Teaching writing in secondary schools in England through Learning Study
Submitted by:
VASILIKI CHRISTOFORATOU
Abstract:
Title: Teaching writing in secondary schools in England through Learning Study
Abstract
The National Curriculum in England: English programmes of study - Key Stage 3 (2014) outlines statutory requirements for teaching writing, grammar and vocabulary. The teaching of writing in secondary schools in England is heavily informed by pedagogies of modelling and exemplification (Rosenshine, 2012). This is also reflected in the Ofsted Research Review: English (2022) that identifies using model texts as a feature of high-quality English teaching where pupils absorb and reproduce the features of the model.
Learning Study is a type of action research that involves participating teachers in structured cycles of collaboration guided by the theoretical framework of Variation Theory (Elliott, 2019). According to Variation Theory, learning is discernment of the object of learning and its critical features. Learners experience discernment when the teacher skilfully exposes them to variation and contrast of features rather than similarity.
This article argues that English teachers in mainstream education need the professional space to experiment with Variation Theory and collaborate in order to illuminate aspects of their practice that they would not have otherwise encountered working in isolation. This article blends the work of Debra Myhill (2021) and the application of Variation Theory in the teaching of writing. This approach can empower pupils to see themselves as writers, writing as a craft and grammar as a set of language tools.
References
Elliott, J. (2019) ‘What is Lesson Study?’, European Journal of Education, 54, pp.175– 188.
Department for Education (2014) The National Curriculum in England: English Programmes of Study. Available at: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/national-curriculum-in-england-english-programmes-of-study/national-curriculum-in-england-english-programmes-of-study. (Accessed 13 November 2023).
Myhill, D. (2021) ‘Grammar re-imagined: foregrounding understanding of language choice in writing’, English in Education, 55(3), pp. 265–278.
Ofsted (2022) Research review series: English. Available at: Research review series: English - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk). (Accessed 13 November 2023).
Rosenshine, B. (2012) ‘Principles of Instruction: Research Based Strategies That All Teachers Should Know’, American Educator, 36(1), pp. 12-19.