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    A primary school in Bolton, England claims that introducing blogging has increased students' interest in writing, especially for boys. The number of students blogging at the school has grown significantly while test results have increased almost seven-fold. The deputy head notes enthusiasm for writing is very high and that students made more than two years' progress in writing in one year based on standardized test scores. A sixth grade student says that boys prefer writing blogs over writing in books because they can write about any interests like sports or hobbies.

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    A primary school in Bolton, England claims that introducing blogging has increased students' interest in writing, especially for boys. The number of students blogging at the school has grown significantly while test results have increased almost seven-fold. The deputy head notes enthusiasm for writing is very high and that students made more than two years' progress in writing in one year based on standardized test scores. A sixth grade student says that boys prefer writing blogs over writing in books because they can write about any interests like sports or hobbies.

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    17 views2 pages

    BBC Blogs

    Uploaded by

    sveamodules
    A primary school in Bolton, England claims that introducing blogging has increased students' interest in writing, especially for boys. The number of students blogging at the school has grown significantly while test results have increased almost seven-fold. The deputy head notes enthusiasm for writing is very high and that students made more than two years' progress in writing in one year based on standardized test scores. A sixth grade student says that boys prefer writing blogs over writing in books because they can write about any interests like sports or hobbies.

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    of 2

    Blogging makes writing 'cool' for boys at Bolton school

    14 February 2011 Last updated at 16:33 A


    primary school in Greater Manchester
    claims that getting children to blog has
    made writing "cool" - and helped boost test
    results.

    Pupils at Heathfield County Primary in


    Bolton regularly write blogs which are "On the blog, you can write about anything like football
    or hobbies" - Matthew, year 6
    published on the school's website.

    Formerly, boys especially were not interested in writing, said the school.

    But the number of students blogging has flourished while their results have risen
    almost seven-fold.

    "The enthusiasm levels of the children are really, really high," said deputy head
    David Mitchell who has pioneered online teaching at the school which includes
    blog writing."

    When the school was forced to close in January because of the snow, classes
    continued via the school's website despite staff and children being unable to get
    into the building.

    Mr Mitchell added that the school had also seen a marked increase in its Sats
    (Standard Assessment Tests) results for literacy.

    "On average, the children that have left us in Year 6 made two years' progress in
    writing in one year."

    He added the number of children achieving level 5 and above in Sats writing tests
    had increased from 9% to 60%.

    Bucking a trend

    And it's not just year 6 students. Blogging has now been officially introduced to the
    curriculum with even five-year-olds being encouraged to write about their lessons.

    Traditionally, boys are less interested in writing than girls which is reflected in
    national figures.
    In 2010, 9% of boys in England - about 18,000 - achieved a maximum of level 2 in
    reading by the age of 11 - the standard expected of a seven-year-old, with that
    figure even higher (15%) in Manchester.

    Matthew, a year 6 pupil, said: "Boys don't necessarily like to write in books.

    "But on the blog, you can write about anything like football or hobbies or anything
    you do."

    Head teacher Dianne Spencer said she was proud the school was bucking a trend in
    education.

    "It is a truth universally acknowledged that most boys do not enjoy writing," she
    wrote on her own school blog.

    "So what is happening at Heathfield? Our boys are learning to love the process of
    writing."

    "Year 6 boys and girls now think that writing is cool," she added.

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