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Using Talk for Writing strategies to improve writingstandardsJo Yardley16/03/2011
Chapters
IntroductionWhatImpactSummary
Introduction
What were your reasons for doing this type of development work?
I am a leading teacher for ECaW (Every Child a Writer) which means Isupport in my own school and also 2 other schools helping them toachieve greater results in their writing. This is aimed at year 3 and 4children. I was also involved in the Nottinghamshire Talk For Writingproject which entailed 6 teachers trying out the materials after CPD andthen cascading these materials to our school and also through INSET andCPD in other schools. We also presented our case studies atco-ordinator training. My ECaW schools embraced the Talk for Writingstrategies and I worked alongside them for a year helping them toimplement these strategies, plan units which developed these techniquesthrough the whole teaching sequence and also looking at their data forthe children.
Standards in my school and my ECaW (Every Child a Writer) schoolswere below age related in writing. We all had a particular difficulty inengaging and developing boys in their writing. I wanted to makechildren more excited about their work and also find writing differentgenres more rewarding and easier to do. I wanted them to have ideas, tobe able to structure their work and to be able to craft bettersentences. Ultimately I wanted to have an impact on overall standards.
Who might find this case study useful?
• Headteacher
Published on www.standards.dcsf.gov.uk/NationalStrategies 16-Mar-2011
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• Teacher
Contacts
• Author: Jo Yardley Jo Yardley
School or setting
School: Bishop Alexander Primary SchoolType of school: PrimaryType of setting (if Early Years): LA maintained schoolLocal Authority: NottinghamshireRegion: East MidlandsFree school meals: 35 - 50%
Learners
Year groups: Early Years, Year 1, Year 2, Year 3, Year 4, Year 5, Year 6Gender: BothPerformance: Below age-related expectationWhole school: YesPeople involved: LA adviser, Middle leader, Parent, Phase leader, Support staff, TeacherNumber of classes: 12Number of adult learners: 12
What
What specific curriculum area, subject or aspect did you intend to haveimpact on?
• Communication, language and literacy• English - writing
How did you intend to impact on pupil learning?
• By engaging pupils in their learning.• By teaching the children what skills they need to develop their writing.• To help the children to understand what text structure is and how to plan their own writing.• To get the children to use a wider variety of vocabulary and to be able to talk it, then use it in their writing.• To use a wider variety of vocabulary that they have identified and 'magpied' from other quality texts.• To plan in greater quality and to actually use their planning in their writing.• To use paragraphs effectively and to increase cohesion between paragraphs.• To use guided writing to teach the children their next steps in learning.
What were your success criteria?
• Can the children improve in their writing by using a more structured approach?• Can the children write in different sentences to shape their text in a more interesting way?• Can the children use a wider variety of vocabulary in their talking and their writing?• Can my own school achieve their floor target of 65%+ Age related expectations?• Can my supported schools increase their writing targets to 70%+ age related expectations?
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PLEASE NOTE this page has three tabs - click 'Next tab' below or use tabs above to see Teaching approaches andCPD approaches
What information or data did you use to measure progress towards yoursuccess criteria?
• Observation outcomes• Periodic teacher assessment• Pupils' work
What did you do? What teaching approaches (pedagogy) did you use toachieve the intended impact?
• Use of pupil talk for whole-class teaching
Describe the teaching approaches you used
Background Information
Bishop Alexander is a school in the town of Newark who has a verymixed intake of children. Our KS2 English test results fluctuatebetween 60 – 80% achieving level 4+ depending on cohort and thesituation in school. Because of this our school was placed in ISP(Improving Schools Programme) this year and we have just completed thefirst year of this. In the last three years we have reorganised all ofthe literacy resources in school and also implemented the nationalstrategy. We have had a whole school push on standards in writing byimplementing elements from the Big Write and speaking and listeningstrategies.
Implementing Talk for Writing strategies
All of these strategies were used with my year 5 class and then continued into year 6 with the same set of children.
I used writer talk when doing shared writing and also guidedwriting; the children found it hard to sit and listen to me at firstbecause we have normally quite interactive sessions. I am going todevelop this further this year.
I used some prompts for talk and displayed them in front of thechildren and then when reading a shared text or the class novel Imodelled how you would use these phrases and also started discussionsabout the points it raised. We were reading Alone on a Wide Sea byMichael Morpurgo which had lots of different issues which through theseprompts, I felt helped the children to ask more pertinent questions andalso focus their thinking.
We planned using story maps and cartoon strips talking themthrough, using concentric circles ( children split into 2 groups ofchildrfen one set stay still and the second set move one person at atime talking their plan through- a little like speed dating) to telltheir story to lots of other children and getting feedback from lots ofdifferent children. They had time to edit their story in between eachmove. The children loved this activity, some of the reluctant writerboys found themselves writing because they found it necessary as theycouldn’t remember all the things they wanted to say. We had been workingon connectives and a lot of the children were naturally using them in
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their talking to vary their sentence starts. We also used talk this wayto talk through plans with other children which uses music to get themto move around the room and stop to the nearest child and talk theirplan getting feedback about their writing from the children.
We used Boxing up (from the Talk for writing materials - where youtake the main themes of the story and then imitate then, innovate themor invent something totally new based on the structure) with legends.The children found this amazingly helpful because they found it hard todevelop a writer's frame and the conventional frame didn’t fit any ofthe examples that I had. So I collected several good examples that had avery similar structure. I modelled how to box up the first legend andthen using this as a working model they boxed up the second, theynoticed the subtle differences between the two and then were able tocheck these boxes with a third. They then went and in pairs boxed uptheir own myth either using one of the story lines already read orcreated a totally new one. They then split from their partner and walkedand talked their legend to a different child. They edited their boxesand then told it to another child. This was repeated allowing thechildren time in between to edit and review. They ended up withscribbled on plans with changes and amendments all over it. They thendid their writing and their end products actually ended up looking liketheir plan!!
We used the writers’ diary alongside the class novel to begin withto magpie ideas from the good quality text. Some children loved thisespecially when I encouraged them to take them home and jot down ideasfrom TV or real life. They used them religiously and then had theirdiaries with them when writing their own end of block story. Theyenjoyed finding out that this was what real writers do and also felt alittle naughty taking ideas from other people.
We also used the imagination stimulating activities, ‘What’s inthe box’ and ‘Crossing the river’ (also TFW materials) to get ideasflowing and to extend vocabulary. They were a little confused at firstand I didn’t get the quality I wanted as I had introduced it cold. Afterthree or four goes they started to say a better quality response but wewill still have to work on this further.
Limitations and things to consider before starting Talk for writing:
• We have a lot less written evidence.• Some units are taking us longer.• Children didn’t just develop an imagination over night!!• The move from shared writing to the more modelled version was a
shock for them because they were used to having control of the pen inmy hand.
• We had quite a lively interactive ethos which had been astruggle to get to for the first term. The children need to have theground rules in place for talk and drama. If this isn’t embedded ateacher could be setting themselves up to fail.
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Example of a Boxing up framework
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What did you do? What approaches to CPD and learning for adults wereused?
• Coaching• Training
Describe the CPD approaches you used
I was part of the Nottinghamshire project for TfW which trialled theapproaches and also experimented with using it in a non-fiction context.We worked as a working party to implement Talk for Writing in ourschools and then cascaded this in our own school, at LA training events,INSET and the schools we were linked with through ECaW support.
I cascaded this training to the rest of my school staff. There hadbeen lots of interest (and noise) created because of what we have beendoing and the children had been enthusing to other staff members abouttheir learning. I led a staff meeting on Talk for Writing at my schooland my staff found it brilliant, started talking about the impactstraight away, which gave me the impetus to take it further.
Classroom observations and informal dialogues with staff were used to see if it was being embedded throughoutschool.
INSET at other school and with my ECAW schools:
• Used our first cluster meeting to look at main teachingapproaches to TFW which would appeal to Y3/4 and also talked abouttrying some of the more key stage 1 approaches of oral retelling whichmight appeal to our more challenging schools.
• We looked at book talk, writer talk, boxing up, story mapping,warm up games, oral retelling, walk this way talk this way and how touse these approaches in whole class and guided group situations
• I then sent staff to other schools where I knew TfW was being done well and they also watched me.• Follow up meetings at individual schools looked at including
TfW throughout the teaching sequence with discussions into how theapproaches have been going, totally positive feedback. Children enjoyedlearning in this way.
• Next cluster we looked at how to box up non fiction, feedback at the next meeting.• Coaching with the ECaW teachers, planning a teaching sequence, assessing the impact after the taught
session.• Looking at work samples after a unit of talk for writing and using APP to see what progress had been made.
Below is one example of a year 6 plan (journalistic writing) which includes many of the talk for writing techniques.
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Example of year 3 planning
Planning example Literacy Y6 Journalistic writing
What CPD materials, research or expertise have you drawn on?
• Used Talk for Writing materials produced by the primary strategies in conjunction with Pie Corbett.http://nationalstrategies.standards.dcsf.gov.uk/node/154519
• TfW resources: http://nationalstrategies.standards.dcsf.gov.uk/node/163270
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• TfW pack and ordering information: http://nationalstrategies.standards.dcsf.gov.uk/node/163592• A video of story-telling (Y2, The Lighthouse Keeper's Lunch) can be viewed at
http://nationalstrategies.standards.dcsf.gov.uk/node/155897• A video of Pie Corbett on 'What is reading as a writer?' can be viewed at
http://nationalstrategies.standards.dcsf.gov.uk/node/155879• Assessing Pupils' Progress http://nationalstrategies.standards.dcsf.gov.uk/primary/assessment/
assessingpupilsprogressapp• Worked with LA advisor.
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Presentation materials for example INSET day
Example INSET plan
Training materials from pilot with focus on non-fiction
Who provided you with support?
• Senior management• Subject leader
How were you supported?
We worked as a working party to implement Talk for Writing into ourschools and then cascaded this throughout our own school, trainingevents, INSET and the schools we were linked with through ECaW support.
Impact
What has been the overall impact on pupil learning?
• Enthusiasm - children actually saying under their breath ‘Yes!’ when it’s literacy time.• Children stuck to their plan more instead of writing and ignoring what they had spent time planning.• More participation particularly by boys, they seemed to see the
point of it and half the time didn’t feel like they were working.• Better levels in their writing marks when assessed using APP.• Using connectives in their talk which then appeared in writing.• Much more focus in discussion on texts and children starting to
be able to articulate their opinions and ideas more clearly.• Writing skills are transferring much easier to other subjects and writing is of a much better quality.
Thoughts you think are relevant to overall impact on learning
Teachers embraced the Talk for Writing strategies. They found theincreased level of engagement, the buzz about literacy and the outcomesof the children's work to be something amazing. They saw their resultsfor their classes increase in a relatively short time and they alsofound that the sticky bits of writing they had been struggling with mucheasier to teach to the children e.g. boxing up helped childrenmassively with structure. Because they could talk their writing throughthey were, in the older classes particularly, starting to talk in much
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more complex language patterns. This was really highlighting to all ofus the 'if you can't say it you can't write it' If we were highlightingthe connectives we wanted to use, they were using them in their talkingand then writing them down but using them in the correct context. Norandom 'notwithstanding' popping up because it was on a word list.
Quotes you think are relevant to overall impact on learning
• 'If you can't say it you can't write it!!' ( various teachers)• 'When can I do my writing?' (year 5 pupil)• 'Their story looks like their planning' (year 3/4 teacher)
Quantitative evidence of impact on pupil learning
• Periodic teacher assessment
Qualitative evidence of impact on pupil learning
• Observation outcomes• Pupils' work
Describe the evidence of impact on pupil learning
Most of the evidence comes from discussions with staff, canvassingopinions and looking at lessons through observation and lesson study.The teachers that I have worked with saw the above impacts in differentyear groups and in different schools. They looked at their end of termand end of year data and that has shown on average that 90% of childrenhave made at least 1 sublevel of progress regardless of their abilityand group situation with the majority of children making 2 or more. Inpupil interviews following a lesson study the children have commentedthat they have enjoyed their lesson and really loving the interactiveand drama elements. They loved the warm up imagination games we playedand really engaged with the walk it talk it way of talking their storythrough to lots of different children. They became much more willing tolisten to the opinion of other children and also became better at givingfeedback. They are good at 'magpie-ing' ideas from good quality textsand then using these words, phrases and techniques in their own writing.
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Examples of pupils' work from The Giant's Necklace work
What has been the impact on teaching?
• More interactive techniques• More drama and speaking and listening activities• Clearer planning• Faster paced lessons• More feedback from learners.• More time to work with guided writing groups and a clearer focus of their needs.• Children able to articulate their difficulties or effects they want to achieve but don't know how
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Thoughts you think are relevant to impact on teaching
With a wider variety of teaching techniques there has to be an impact oncoverage of all different learning styles. This has engaged themajority of children for most of the time.
I have cascaded this work to other schools through staff meetingsand INSET and shared it with leading teachers with the help of othercolleagues. They have all fed back that it has been positively receivedand is making an impact in the schools they work with.
Quotes you think are relevant to the impact on teaching
• 'We have loved this lesson' (year 6 pupil)• 'I have enjoyed teaching this' (year 5 teacher)• 'That was fun!!' (year 4 pupil)
Evidence of impact on teaching
• Evidence from observation and monitoring• Teacher perceptions
Describe the evidence of impact on teaching
Teachers' pedagogy has improved. Classroom observations have shown that children have progressed well and areengaged.
Classroom observations using these techniques scored higherbecause of the progress of the children during the lesson, theirengagement and the pace.
e.g. In one ECaW school that I worked with 90% of children in 3year 3/4 classes had made at least one sublevel from their startingpoint in July/ Sept and 75% of those children had made 2 or moresublevels.
In another school in 1 year 3 class and 1 year4 class 80% of thechildren on average made 2 or more sublevels from their starting points.in Sept. The schools were very pleased with these results.
There were also significant gains for the % of children working atage related or above, both schools beat their targets by between 15%and 20% ( these were their targets set by their SIP)
When working with a year 3/4/ teacher on her writing after a unitplanned with talk for writing, we discovered using APP that the childrenhad all increased by one mini level purely because of the textstructure, cohesion and sentence structure being so much stronger. Theyprogressed from high 2/ low 3 to low 3/secure 3.
What has been the impact on school organisation and leadership?
• Whole school initiative to use talk for writing throughout the whole school following CPD.• Classroom observations around talk for writing strategies.• Leadership team in all schools that have been worked with fully
supportive of talk for writing and have rolled it out across their
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schools. They wanted something different to do with their schools tohelp them with writing levels which are incredibly hard to move.
• Whole school dialogue about what teachers find hard to teach,what they need help with and positive feedback about these strategies intheir classes.
Thoughts you think are relevant to overall impact on school organisationand leadership
For it to make a whole school, long lasting impact on writing standardsthe whole of school need to commit to trying the techniques andseriously giving it a go. There then needs to be some follow upmonitoring of lessons and planning and some whole staff discussion toensure it is embedded in practice. Schools also need to review theirunits of literacy work to see if the content is the most exciting unitit can be. Is the material something the children will like? Is it multimodal? Is that unit something that addresses the needs of the childrenin that class at that time?
Evidence of impact on school organisation and leadership
The evidence is that many schools have taken it on board, are very happywith the results it is yielding, have rolled it out across theirschools and are enjoying the dialogue about teaching and learning thatit is causing in school.
Summary
What is the crucial thing that made the difference?
The thing that made the difference was that I had tried these techniquesin my own class, we had had fun and other teachers had noticed andbecome curious. By the time we had the CPD in Talk for Writing, which Icould talk about as having a positive impact in my room they weretotally on board for having a go. Because of this I feel that this hashad a positive start in our school and so will be there for a long time!
When it came to rolling it out to the co-ordinators I was wellplaced to talk about what I had done and could talk about it workingthroughout school in every phase. When it came to other schools, I couldcascade our knowledge and because we were enthusiastic about TfW Icould capture that at training events. The CPD materials were greatbecause they had real teaching examples on their with short excerpts ofPie Corbett talking a lot of sense.
What key resources would people who want to learn from yourexperience need access to?
Talk for Writing DVDs and links on the web to appropriate places whereyou could access the different strategies. (see What page)
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What CPD session and resources were particularly useful?
• Talk for Writing materials• Staff meeting presentation from CPD materials
If another individual or school was attempting to replicate this work,where would they start and what would the essential elements be?
• Start with the TfW DVDs; look at what Pie Corbett is saying, then atwhat the teachers are saying. Think about how this can work in yourschool.
• In class, start with the warm up games, orally retellingstories, build with book talk and writer talk, progress to boxing up andthen how the children can share this with many others.
• Model writer talk and book talk in class, let the childrensurprise you with their insights but above all use quality texts whichwill stimulate quality responses.
• Talk as a staff about the power of modelling writing and thewriting process to the children; to be able to write they need to seesomeone actually doing it.
What further developments are you planning to do (or would you like tosee others do)?
• We plan to take this into non fiction writing and then ultimately cross curricular writing.• Monitor the planning and teaching and learning of literacy with
these strategies embedded.• Look at data and see what impact there has
been in terms of levels.• Use coaching and lesson study more to look at good practice and share this amongst our staff.
Case study status
Approved
Coordinator
Lorraine Dawes
Related case studies
Every Child a Writer: Effective collaboration with a leading teacher Using Every Child a Writer to boost vocabulary inYear 3 and 4 writing Every Child a Writer: Effective implementation in a large local authority Taking risks - making adifference: Working as a specialist teacher with Every Child a Writer Embedding principles of Every Child a Writer inwhole school approach to Literacy Improving text cohesion and structure to accelerate progress in Year 3 and Year 4(ECaW) Differentiation and Guided Writing
Source URL: node/432467
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