Elevating Writing Instruction with Dr. Steve Graham

In this episode, we (Mark Raffler and Sarah Shoemaker) connect with Arizona State University professor, researcher, and author Dr. Steve Graham. For over 42 years, Dr. Graham has studied how writing develops, how to teach it effectively, and how writing can be used to support reading and learning. His research involves typically developing writers and students with special needs in both elementary and secondary schools, with much of occurring in classrooms in urban schools. This dialogue is focused on thinking “outside-the-box” as we aim to plan and facilitate writing instruction that engages all students.

Here is a quick brief of our conversation:

Sarah starts the dialogue with Dr. Graham by asking “What is the first thing you tell educators in the field about writing instruction?”  Dr. Graham talks about the amount of time spent writing and on writing instruction in the classroom.  We continue the conversation with a dive into more insights from his article “A Path to Better Writing: Evidence-Based Practices in the Classroom.”

Mark adds to the dialogue: “We are frequently asked questions around writing instruction that include: How long should students write each day? Should we dictate topics or allow student choice when thinking about writing? Where should we start with writing genres? Talk to us about what guidance you offer teachers in these areas.” Dr. Graham points out five major points in relation to writing instruction.

Then, we talk a bit about the positive relationship between writing instruction and increased reading comprehension.

Mark delves into asking about writing assessment and how it is used for reflection and improvement in his next question to Dr. Graham.

Dr. Graham summarizes our conversation by noting some key writing resources and reinforcing the role of the teacher in elevating writing instruction.

We wrap up this episode by asking listeners to share your thoughts on podcast topics - your voice matters!  Please visit bit.ly/LLCNtopics to tell us what you want to future podcasts to focus on in relation to literacy.

All resources in this LLCN Brief (and future podcasts) can be found at:  bit.ly/LLCNresources2122  Subscribe to the Literacy Leadership and Coaches Network podcasts here: anchor.fm/llcnbrief or your favorite podcast platform

Please note the audio used as an introduction and in transitions in this podcast is under the Creative Common License and attribution is given as follows:
Medicine by WinnieTheMoog
Link: https://filmmusic.io/song/6256-medicine
License: http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/