MOST EFFECTIVE APPROACHES
FOR IMPROVING QUALITY OF STUDENT WRITING
Excerpts from "Synthesis of
Research on Teaching Writing," George Hillocks ( from readings)
"The available
research cannot indicate the optimal curriculum for writing....However, it does
indicate what approaches to teaching writing ought to be stressed...while
declarative knowledge is useful, the curriculum needs to stress procedural
knowledge." That is, "general procedures of
the composing process and specific strategies for the production of discourse
and transformation of data for use in writing."
Approaches that contribute to procedural
knowledge |
Inquiry Uses
"sets of data in a structured fashion to help students learn strategies
for using the data in their writing."
Presents "students with data, designates a
task to be performed using the data and provides guidance in performing that
task."
"...three
and a half times more effective than free writing, and over two-and-a-half times more effective than the
traditional study of model pieces of writing."
Scales Present
"students with sets of criteria for judging and revising
compositions."
"...the
teacher leads students in evaluation of compositions until students understand
the discrimination illustrated by the scales. "
"...appears
to help students develop better control over and understanding of discourse
knowledge. "
not
as effective as inquiry but more effective than traditional approach of
presenting models for study and imitation.
Sentence "...direct instruction in producing more
complex syntactic structures
Combining results not only in greater syntactic complexity,
but in increased quality."
"...provide[s] students with control over an organized
repertoire of syntactic structures, control that allows them to pick and choose
among a variety of alternative structures at the verbatim level."
Proofreading Systematic approach to incorporating proofreading skills (grammar) into the writing process
Models
emphasizes
"identifying, naming and perhaps evaluating parts or features
of models...resulting knowledge is declarative..."
does
"not teach procedures for producing a piece exhibiting characteristics
studied."
Grammar The study of grammar does not contribute to growth
in the quality of student writing.