Writing at KS3

A Teach Meet opportunity for Secondary English teachers

Date: Monday 31st March 2014

Time: 2pm – 4pm

Venue:Yavneh College, Borehamwood

As part of a cross-phase writing research project, Secondary colleagues in English are invited to participate in a Teach Meet event to discuss issues surrounding the teaching of Writing and Grammar at KS3.

Agenda

  1. Welcome and Introduction to the afternoon
  2. Feedback and Action Points from the KS2 Teach Meet (14/03/14)
  3. Feedback sheet
  4. Making KS3 more challenging
  5. Methods to support the weakest
  6. Thoughts from Deborah Myhill’s lecture at Hertfordshire University (25/03/14)
  7. Use of authentic materials
  8. Supporting the weakest – Metalanguage: Friend or Foe?
  9. The challenge to upskill teachers
  10. Next Steps

Thank you for coming and for your support!

Outcomes of Teach Meet

First of all, I would like to thank Barbara Lazarus and her colleagues at Yavneh College for hosting our meeting and providing such welcome hospitality!

May I also thank everyone who came for their time and contributions. The discussions were very fruitful and have raised some interesting problems for us to consider as we move forward.

Here are the key thoughts arising from Key Stage 3 English teachers. (I’ve highlighted the questions raised):

  • There is a perceived problem of what a L5 means at KS2 and KS3
  • Are we losing the intensity of learning at KS3 (‘the dip’)?
  • Is it the case that at secondary school we focus on teaching students WHY? but at primary the focus is on HOW?
  • At secondary we tend to compartmentalise knowledge and students don’t make connections that come so naturally in primary school. How do we overcome compartmentalisation of learning into discrete subjects?
  • There is the pressure to meet an existing assessment schedule and a danger of ticking boxes
  • Challenges of the modern age: Technology and its impact on literacy levels and children’s empathy skills (which then impacts understanding of written texts and the ability to produce good writing).
  • Acknowledgement of a greater need for AUTHENTICITY of purpose of writing.
  • Students struggle to detect TONE.
  • Teachers agreed that it would be a good idea to trial some of Deborah Myhill’s (modified) ideas at school.
  • With all the pressures imposed on us, can we still take the necessary time over the writing process?
  • AF will circulate web sites and materials via the Advanced Learning Alliance website.
  • Teachers expressed a need for a course to support teachers by upskilling them in summer or autumn term this year. (Suggestion: Geoff Barton to lead grammar training?)
  • Question raised: Do we explicitly teach metalanguage? If so, how?

Next Steps: There will be a meeting with the core research group and Hertfordshire University early next term to decide how to take this further and arrange to collect objective data on writing at KS2 and 3. We will also be organising a big cross-phase conference in summer.