Best Practice

Enhancing students’ writing skills using metacognition approaches

Fewer and fewer students say they enjoy writing and attainment is down. What can we do about this in the secondary school? Debbie Tremble explains why the secret might lie in metacognitive teaching strategies
Image: Adobe Stock - Image: Adobe Stock

“Writing well is not just an option for young people – it is a necessity.”
Graham & Perin, 2007

 

The National Literacy Trust recently warned us that young people’s enjoyment of writing has reduced by a staggering 26% over the last 13 years (Clark et al, 2023).

Its research reveals that only 1 in 3 (34.6%) children and young people aged 8 to 18 say that they enjoy writing in their free time. It also highlights the sharp decline in writing attainment as recorded by statutory assessment data.

To what can we attribute this decline in motivation and enjoyment in writing? The report suggests the pandemic has affected writing enjoyment, regardless of age, gender or levels of disadvantage.

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