Series Wrap-Up: Practices of Great Writing Teachers

Last week, Two Writing Teachers brought you their winter blog series on practices of great writing teachers. This series began with conversation about writing instruction as it often stands now: as part of more structured materials and curricula. What about all of the great strategies we used to employ? What happened to effective practices that have fallen by the wayside for so many of us?

We hope this series serves as a reminder: even though state standards and district initiatives may constrain us in our teaching of writing, it’s still possible to preserve effective practices.

In case you missed it, here’s a recap of those posts:

On Sunday, Melanie started us off right at the heart of best practice with her post on teachers as writers, and she invited the community to join an online writing group.

Jess’s post on Monday about professional reading sparked enthusiasm and insightful discussion, and she encouraged us to consider curiosity and wonder integral to our practice.

Leah then explored the power that collaboration holds for us as teachers. She takes us through concrete ways to structure conversations about student learning, and offers guidance to administration and coaches on how to facilitate that collaboration.

My post from Wednesday dove into teacher observations. There’s an astounding amount we can learn from one another by visiting a different classroom or watching another teacher in action. I also offer flexible ideas for how to make those observations happen.

On Thursday, Sarah wrote about the importance of teacher modeling and think-aloud. Her steps for perfecting the modeling process are straightforward, helpful, and approachable for any type of teacher.

Friday’s post from Stacey talked about the importance of trusting teachers to find mentor text. She offers resources, recommendations, and action steps to help teachers seek out and advocate for materials that best meet the needs of students.