Closing the Writing Gap

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Developing an ear for writing doesn’t appear to be in key stage success criteria and yet, possibly one of the most established researchers in literacy, Professor Wyse from University College London, sees this as the main area for development in our future writers.

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But what is likely to be even more revolutionary in my classroom is the following chapter on sentence construction. Referencing a swathe of research I am definitely going to go away and study, this short treatise alone makes the book worth the investment. From it, I realised that I have not been explicit enough in my teaching of syntax and how important it is in closing the gap for my weaker writers. I never expected two years ago that this book would be published during a global crisis that would see pupils impacted by school closures. When you wed closures to limited book access, limited teaching, along with limited support at home, the prospect for the reading gap is massively challenging. This is a course for teachers across the curriculum and at any stage of their career. Expect useable evidence and research synthesized into tools to embed in your classroom immediately. Be prepared to unleash the power of skilled academic writing to ensure school-wide success. Want to know where to start on helping children catch up? This article has taken all the trouble out of scouring the internet for advice and done it for you.It offers advice on reviewing children’s learning needs and provide necessary support, setting up after-school clubs, trying some accelerated learning techniques and more. If you find you need to give individual students guidance to help them catch up in maths, this free guide will help you plan, manage, and teach one to one (and small group) maths interventions in Key Stage 2

Closing the Writing Gap | Free Chapter - Routledge

If you are not able to join one of our in-peron masterclasses then join Alex virtually. We will be bringing together our physical and virtual delegates into one live collaborative experience. Teachology Education has teamed up with award-winning technology and software provider Glisser to combine live video and interactive slide sharing so you can fully engage in the virtual masterclass and receive the same content and training live. Closing the Writing Gap is a clarion call to take the three Rs seriously, and among them, to prioritise writing specifically on the grounds that it “will either unleash or circumscribe the talents of our pupils”. I am a blogger and the proud author of ‘Closing the Reading Gap’, ‘Closing the Writing Gap’, and ‘The Confident Teacher’.Closing the Writing Gap does offer a simple conceptual model. But for me, it was not robust enough to fully grasp the full spectrum of the development of writing. Early years, key stage 1 teachers and, equally, those who work with struggling writers at all stages of education, would have been helped by a more comprehensive model. For example, I would have loved to have read Quigley’s take on Joan Sedita’s ‘writing rope’ model, which is far more detailed (and arguably more helpful). Maybe he’ll do that soon. If I was to identify one important writing process that is most neglected by pupils, I would pose revising their writing. Why is this vital strategy so commonly neglected? In my ‘Closing the Writing Gap’ book, I propose that ‘revising’ writing is misunderstood and confused with ‘editing’. So, what is the difference between these admittedly … Geoff Barton, General Secretary, Association of School & College Leaders, and former English Teacher Geoff Barton, General Secretary, Association of School and College Leaders, and former English teacher Modelling writing approaches. This resource summarises different approaches to modelling writing, including potential benefits and limitations.

CLOSING THE WRITING GAP THE 2023 MASTERCLASS

The ear of the writer is her most precious attribute. When well developed, this ear brings analytic precision, compositional fluency, and technical skills that are necessary to create and craft writing.” - Dominic Wyse, How Literacy Works There is link after link in here for you to find exactly what you need to read to help your children succeed. Furthermore, as this article encourages, a child with a specific difficulty such as dyslexia may have literacy as a barrier, but it does not mean they are low ability. Be vigilant and find strategies to enable them. Discrete phonic lessons are needed but not at the expense of a broad and balanced curriculum, and challenge at the same level as their peers. As Mary Myatt writes, set high challenge but with low threat. Catch children succeeding by removing barriers rather than creating a system that sets them up to fail. In the current climate, I know that can be difficult, but with strategies like those suggested above, these children can show what they are truly capable of achieving. This free chapter is taken from Closing the Writing Gap, and includes a range of practical strategies for teaching writing that can be applied in the classroom at all key stages and phases. With the goal of giving every teacher the knowledge and skill to teach writing with confidence, it makes sense of the history and ‘science’ of writing, synthesising the debates and presenting a wealth of usable evidence about how children develop most efficiently as successful writers.

It expertly articulates the problems caused by gaps in vocabulary, reading and writing and outlines how solutions such as teacher training and planning throughout the curriculum can lead to success. A good education certainly involves more than ‘the three Rs’, but any less is surely a marker of a failing system. In affluent, ‘educated’ England, 7.1 million adults are functionally illiterate. But Alex Quigley’s motivation for writing this book is not rooted in statistics. His father “left school unable to write confidently, along with all the limitations, challenges and missed opportunities” that represented, and – driven by that experience – Quigley decries our propensity for platitudes and abstract rhetoric about raising standards. I knew that every teacher understands the tremendous value of reading – for school success and so much more – but not every teacher is trained equally to understand how children ‘learn to read’ and go on to ‘read to learn’. Few teachers would teach writing in primary or secondary classrooms without using a WAGOLL to model writing for novice pupils. The language of ‘WAGOLL’s – or ‘What A Good One Looks Like’ – is common, but there may be less shared understanding about how to use them most effectively in the classroom. You will find … After over fifteen years in the classroom, I now support the cause of education from the other side the school gates. For most of the week I work for an educational charity, supporting teachers and school leaders to access research evidence.

Closing the Writing Gap by Alex Quigley | Waterstones

Steps to Close the Writing Gap. This simple infographic offers a basic summary of the key steps to improve writing that feature throughout the book.Beginning with a potted history of writing pedagogy, and a section on the science of writing (more on that later), Quigley then turns to two crucial nuts and bolts of the craft: grammar and syntax. For a teacher, distinguishing between developing an ear for writing as Wyse describes, and letting pupils know that writing is difficult and a craft as Heller suggests, provides a real challenge, especially when the curriculum asks for ‘greater depth’ alongside ‘fronted adverbials’. This is further complicated when looking at children with ‘spiky’ profiles. Those who shine in some areas dull as soon as pen reaches paper; the sparkle is lost and the assessment process may mask their true academic potential. So how can we attempt to close the attainment gap for these children? Alex Quigley has written another brilliant book for classroom teachers and school leaders. This book gets right to the heart of closing the writing gap; it is thought provoking for the reflective teacher whilst also offering helpful guidance and advice for every teacher. Alex is an exceptional writer himself, communicating his expertise and experiences with clarity and precision.” Pre-writing activities help generate rich vocabulary. This can include drama, talking partners and video prompts. Writing a book about teaching writing is a daunting prospect. Sharing the reality that I spent years in the classroom struggling to support weaker writers only adds to the trepidation. What if my teacher knowledge gap wasn’t the norm? What if my attempts to translate practical strategies fell flat?