Whole-class direct instruction, group and individualised instruction, and responsive instruction are all part of a Writing For Pleasure teacher’s practice. As the most experienced writer in their classroom, they make sure they are teaching at the beginning of a writing lesson, in the middle of it and at the end.
Whole-class direct instruction: Mini-lessons
Writing For Pleasure teachers deliver direct and explicit instruction through the principles of self-regulation strategy development instruction. This is what we like to call mini-lessons. SRSD instruction is an evidence-based teaching recommendation. Research has shown that it can result in a positive effect size of +1.75 (+2.09 for children with SEND). For context, anything over +0.4 is deemed to have a significant positive effect on children’s progress. That’s why ‘teach mini-lessons’ appears as one of our 14 principles of world-class writing teaching (Young & Ferguson 2020, 2021a, 2022a, 2022b).
SRSD instruction is about teaching children strategies which enable them to be independent writers by using for themselves what they’ve been taught. It’s one of the most validated and effective practices a teacher of writing can employ in their classroom (Young & Ferguson 2022a).
All children need high-quality teaching and explicit instruction if they are to fulfil their potential as writers. This is why SRSD instruction works so well. The concept is simple. Teach your class one writerly technique, process or strategy (what we call a craft move) before inviting them to use the move for themselves in their writing that day. Case studies show that the most effective writing teachers deliver instruction in keeping with SRSD when teaching ‘craft knowledge’ (Young et al. 2021), ‘sentence-level strategies’ (Young & Ferguson 2022c) and ‘functional grammar lessons’ (Young & Ferguson 2021b).
It can be useful to compare SRSD instruction with The Gradual Release Of Responsibility model for instruction (Pearson & Gallagher 1983).
- I did or I do – The teacher either shares how they’ve used the craft move or models how to use it live.
- We do – The class is invited to use and apply the craft move in their own writing that day.
- You do – Children understand the value of the craft move and so continue to use it in their future writing, including in their personal writing projects (see Young & Ferguson 2021b).
I, We & You sits in stark contrast to the ineffective but common habit of ‘front loading’ writing instruction at the beginning of a writing project or lesson and proceeding to ‘cross your fingers’ in the hope that the children will remember everything you’ve tried to teach them. This kind of practice doesn’t help children to write well – least of all children with SEND (Young & Ferguson 2023).
A mini-lesson typically goes something like this:
Group and individualised instruction: Pupil-conferencing
Pupil-conferencing is about providing children with live verbal feedback and responsive individualised instruction during writing time. It’s a mini-lesson for that individual pupil (Ferguson & Young 2021). However, in a quiet and organised classroom, ‘overhearers’ all benefit from these conversations. Pupil-conferencing is an evidence-based teaching recommendation. Research has shown that it can result in a positive effect size of +0.80. That’s why ‘pupil-conferencing’ appears as one of our 14 principles of world-class writing teaching (Young & Ferguson 2020, 2021a, 2022a, 2022b).
Conferencing is about spending a short amount of time with individuals or groups of children who you know would benefit most. In a conference, focus on one thing and teach it well. A good conference is about teaching something and being confident that, once you leave, the child will use and apply what you’ve just taught them.
A successful pupil-conference follows a very similar structure to a mini-lesson:
Responsive instruction: Author’s Chair
Giving children a daily opportunity to read aloud their developing compositions and discuss their pieces with their teacher and peers is an evidence-based teaching recommendation. Research has shown that it can result in a positive effect size of +0.89. That’s why ‘read, share, think and talk about their writing’ appears as one of our 14 principles of world-class writing teaching (Young & Ferguson 2020, 2021a, 2022a, 2022b).
At the end of daily writing time, children should be given the opportunity to talk with their friends about how their writing pieces are coming along. This can then lead into a period of Author’s Chair. This is where the whole class gathers around an ‘author’s chair’ together. This can be an opportunity for teachers to teach responsively. Writing For Pleasure teachers are always keeping an eye out for certain craft moves or writerly behaviours children have used that they would like the rest of the class to use too. Here’s a nice routine for this kind of responsive instruction:
In summary, Writing For Pleasure teachers are always teaching. They utilise whole-class direct instruction, group and individualised instruction, and responsive instruction as part of their daily teaching practice. However, it’s important to point out that this isn’t the only routine Writing For Pleasure teachers will use. Once comfortable, there are endless ways in which you can play around with these key combinations (see LINK).
| Type of instruction | Effect size | |
| Whole-class direct instruction: Mini-lessons | +1.75 +2.09 (SEND) | |
| Group and individualised instruction:Pupil-conferencing | +0.80 | |
| Responsive instruction: Class sharing and Author’s Chair | +0.89 | |