The English faculty began the second of our two recent staff development days by exploring the research on the very important subject of writing in preparation for our own building of programs for the new English syllabus for Years 7-10. In the educational domain, a substantial body of research and scholarship over recent decades has been devoted to understanding how to optimise students’ knowledge and understanding of, and skills and accomplishment in, writing. The predominant pedagogical models of writing have emphasised writing as a process and stressed the development of writing skills as a complex and recursive act, requiring collaboration between an expert teacher and focused, active students.

The academic article explored by the English faculty on the morning of this second staff development day was ‘Teaching Writing in Secondary English: Practical Approaches to Building Confidence, Enjoyment and Achievement’ written by Professor Jackie Manuel and Dr Don Carter. This paper offered a range of practical, research-based approaches for developing students’ appetite for and competence and confidence in writing, within and beyond the school context. In engaging with the article, English teachers revisited the principles of effective writing pedagogy; addressed the challenges of teaching writing in secondary English; and identified some proven strategies that can be adapted for integration into our new teaching and learning programs. Many of the principles advocated by these two academics apply to all subject areas in the secondary school context.

Donald Graves, one of the great international leaders in writing research and teaching, summed up the importance of ‘putting pen to paper’ when he added, ‘Writing is extolled, worried over, cited as a national priority, but seldom practised. The problem with writing is not poor spelling, punctuation, grammar, and handwriting. The problem with writing is no writing.’ Given its crucial role in thinking and making sense of experience, writing has been a particular focus at Mount Carmel over the past eight years. The act of writing regularly in all curriculum areas, is not only advantageous for students’ academic performance, but also of considerable potential benefit to their health and well-being. We know that when we write, we write our way into meaning, discovering ideas and generating insights that would otherwise remain unrealised. We also know that every act of writing is therefore potentially an act of creation. The establishment of a community of teacher-writers and student-writers is an important part of the Mount Carmel literacy landscape.

Clare Murphy

English Coordinator and Literacy Instructional Coach