With the new primary accountability system counting reading and writing as two separate subjects, the need for engaging all pupils in developing and improving their writing skills is greater than ever before. But what to do when students are unenthusiastic about writing?
Many teachers are launching class blogs as a way of giving more reluctant writers the space to share their work with parents and peers, and an incentive to improve. They can also be used to stretch talented and enthusiastic writers, as well as develop the school’s online profile and presence. ‘Work blogs’ allow teachers to establish learning dialogues with the pupils, and also give then another way to document their learning, other than in paper books.
The extent to which pupils are involved in organising the blog and posting their contributions differs. Sometimes pupils write their blog posts only in school time, sometimes they blog and post from home – which raises issues about access to computers and the internet. The extent of teachers’ contributions and the control they choose to exercise over blog content also differ.
At the moment, very little is known about whether there are differences between pupils’ digital writing and their regular school writing on paper. There is some evidence to suggest that blogging sparks pupils’ interest and enthusiasm for writing but little attention has been paid to its effects on the quality of writing in general.
It was in light of this that CfBT Education Trust’s London Connected Learning Centre (London CLC) undertook a piece of research to investigate the differences in pupils’ writing on blogs compared to their other writing.
The project also aimed to explore the potential for using blogging to develop pupils’ writing skills, and to identify good practice in blogging. The majority of the four primary teachers in this project had been blogging for more than a year and had taken different routes into blogging. The story of Harvey, below, provides one account of how a teacher became involved in blogging and what he saw as the potential benefits for his Year 6 class in this new approach to writing.