Shared understandings, actioned in multiple ways by teachers of writing

Abstract

Underpinning this consideration of writing instruction in Aotearoa New Zealand (NZ) is the premise that acts of teaching interact with the context in which they occur; they are shaped by the socio‐cultural milieu, philosophical and socio‐political traditions, curriculum and assessment systems, and the nature of individual classrooms. This perspective positions research regarding effective teaching and learning as requiring interpretation and, often, adaptation. Further, we have argued elsewhere that shared theories or understandings about constructs in writing instruction, applied within a context, can give rise to varied acts of instruction. Two constructs in writing instruction, key given features of the NZ context, are examined: developing independent, self‐regulating writers, and engaging in responsive, sustaining pedagogy. In NZ, shared theory of the importance of developing independent, self‐regulating writers is actioned in multiple pedagogical acts or approaches: teaching of strategies, largely through modelling; scaffolding goal setting; providing opportunities for decision making and choice; and enabling peer and self‐evaluation. Promoting self‐regulation is important given a policy of continuous intake, and traditions of non‐streamed classrooms and of teaching the individual. Shared understandings about responsiveness include knowing each individual student and building on, and sustaining, existing strengths. In teaching, writing this includes differentiating instruction often through the use of small‐group instruction, providing targeted, accessible feedback, and the use of culturally sustaining forms of instruction such as those involving trans‐languaging and storytelling. These understandings align with shared views of teaching as iterative inquiry and with official invitations to adapt curricula to fit local contexts.