Conversations with Leaders: Principles of Effective Writing Instruction

Abstract

Findings from research demonstrate that student writing proficiency and classroom writing instruction is a national concern (Applebee & Langer, 2006, 2009; Graham, Harris, Fink‐Chorzempa, & MacArthur, 2003; Persky, Daane, & Jin, 2003). This qualitative study explored principles of effective writing instruction through the perspectives of leading authorities in the field of writing. Five major themes of effective writing instruction emerged: (1) Effective writing instructors realize the impact of their own writing beliefs, experiences, and practices; (2) Effective writing instruction encourages student motivation and engagement; (3) Effective writing instruction begins with clear and deliberate planning, but is also flexible; (4) Effective writing instruction and practice happens every day; and (5) Effective writing instruction is a scaffolded collaboration between teachers and students. This article summarizes recommendations for best practices in the writing classroom.

The Effects of Topic Familiarity on Eleventh Graders’ Writing Performance

“…Writing is considered as a very complex skill to learn because writing involves a complex cognitive process and consists of at least several main stages, namely planning, translating (the process of expressing ideas using language), reviewing or revising, and monitoring (Tillema, 2012). The fact that there are already many researchers who have agreed and acknowledged that writing tasks have a higher difficulty level has also been pointed out by Harris, Graham, and Mason (2006); Hidi, Berndorff, and Ainley (2002); Graham, Capizzi, Harris, Hebert, and Morphy (2014); and Zumbrunn and Krause (2012).…”

Student Experiences With Writing: Taking the Temperature of the Classroom

“…Other students described valuable writing tasks as opportunities that afford ways for them to write with meaningful purpose or express their feelings or creativity. Providing students with opportunities to write authentically in multiple different ways may encourage more students to see writing in a favorable light (Zumbrunn & Krause, 2012). Atwell (1998) suggested that teachers and students list their writing territories, which include topics they're interested in writing about, genres they may want to try to write in, and audiences they might want to write for.…”

‘This is a message for …’: Third graders’ use of written text functions to facilitate interpersonal relationships

“…Children also use written texts to both display and request knowledge (Schneider, 2003). Flower (cited in Zumbrunn and Krause, 2012) suggests that in a community that values personal relationships, children address the problems they see – problems that are frequently rooted in cultural differences – and communicate effectively in an effort to resolve these problems. In sum, as Boldt (2009) notes, we need to understand children's writing as ‘a means to mediate between personal desires and experiences and the realities and demands of the socially shared world’ (p.11).…”

“…The opportunity to decide what to write about and with whom to collaborate is also important (Graves, 1983; Kaufman, 2004). Providing meaningful choices fosters motivation and boosts confidence in young authors (Zumbrunn and Krause, 2012). Children experiencing autonomy as writers assume more responsibility for their work and produce richer writing (Turner and Paris, 1995).…”