Cremin & Locke 2017, Zumbrunn et al 2017)
Commercially produced writing programs are generally expensive, highly questionable when the program's claims come under closer examination and often include activities bearing little connection to authentic writing practices. In some instances they promote actions that amount to little more than voodoo pedagogy.
Here is what teacher/writers commonly focus upon on when explicitly teaching writing and its associated processes.
- Explicit modeling of particular writing strategies.
- The provision of time for young writers to ask questions and reflect on their own processes and strategies.
- Sharing exemplars taken from their own writing as well as specific mentor texts.
- Assisting the inexperienced writer to more effectively apply craft strategies.
- Continually encouraging self regulation among developing writers.
These meaningful and oft repeated strategies provide a strong base for the delivery of highly effective teaching around writing. Quality, explicit strategy instruction enables students to construct relevant writing knowledge and apply and share this growing knowledge with their teachers, and peers.
A study of exceptional writing teachers (Gadd, 2014) showed they regularly and systematically provided explicit instruction. These same teachers demonstrated writing techniques and strategies, explaining how they had been used in texts written by themselves and others. They provided time and support for developing writers to practice writing in the style of these trusted mentors. They understood that as writers -first we imitate, then we innovate.
Such instruction is not presented as a one size fits all approach , but rather it is individualized, enabling the young writer to apply the acquired knowledge in a variety of situations as needed.
Explicit instruction, based on students' needs and interests and assessing this against curriculum considerations is continually taking place across the literacy terrain. Now that's empowerment! I can't be more explicit than that...
References
Luke, Allan 'Direct Instruction Is Not A Solution for Australian Schools,' Edu Research Matters, July 2014
Young, Ross, Ferguson, Felicity, 'Writing For Pleasure, Theory, Research & Practice,' Routledge, 2021
Graves, Donald H, 'A Fresh Look At Writing,' Heinemann 1994
Romano, Tom, 'Write What Matters,' Zigzag 2015
Archer, Anita L & Hughes, Charles A 'Explicit Instruction: Effective and Efficient Teaching,' The Guilford Press 2011
Routman, Regie 'Literacy At The Crossroads, Heinemann 1996
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