If You Believe It, They Can Do It: Practical Strategies to Raise the Level of Student Writing

A Backstory: A few weeks ago I was invited to visit a kindergarten classroom during their writing workshop with a team of teachers. Jessica, the host teacher, was working with her class on writing opinion pieces about a favorite picture book, and what I saw was amazing: her students were engaged, independent, and producing work above and beyond kindergarten expectations. Jessica had set them up to organize their ideas and develop drafts with minimal teacher support. When I took a closer look, it was evident that this wasn’t a miracle or an accident; Jessica’s firm belief in her students’ abilities resulted in the outcomes we could see as we looked over their shoulders.

What Research Says: This phenomenon, commonly referred to as the Pygmalion Effect (or a self-fulfilling prophecy), simply states that high expectations from a teacher will result in high achievement from students. When teachers believe that students can do something well–in this case, writing–they are much more likely to succeed at the skill or task.

Behind the Scenes: Although my snapshot of Jessica’s classroom captured one specific day in her writing workshop, it’s clear that she’s built this community of writers over time. Her belief–that all kindergarten children can write independently and well–has been supported across the entire school year by three key practices: knowledge of her writing content and standards, constructive feedback, and the investment of time.

• Knowledge of Content and Standards: Jessica’s focus was clear to both her and her students. Each child was tasked with naming their favorite thing about a picture book character and explaining why with reasons and evidence from the story. For example, Pig the Pug wasn’t just “funny;” her kids knew how to name a specific time in the story where his actions made them laugh. Interestingly, this skill–supporting a claim with reasons and evidence–far exceeds the kindergarten standard. Jessica had started her instruction at the kindergarten level, but quickly scaffolded the work to a higher expectation. The outcome? Most of her students were writing like first graders, far exceeding the kindergarten standard of simply stating an opinion. Jessica knew what they were expected to do, aimed above it, and supported the kids in being successful in the work.
• Constructive Feedback: Jessica’s tone with her students always amazes me when I see her teach. She is honest, direct, and clear with kindergarten students in a way that both respects their developmental level and pushes them to grow. During this particular lesson, she nudged students to push themselves by asking questions such as, “How do you know that?” or “Where might you find that?” or “How might you write that on your paper?” Her questions empowered the kids and reflected her fundamental belief that it is the writer who holds the answers, not the teacher.
• Investment of Time: Kids don’t just become strong, confident writers without a decent amount of time and practice. Without the opportunity to put a lot of letters and words on the page–and to see writing as something to do when you want to communicate ideas–kids simply do not show the growth they are capable of making. Even without talking to Jessica, this value is obvious in her classroom: there are writing pieces on the bulletin board in the hallway, writing pieces hanging from a clothesline in front of the window, and student-created books showcased in a basket on the table. When I commented on it, her reply was simply, “We love to write in here. Writing is just what we do.” 

The Bottom Line: All kids are capable of showing both growth and achievement as writers, especially if we create the conditions for them to do so. Our behaviors and actions clearly tell our kids that we believe they can write a little bit better each and every single day. Not only do I believe all kids have the ability to grow and succeed, I believe that all teachers have the talent to make this work come to life.