District Administration - November 2008 - (Page 84)

EssEntials on Education data and rEsEarch analysis ResearchCenter Better Instruction, Better Writers By Carla Thomas McClure Writing, Whether fiction or nonfiction, is a creative process. even a letter requires writers to arrange words and ideas to make meaning. According to the revised Bloom’s taxonomy, creative processes such as writing engage the mind at the highest level of cognition (Anderson & Krathwohl, 2001). how can teachers help students become better writers? recent research provide answers. Instruction in Writing Strategies According to a research meta-analysis conducted by Steve graham and Delores Perin (2007), the quality of student writing increases when teachers show students how to divide writing tasks into steps— planning, revising, editing—and how to accomplish each step. The meta-analysis, published by the Alliance for excellent education, summarizes results of 142 research studies. graham and Perin used statistical methods to determine the strength and consistency of the various educational practices included in the studies. They conclude that direct instruction in writing strategies is the most effective way to improve writing. Specifically, researchers identified 11 instructional elements that show positive effects on writing quality among students in grades 4-12. They are explicit strategy instruction, summary writing, collaborative writing, specific product goals, word processing, sentence combining, prewriting, inquiry activities, process writing (e.g., creating a supportive writing environment and encouraging students to take ownership of the work), study of models, and writing for content-area learning. The authors of the Alliance study point out that their meta-analysis does not constitute a writing curriculum or 84 November 2008 reveal an “optimal way” to combine the various instructional elements. needs may vary among individual students, they say. instruction in writing strategies, however, seems especially effective with low-achieving students. Students with Disabilities A research review published by Linda h. Mason and Steve graham in Learning Disabilities Research and Practice suggests that additional intervention and support may be necessary for students with learning disabilities not making adequate progress in general education. The review is based on results of 40 research studies focused on writing interventions for grade 4-12 students with learning disabilities. Mason and graham recommend: • Teach students to regulate their own writing behaviors, such as goal setting, throughout the writing process. • Use teacher-student and student-student conferences. • Provide guided and independent practice across genres. • Cognitively model the writing process (e.g., say aloud what writers usually think, such as “i know there’s a better way to say this, but i can do it when i’m editing”). • Teach reading and writing together to support content learning. www.DistrictAdministration.com For additional research-based suggestions on improving writing instruction, see “Writing: The Neglected R Returns” (January 2005) and “The ‘Write’ Connections” (November 2005). DA Carla Thomas McClure is a staff writer at Edvantia, a nonprofit education research and development organization. Kay Johnston is the Education Equity Specialist for the Appalachia Regional Comprehensive Center (ARCC) at Edvantia and the MidSouth Regional Resource Center. For citation of the references used in this article, go to www.districtadministration.com. District Administration District leaders can improve writing instruction for all by adopting effective inclusion practices. Putting research to work for all students, including those with learning disabilities, requires administrators to be on the lookout for ways to bring general and special educators together. In your district, do building administrators review schedules with an eye to creating more time for teacher collaboration, including special educators? Are special educators given opportunities to attend subject-area professional development offerings? Are students with disabilities benefitting from instruction that appropriately integrates technology? When it comes to writing, for instance, many children with learning disabilities have poor handwriting and spelling skills, and the idea of putting thoughts on paper can create much anxiety. Technology can alleviate some of the problems that keep these students from producing their best writing. But without coordination among general and special educators, such benefits may not be realized. A new tool from the National Comprehensive Center for Teacher Quality can help schools examine and support research-based inclusion practices. It includes an “Inclusive Services Innovation Configuration” instrument that describes nine components of inclusive services that should be incorporated into teacher preparation and in-service programs. Get it at www.tqsource.org/ publications/TeacherPreparationtoDeliverInclusiveServices.pdf. —Kay Johnston District implementation http://www.DistrictAdministration.com http://www.tqsource.org/publications/TeacherPreparationtoDeliverInclusiveServices.pdf http://www.tqsource.org/publications/TeacherPreparationtoDeliverInclusiveServices.pdf http://www.tqsource.org/publications/TeacherPreparationtoDeliverInclusiveServices.pdf http://www.districtadministration.com

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of District Administration - November 2008

District Administration - November 2008
School Breakfasts: An Added Value
Contents
Editor’s Letter
Letters
1-2-3 Campus Safety
News Update
Administrator Profile
District Profile
Snacks as Part of Your School Nutrition Program
Technology
Facilities & Construction
Admissions
DA Web Seminars
Leadership Assessment
How Well Does This Web Site Work?
New Products
Technology Books
Professional Opinion
Supervisor’s Opinion
Crisis Response
Problem Solution
Research Center

District Administration - November 2008