This is the third in a series of #WritingRocks chats where we explore writer-teachers’ Examples of Practice published on the Writing for Pleasure Centre website.
This month, experienced classroom teacher, Benjamin Harris, generously shares his experience of introducing an Author’s Chair segment in every writing session. It was wonderful to have the opportunity to collaborate and draft the questions with him in advance of the session and I am grateful for his time and energy. Ben (@one_to_read) is a prolific and big-hearted Tweeter and this is reflected in his comments throughout the chat, which have been highlighted in bold. You can access the original discussion on Twitter by clicking the hyperlinks that precede each question slide.
BIG Thanks to these wonderful people for their participation in the discussion:
@one_to_read @yvo3, @lit4pleasure, @smerchant13, @Marcelavb3, @thewritingweb @NurSen2019 , @TobiasHayden, @NWPUK, @lrwhaxby, @WickedResources, @Miff__ , @zoem1ll,
Qu 1)
- We had a brilliant discussion today choosing the audiences for our writing: someone said about adverts and posters that are stuck up in the loos in service stations. Some looked horrified thinking that writing someone had cared about could appear in a toilet!
- Loo reading is some of my favourite reading!
- Mine too. I’ve got books of lists sitting by the loo on a shelf. (But gross emoji!)
- I love reading in the bathroom – the bath and won’t be discussing the toilet. It’s never been a place for writing inspiration though. Maybe because I don’t have any windows?
- In marketing, you’re often encouraged to think about your ‘ideal customer.’ I think this could be a fun activity to do with children at the beginning of a writing project too. Your ‘ideal readers’? What do people think?
- Great idea!
- The last piece of writing we did in class was a persuasive letter. The children chose a celebrity to write to ask them to come and deliver a lesson in class or via zoom. The catch it had to be for free. Their writing was gorgeous.
- We went into a rather premature lockdown in Wales before I had a chance to send them off. I will though. It’s on my list of things to do.
- Good!
- I love this idea. Did they receive any responses?
- Good evening! We had a discussion about inclusion and audience, which made our project authentic. Children discussed using diagrams, Romanian, Bengali and Braille in their work. One mentioned positioning of writing on the walls for those in wheelchairs.
- This is just amazingly great! I fully support those who said about having multi-media and translation in their writing. This is vastly important consideration
- We now have a policy where children can switch languages if they feel this would improve what they are trying to say. In a multicultural school, this is important.
- That is music to my ears! Hooray!
- This is so incredibly important.
- Just before Christmas, I was conferencing with a girl who was ‘stuck’ because she was unable to translate what she wanted to express. Her writing flowed again once she was encouraged to use the language she knew.
- We need to let their voice flow. And that is language in all its forms.
- Switching languages is so important.
- I think that is very important for the children to know why they are writing, the purpose behind it. Then it will be easier for them to find the audience for their writing. It might change during the process. The writing might also have different layers.
- Here is an example of our Year 6 writing wheel which come with our class writing projects. These are very useful when children are discussing the purpose, genre and future audience for their writing:
- Children must know why they’re putting ideas on paper in the first place. So must the teachers! Helps a lot with audience.
- Writing for them needs to be authentic. It needs to have purpose not just because I told them to do it.
- Absolutely! 100%!
- Audience is often discussed and developed hand in hand with the purpose of our writing it even that at times change in the process. We were writing a poem today and we all decided to dedicate our poems to our own families.
- I love that: ‘dedicate’. As a composer, dedicating my music to friends and family has enormous respect and affects your feeling of audience too.
- This is a beautiful thing.
- I find ‘How do you want it to look?’ is a powerful and sometimes overlooked question when focusing children in the needs of an intended audience, before drilling down into detail such as word choices.
- Yes – I had this discussion with one of the boys today. He had a focused idea about what he wanted to do though it sounded mixed genre. I was careful not to impose my feelings. End result-great writing about which he said ‘I really like this writing I’ve done!’
- I love watching children hybrid genres – they are always so creative. Unlike us boring adults, they don’t see genres as being so static and stuffy.
- It’s a mix of discussion text, fact boxes, and opinion. It’s about reincarnation and second lives. Totally his. I think it’s going to be his best piece all year. He shared it on our class google meet ‘authors chair’ this afternoon.
- I agree. Mine mix it up all the time and I have always struggled with writing ‘in boxes’
- A couple of comments on this: I suspect it is quite rare for children to be invited to consider audience; a real audience of their choosing. So if you are doing this then you are giving children a chance to develop as writers.
- It is axiomatic that in order to do this any class projects the children are pursuing must be purposeful and authentic. What I love about author’s chair is that it centralises talk and discussion about every aspect of the writing process including thoughts around audience.
- The whole process and its attendant thinking finds its place in Author’s Chair.
- I really like these strategies Ben. I think the motivation to share comes also from ownership of the idea. Reluctance often stems from the fact that kids aren’t that keen because it’s not ‘their’ writing in the truest sense of the meaning.
- This is spot on.
- Such a good point.
- One thing for the less confident is to get the children to leave their book/writing on your chair or desk and promise them you won’t say who’s written it when you read their work aloud. Or, get them to orally tell their story – that way they don’t have to worry about reading
Qu 2)
- This was a question I had! I am after advice on this one.
- Sharing being part of your daily writing routine.
- Sharing with just your ‘best writing friend’.
- Sharing with your best writing friends.
- Sharing with your table.
- Share just your favourite.
- Sharing with your teacher.
- Watching how your teacher shares.
- I need to be less self-conscious when sharing. I know how much a model means to the children and I’m awfully shy inside.
- It’s important to know how that Author’s Chair feels. It’s laying your soul bare. Brutal, affronting, personal and ultimately upliftingly inspiring. This is what writing does.
- Someone should always be asked to retell what the person has just shared. This always makes children happy because they know they shared their meaning. Everyone should always clap at the end. The smile on children’s faces is wonderful.
- I love the way children clap so genuinely and spontaneously to acknowledge the effort made and content included by their peers. It’s beautiful to see the way they support one another.
- Aw I have one specific child in my class who always says well done that was awesome you should be so proud! He makes my heart melt
- He sounds like a wonderful writer and human being. And you’ve helped him to feel he can do that in class! Yes!
- He is just too cute
- Totally agree. We want our stuff to be perfect but I think we need to model that writing can be messy and therefore improved.
- @one_to_read and @TobiasHayden do this brilliantly by building a supportive community of writers. Additionally, they are very supportive of their teacher-writers community. It becomes a routine, you write, you share, you support your peers!
- I can’t stress enough the importance of occasionally going in that Author’s Chair yourself and letting the kids critique your writing. Who says are we ‘better’ writers as adults??? I believe children say some incredible stuff that has made me a better writer. And they see that writers are formed from communities and audiences as well as ‘ideas’ and ‘words’. And they see that you are on a level playing field WITH them as writers. Author’s Chair is the easiest but most IMPACTFUL thing you can do in writing.
- Exactly! Writing and being a writer isn’t a lonely, solitary existence. Rather, it is inherently social and reciprocal. That’s what makes it the best subject to teach in the world.
- @lrwhaxby has studied the effect of Secret Author’s Chair which has an excellent effect too.
- I sure have! I selected bits of writing and typed them onto slides. It really boosted the confidence of reluctant writers and also helped everyone see that ALL writers have room for improvement. It broke down preconceptions about who are ‘Good writers’ in the class.
- This is an excellent way to help.
- We will get this up on the site soon Lois!
- The children also commented that they felt the feedback was more honest and genuine when they didn’t know who it was because they weren’t just being nice because it was their friends and they didn’t feel bad about giving improvements!
- Spot on.
- Tell people what you wrote about rather than read it out.
- Share a bit you would like to rewrite with a friend.
- Share a ‘sticky bit’ that you can’t quite get right with a friend.
- Yes, I think I need to start smaller with less-confident sharers maybe.
- I find that if I share a pupil’s work anonymously (having checked with the pupil first) with the rest of the class, it still allows the pupil to feel confidence and pride without the stress or pressure of reading aloud of sharing in front of a group.
- As you welcome every writing, the effort children build trust and confidence. Develop a relationship, partnership and they show confidence. Share their work with them 1:1 and also model how much you appreciate, value and love every piece of work. Show them…
- It is OK to be different, odd, weird and crazy. Do not have a set barriers which we sometimes call criteria- but I am not dismissing guidance at certain level
- Are you in touch with Ross Young from The Writing for Pleasure Centre? Your practice sounds right up the #Writing4Pleasure-approach-street. I love everything you’re saying! #
- I am new to his work all thanks to the Twitter legends like yourself, that I found out about Ross and the latest book. I am getting the book as a birthday gift very soon.
- Oh, this is wonderful. What a beautiful thing.
Qu 3)
Ben describes how the visualiser enables the young authors in his class to share their writing with their peers, an indispensable element of his practice.
- There a number of writing conversations you can have:
- Talk about the content.
- Talk about your personal response (what the writing made you think about).
- Talk about how the writing reminded you of other things you’ve seen, heard, experienced or read.
- Got a whole resource that’s going to be for your site, Ross. Hopefully it can be downloaded and used in classes to support Author’s Chair sessions. It’s created, tried and tested by me so hopefully it’ll be good for others to use!
- Yes Ben!
- Good stuff.
- First thing I’d say is the thing I’m WORST at: the teacher has to shut up and let them talk.
- I’m the same and actively address this in my planning. I find sitting down for the majority of the whole class teaching prevents me from being the focus and opens up more authentic collaboration within the class.
- I couldn’t agree more. Thinking about your question but wondering to myself if as teachers we have the tendency to hinder honest conversations between students because we are constantly trying to facilitate and guide the questioning?
- When Author’s Chair begins in class, I deliberately announce – OK everyone. Over to you now. I’m going to sit and the back and shut up! They *have* to hear that – it’s THEIR writing. I’ve said more than enough by that point in the lesson.
- We must always respond as a genuine and interested reader. We must say our personal response to a child’s writing. Though teaching through conversation is important, we mustn’t go straight in with instruction or critique.
- If your knees can handle it, we must also crouch down at their level and look them in the eyes. We must be two writers in conversation about writing and being a writer.
- As a young teacher, I had lesson feedback praising the fact I pulled up a chair to conference with the children. This helped me recognise how it made them feel valued, when really I was avoiding bending over.
- My lockdown attempts at yoga prove my knees can’t handle it.
- We must show that we are learning as much from them about writing as they are from us.
- Yes!
- I believe it is essential to respect and embrace children’s ideas. Do not dismiss or be critical of their work. I have come to realise that us teachers at times may become too patronising which can be some level reflection of the school culture.
- I am literally shouting “YES!!!!!” to all of this! Absolutely!
- There a number of writing conversations you can have:
- Talk about the process of writing rather than the piece of writing.
- Talk about techniques you tried.
- Talk about ‘sticky bits’ you can’t quite get right.
- Listen and start with asking them to tell you about their writing. I have also learned when to leave them alone! Sometimes, jumping in and talking isn’t what is required.
Qu 4)
- I agree re emphasising the essential role of the visualiser in making Author’s Chair interactive and purposeful. I love the way you describe the strategies you devised to engage the more hesitant sharers and acknowledge that value judgements about writing are subjective, Ben.
- I do have a visualiser which I use. I have in the past scanned or copied a child’s work and handed out. I show my class my own writing as well and ask them to critique it- which they do with no mercy.
- I’m interested to know how people are finding writing during the Lockdown/remote learning.
- @TobiasHayden’s Example of Practice about remote learning is invaluable.
- Yes, especially with effective conferencing.
- I do live lessons- my class needs it and prefer it. We are allowed to deliver pre-recorded lessons. Last two days we discussed what we missed the most and if we were able to open our doors go out what we would like to see… here is an example from a child who missed KFC.
- This is from a Year 6 girl, Willow.
- I love what children write about food. Real love in that sort of thing.
- I did some today, we built up to it by discussing the topic but I think next time I’ll model what I mean better. Some fantastic writing but with a little more guidance it could have been better.
- Your reflection on this is great! Good luck with the next session!
- @TobiasHayden and @Marcelavb3’s work with Google Classroom is invaluable reading.
- This is wonderful and just what I needed. Children are going to be completing biographies on Alfred Russell Wallace.
- She’s definitely missing her chicken! I love it – real and authentic and it’s important.
- Technology helps children change their ‘invented’ ‘temporary’ spellings into conventional spellings when they are preparing their manuscripts for publication.
- Google search with microphone enabled
- Electronic spellcheckers
- I babysit a brilliant 9 year old boy. He wanted to know how to spell something and didn’t hesitate in asking Alexa.
- I think shared writing on Google slide presentations by teams of children can be successful. Some Year 6 children have naturally gone for this approach in lockdown, creating a shared piece, with a community feel.
- And their comments to one another make me smile:
“Lovely opening but you need to make it clear who ‘he’s is.”
“No because that is the point.”
“Oh I missed da point. Cool! I will stick to ‘he’ in paragraph 2 then!”
- That is an actual copied conversation. They are funny.
- Perfect! I’ve seen children move forward tremendously because their peers say something constructive but vitally critical. It’s always the environment that teaches.
- I remember the camaraderie between 3 boys who listed interesting, accurate clauses strung together loads of ‘and thens’. There was so much good humour about the effect of this when they read their writing aloud and the strategy had a massively positive impact on their editing.
- Love this!
- Do you mean they share one document together and compose as a group virtually? This sounds great!
- Yes – one sets up a presentation and each child works on a different part. It worked with a report on The Amazon this week. They are better at it than me.
- Definitely trying this. Thanks Sarah! Cracking idea!
- This is really interesting. I was reading a piece of research yesterday that mentioned peer interaction was more important to children during online learning than teacher interaction.
- I’d love to read this research, Yvonne.
- Are you able to share it?
- It was from the EEF. I will see if I can locate it again. I think I bookmarked it.
- I think this might be what you’re referring to. Emphasises importance of peer interaction but doesn’t compare to teacher interaction.
- Thank you, Zoe! I really appreciate you posting that.
- It was quite late the other night when I read it. Emphasis was definitely on peer interaction. I thought it was more recent than April though but you may be right.
- This project helped the children in our class to use technology to write at home. Have a look Pt2 coming soon!
