Home : Best practices

Best teaching practices
Teach less but teach better and deeper

Portfolio bulges with best teaching practices data Research and experience tell us the best practices for writing instruction are those that produce student learning.

Big surprise, right?

Sometimes, however, we get wrapped up in teaching and trying to make lessons enjoyable and lose sight of the goal of teaching: learning.

Above all, do no harm

Far too much of what passes for teaching writing turns students off writing. The best teaching practices convey the impression that:

Writing is a useful skill.
Each student can learn to write competently.
Good writing can give pleasure.

If you imply imaginative writing is the only writing worth doing or that writing is a talent only a few rare people possess, you may do more harm than good.

Tattoo this on your writing hand or write it in indelible marker on your lesson plan book:

The very best teaching practices for teaching writing are those that enable every student to write competently.

The overview below tells you what is on this thread. Use the navigation menu at the left to find best teaching practices for specific aspects of teaching writing located on other threads on this site.

Or, if you'd like a summary of all this site's information, get a free copy of The A, B, C's of Best Practices in Teaching Writing.

Teach less in more depth.

Focus on helping students master essentials. In English language arts, the essentials are the skills and knowledge necessary for upper level work or for everyday use.

Use multiple approaches, repeated exposure, and consistent practice to assure students learn your essential course content.
Use writing as a tool for teaching both writing and other course content.
Incorporate college and workplace standards in your definition of writing competence.
Use writing to teach critical thinking and to assess learning.
Teach 21st century skills that use writing, especially the skill of asking a written question.
Teach grammar and composition together so students learn to apply grammar rules to their own writing.
Make writing competence by the end of high school your goal:learning to write takes time.
When teaching writing, use teaching strategies and assessment strategies appropriate for skills.

Teach writing; don't just assign it.

Writing must be taught. Almost no students learn the writing basics from reading. Assigning writing is not teaching writing. You must:

Teach writing as a process, not as a string of isolated activities. (The writing process thread is devoted to this topic.)
Match the writing process you teach to the genre of the writing students must do.
Give extra practice in a problem area (like one specific grammar rule) as a writing aid.

Be a coach, not a presenter.

If you want to know how to improve writing skills, take your cue from good sports coaches. The way they teach skills are best teaching practices for writing teachers, too.

Define writing skill clearly and teach toward it single-mindedly.
Encourage and suggest options instead of merely criticizing.
Don't rush to keep students from mistakes; trial and error is a great learning tool.
Leverage the power of student teamwork to motivate students and multiply your outreach.

Aim instruction at the middle

Plan your writing instruction for students who have no particular interest in writing and are willing to put out only a modest effort on most writing assignments.

Require a medium amount of work on a regular basis. Distributed practice is far more effective (and far less stressful) than trying to cram writing skill into students.