The sessions about genre provided an extremely thorough re-examination of both familiar genres taught in the primary curriculum and those which, though equally important are lesser represented. The sessions also examined our understanding of how we approach different styles of writing with children.
Common practice sees many primary teachers supporting their class in identifying the ‘features’ of a particular text type in preparation for writing in any given style. In comparison, the genre sessions of the project emphasised the primary social purposes of the text, laying far greater importance on the purpose for communicating and the anticipated audience.
This has been a strong underlying theme of the project as what many of us discovered through pupil voice, including in my own school, was that many children felt that the primary purpose for their writing was for their teacher to read and mark.
As an experienced teacher and an English Coordinator, I came away from the sessions with a far greater knowledge of how to develop purpose and audience and in particular the phases and stages within each genre. More so for genres such as those relating to cause and effect, classifying, anecdotal and interpretation which have great importance in developing language and communication yet are not widely covered in the curriculum.
Following the training sessions about genre, I delivered staff training looking at the phases and stages in a balanced argument, as an example, and in contrast a narrative text.
Looking at teachers’ planning with them revealed that some members of staff, particularly those new to the profession, did not themselves have a clear understanding of the stages and phases within a particular genre they were teaching. For example – two teachers planning a persuasive text (exposition) had planned for their class to have a debate prior to the writing of a persuasive letter.
We were able, in a planning meeting, to look at the stages within a persuasive text (thesis, argument, reiteration). It became apparent to the teachers that what they were modelling to the children was a discussion presenting two viewpoints rather than a persuasive argument which argues for one point of view only.
By having a different focus in planning scrutinies, I have been able to identify teachers’ strengths and weaknesses in their own understanding of genre and the coverage of genres being taught across the school. There is a wide range of story writing, diaries, newspaper reports and recounts, as one might expect in a primary curriculum but when we looked more closely at the range of writing across the school, in terms of language development, children were not being exposed to a wide enough range of writing skills. Underpinning this is the ability to ‘select and use appropriate registers for effective communication’ (National Curriculum 2013) which is the prerequisite for any writing.
In a response to this, the staff have received training in writing scientifically (BLT), writing across the curriculum (BLT) and have made sure that children are clear about their audience in order to adapt their writing styles.
During the meeting held about writing across the curriculum the session included a detailed discussion of the philosophy and principles that underpin sound growth and learning, particularly in writing. Discussion of Growth Mindset and applicability to classroom practice followed by evaluation of how this can be established at Woodside. This led into a discussion of an ‘ethic of excellence’ and how to create this. There followed a practical activity for staff to ‘experience’ text types and writing as an integral stage of modelling writing – staff deconstructed the rules and expectations of 4 types of non-fiction texts. The final part of the session was a practical demonstration of three techniques to model writing and support development and progress – SOLO Taxonomy, Slow Writing and Shared Writing.
At a classroom level, children have shared their writing with children in other schools, parents and children in their own and other classes, providing opportunities for peer evaluation as well as making sure that their writing is shared and not just read by their teacher. For example, Y3 wrote to the Head and Deputy Headteacher as to the educational benefits for visiting the zoo to which the head teacher, having been persuaded that this was a good trip, then replied and accompanied them.
Writing across the curriculum will remain a focus for the forthcoming year.
Writing across the curriculum will remain a focus for the forthcoming year.