Developing students’ metalinguistic understandings for writing: Moving beyond form to function

As schools around Australia have come on board with the Science of Reading, we have witnessed a monumental shift in how children are being taught to read (e.g., Department of Education, Queensland, 2023). As confidence increases on the reading side of the literacy coin, it is perhaps unsurprising that many teachers and school leaders are beginning to shift their attention to writing. Teaching writing well is one of the most important responsibilities of any teacher since writing skills support student learning in every school discipline (Graham et al., 2016). Given the central role of writing in school assessment, students who struggle with writing are unlikely to experience school success (Cutler & Graham, 2008; Daffern et al., 2017), with negative consequences stretching beyond school into the workforce (Oliver, 2010).

It is clear from more than a decade of national testing that certain students struggle more with writing than others, particularly males, those attending schools in rural or remote areas, and those who have parents with limited educational outcomes of their own (Thomas, 2019; Thomas et al., 2023).

Fortunately, quality teaching has been found to make a world of difference for every student learning to write (Graham et al., 2021; Koster et al., 2015). Knowing how to teach writing well is therefore a key priority for every teacher.