Learning to write is central to becoming literate. We use writing 'to learn new ideas, persuade others, record information, create imaginary worlds, express feelings, entertain others, heal psychological wounds, chronicle experiences, and explore the meaning of events and situations' (Graham, 2019, p.277).

This Foundation for Learning and Literacy Fact Check is responding to recent misinformation being spread about the teaching of writing in both primary and secondary classrooms in Australia. These misinformed accusations paint an unfair, often deficit picture of teacher education programs claiming that preservice teachers are not taught how to teach writing explicitly. Furthermore, teachers are said to not have the necessary skills to teach writing in our classrooms. This Fact Check addresses these issues and briefly examines some facts about teaching writing in Australian classrooms.

Teaching writing is part of preservice teacher education

All preservice teacher education programs across Australia are required to teaching writing skills. Teacher education units of study must be accredited by a panel of experts to ensure that all Australian Professional Standards for Teachers (APST) developed by the Australian Institute for Teaching and School Leadership (AITSL) are met. These Teacher Standards are overseen by the Commonwealth government and the Federal Minister for Education. Knowing how to teach writing forms part of Professional Standard 2, 'Know the content and how to teach it'. Universities must partner with schools to provide professional experience to support preservice teachers grow their knowledge and pedagogies in the teaching of writing. As graduate teachers move into their early teaching careers, they are provided support from experienced mentors. Such support provides additional time that builds their confidence and capability. Teachers' knowledge, growth and capability continue as they move through different career stages (from Proficient to Highly Accomplished to Lead).

Teachers teach writing explicitly

Explicit instruction in writing is instruction with clear intent. Explicit instructional methods are an essential teaching tool and an important part of Professional Standard 3, 'Plan for and implement effective teaching and learning.' All teachers are required to demonstrate this in their teaching writing plans and practice in different curriculum areas – it is not the sole responsibility of English teachers.

'Most educators move up and down a teacher-centred and student-centred continuum on a daily basis. They select, from a toolkit of teaching approaches, one that best suits the purposes of the topic or program, the context of the study, and their students' interests and needs' (Reid, 2021).

A study of effective teachers of writing (Gadd, 2014) showed they regularly and systematically provide explicit instruction based on students' needs, interests and curriculum requirements. These teachers demonstrate writing techniques and strategies and explain how these strategies are used by experienced writers, often using the quality texts students are reading (Gleeson, 2007, 2014, Humphrey and Vale 2020). Time and support are provided for developing writers to practise writing in the style of these mentors. Often, these teachers are writers themselves.

Through explicit teaching practices teachers continue to model what students need to do and how to do it as they move into the more complex writing structures needed in different curriculum areas and stages of learning (Wright, 2021). Explicit instruction needs to be coupled with sustained opportunities and authentic purposes for learners to write for themselves. Over time students need to gain confidence in personally managing the full range of writing processes for different purposes and audiences (Pritchard & Honeycutt 2005, Graham & Perrin 2007, Graham 2019, Turbill, Barton & Brock, 2015).

This combination of teacher led instruction, joint talk and construction and independent student practice is seen in a Writing Workshop, a structure used by many teachers across Australia and underpinned by the guiding principles of an effective writing classroom as outlined by Donald Graves (1994) and built upon by many esteemed experts including Ralph Fletcher (2010), Teresa Cremin and Terry Locke (2016). These guiding principles include: purpose and audience, authenticity, choice, explicit instruction, response, time and community. Our teachers know that the children and young people in our schools need to enjoy writing (Young & Ferguson, 2021) as they build competence and the ability to apply skills in meaningful ways.

Teachers have the necessary English skills to teach in our classrooms

Teaching – like all professions – requires continued professional learning to stay abreast of developments in the field, including the teaching of writing. Australian teachers build their capacity to teach writing through professional learning courses and workshops in writing, grammar and spelling that have been accredited and are offered by all state and territory registration and regulation boards. These workshops are offered by professional associations, education systems, schools and expert teachers to continually improve teachers' specific knowledge and skills in the teaching of writing.

* An excellent resource for teachers of writing.

References

• Australian Institute for Teaching and School Leadership, Australian Professional Standards for Teaching, https://www.aitsl.edu.au/teach/standards
• Cremin, T. & Locke, T. (2016). Writer identity and the teaching and learning of writing. Routledge.
• Fletcher, R. (2010). Pyrotechnics on the page: Playful craft that sparks writing, Stenhouse.
• Gadd, M. (2014) 'What is critical in the effective teaching of writing?' The University of Auckland. https://literacyforpleasure.wordpress.com/2017/07/29/murray-gadd-what-is-needed-for-effective-writing-lessons/
• Gleeson, L. (2014). Writing like a writer. Teaching narrative writing. Primary English Teaching Association Australia.
• Graham, S. (2019). 'Changing how writing is taught.' Review of research in education 43(1) 277-303. Accessed at: https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/full/10.3102/0091732X18821125
• Graham, S., & Perin, D. (2007). A meta-analysis of writing instruction for adolescent students. Journal of Educational Psychology, 99(3), 445.
• Graves, D. (1994). A Fresh Look at Writing. Heinemann.
• Humphrey, S. & Vale, E. (2020). Investigating model texts for learning. Primary English Teaching Association Australia.
• Koster, M., Tribishinina, E., Jong, P.F., & Van den Bergh, H. (2015). 'Teaching children to write: A meta-analysis of writing Intervention research'. Journal of Writing research, 7, 249-274.
• Pritchard, R. & Honeycutt (2005). 'The process approach to writing instruction: Examining its effectiveness.' In C. MacArthur, S. Graham & J. Fitzgerald (eds.). Guildford Press.
• Reid, A. (2021). 'Teachers use many teaching approaches to impart knowledge. Pitting one against another harms education'. The Conversation, 17 August 2021. https://theconversation.com/teachers-use-many-teaching-approaches-to-impart-knowledge-pitting-one-against-another-harms-education-166178
• *Turbill, J., Barton, G. & Brock, C. (Eds) (2015). Teaching writing in today's classrooms. Australian Literacy Educators' Association.
• Wright, A.J. (2021). 'The explicit nature of current writing instruction'. August 3, 2021. https://livinglifetwice-alwrite.blogspot.com/2021/08/the-explicit-nature-of-current-writing.html
• Young, R. & Ferguson, F. (2021). Writing For pleasure, theory, research & practice. Routledge.