Character and Enterprise
WATS (Writing Across the School) - Focus on Learning
Presenters shared strategies for students to improve their own writing
On Monday night five Barker staff members shared short presentations on particular aspects of their involvement in the Barker Writing Across The School (WATS) program.
Questions from the audience revealed that parents and carers were excited to learn more about the methodology of teaching writing along with tips and tricks that the students could take away and apply to their written work.
It was clear from the evening that writing, as a part of Rhetoric (one of Barker’s four pillars of Thriving), is a generalised capability that does apply across subjects and disciplines. Along with this, the skill of writing is nuanced to particular disciplines and communication purposes. Therefore there is no one-size-fits-all technique for writing, but a combination of methods that form a student’s arsenal for writing with confidence.
The presenters provided a variety of strategies for students to improve their own writing, for improving writing through teacher feedback, and for improving writing through collaborative settings in the classroom or online. Students are encouraged to continue to seek feedback on their writing in any of their subjects from their classroom teachers.
Please find RESOURCES below from the four short presentations of the Focus on Learning Forum - WATS.
CLICK HERE for a selection of the WATS presentation.
Dr Matthew Hill
Dr Matthew Hill is the Director of The Barker Institute with a focus on professional learning, research, and innovation in the school. He teaches Physics and the new Science Extension course at the School which introduces students to scientific academic research. Matthew's doctorate reflects his passion for science education focussing on Representational Fluency amongst physics students at school and university. He has published in leadership, education, and science journals and been involved in course development and teaching at The University of Sydney and The University of Western Sydney. He has also completed a Graduate Diploma in Divinity at Ridley College in Melbourne.
