Category: modelling
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Teachers as Writers: Term 4 Professional Learning
Last term I wrote a three part series of posts reflecting on the importance of teachers as writers. In part one I talked about writing for an audience – whether that’s students, teachers, or the general public. Part two focused on the various kinds of writing teachers might engage in, from classroom modelling through to…
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Breaking out of TEEL
How to teach essay writing without formulaic structures I’ve been getting feedback from English teachers across Australia about why we teach writing, and what gets in the way. I’m also busy collecting samples of writing for the second book in the ‘Practical’ series – Practical Writing Strategies. We’ll be including lots of advice on how…
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Finding Writing Models
If you’ve read any of my other posts, you’ll know that I’m a huge fan of using quality writing models in the English classroom for everything from creative writing to an alternative to the dreaded TEEL. And I’m not alone in thinking that one of the best ways to learn how to write well is…
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TEEL is a four-letter word
Before coming to Australia I’d never heard of TEEL, but as soon as I stepped into the classroom, I was confronted by this strange and menacing acronym. TEEL – Topic Evidence Explanation Link – is a scaffold for writing essay paragraphs. Of course, if you’re an English teacher, you don’t need me to tell you…
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Review: Coaching Teacher Writers
Each month I review a different text designed to help English teachers and faculty leaders to develop a robust and engaging curriculum. I’ll discus them primarily from the point of view of a teacher or leader in an Australian context and explore the balance between theory and practice. This post contains affiliate links. Coaching Teacher-Writers,…
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The worst sentence I ever wrote
The importance of teachers-as-writers cannot be understated, particularly in the English classroom. If you want students to be successful, you must be willing and able to model. The problem is, it can be incredibly daunting to stand in front of a class of students and just start writing. The good news: your students will benefit…