The Reading Teacher - 2020 - Barnes - Promoting Student Agency in Writing

TEACHING TIP
Promoting Student Agency in Writing

Jill Barnes
Now more than ever before, students must be agents of their writing to build
the capacity to communicate independently in a variety of contexts in our
ever-changing world.
W Student Ownership
ith increasing expectations on students
regarding written communication, pro-
moting student agency in writing is more of the Planning Process
important now than ever before. Teachers must find Open-Style Keyword Planning
ways to engage and empower students throughout Planning involves the generation and organization of
the writing process so they can produce authentic ideas as well as goal setting for writing (Hayes & Flower,
and meaningful writing. Teachers must allow stu- 1980). Teaching students to create keyword plans in
dents to do more of the work while providing them structures that support their writing purpose is an
with tools and strategies to engage in metacogni- effective way to promote student agency in the planning
tion about the writing process as they share their process. Rather than prescribing students a structured
own thoughts and ideas. This work and involve- format or organizer that leads them to write in a way
ment in the process promotes motivation from the teacher chooses, the teacher can have students cre-
within, resulting in a snowball effect of agency and ate their own planning tool. Students can be encouraged
learning. to fold blank paper into a format that would support
Student agency has four components: goal set- their writing and the structure they need. This open-
ting, intentional action, reflection and self-direction, style planning allows for student ownership and for the
and internalizing self-efficacy. Students must have responsibility of organization to shift to the student.
self-awareness about their learning so that they can Students can be introduced to different folds and
set beneficial goals for writing. Once these goals formats as different genres or writing structures are
have been established, students must take the introduced. They can choose how they want to fold
driver’s seat in reaching them. Along the way, they depending on their audience, topic, purpose, and
must direct and regulate their own actions toward what they want to say (see Figure 1). After learning
reaching them (Poon, 2018). Supporting students in different formats, they can easily apply open-style
ways that promote metacognition, using their own planning to express their ideas while journaling,
voice and ideas, pinpointing their individual needs, responding to text, or simply writing.
and encouraging student leadership throughout the
writing process all kindle students’ capacity and
inclination to take initiative for their own achieve-
Students Can Choose Their Approach
ment in writing. to Organizing Ideas
Hayes and Flower (1980) noted that the three Using an approach for idea generation that fits a stu-
major processes of writing are planning, transcrip- dent’s style of learning can also promote student
tion, and reviewing. In this teaching tip, I present agency. Some students might benefit from a deductive
strategies that teachers can use to promote meta- approach, such as coming up with subtopics first and
cognition, self-regulation, and agency during these
processes while allowing students to keep their own
writing identity. This identity preserves who stu- Jill Barnes is a literacy specialist in the Frederick County
Public Schools, Jefferson, MD, USA; email jill.barnes@
dents are as writers, allowing their imagination and
fcps.org.
voice to take flight (Auguste, 2018).
The Reading Teacher Vol. 73 No. 6 pp. 789–795 789 doi:10.1002/trtr.1899 © 2020 International Literacy Association
19362714, 2020, 6, Downloaded from https://ila.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/trtr.1899 by <Shibboleth>-member@marjon.ac.uk, Wiley Online Library on [10/03/2024]. See the Terms and Conditions (https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/terms-and-conditions) on Wiley Online Library for rules of use; OA articles are governed by the applicable Creative Commons License
Teaching Tip
Figure 1 Strategic partnerships create opportunities for

Paper-Folding Organizers linguistic and cognitive development, both of which
affect writing. In these partnerships, teachers delib-
erately pair students to support specific needs based
on strengths and weaknesses of students in the part-
nership. The students listen to each other as they
orally tell what will become their writing piece, using
the plan to touch and say each part of the section.
The listening partner asks questions and provides
specific feedback to the author to help them improve
their piece before they actually write it down.
Teachers should consider the complex needs of
their learners for both learning and language when
pairing or grouping students. Limiting the distance
between students’ cognitive and linguistic abilities
also limits the chance that a more experienced stu-
dent will do the work for a striving partner.
Promoting Agency
Note. A kindergarten student is folding her paper to set up her own
space to plan a personal narrative that she wants to share with the
During Transcription
class.The color figure can be viewed in the online version of this
article at http://ila.onlinelibrary.wiley.com.
Instructional Conversations:
Foster Students’ Own Words
Adult interaction during work time in writing is
generating related supporting ideas afterward. Students invaluable for both students’ growth and educators’
who need a more constructivist approach can generate formative assessment. While students work in small
their ideas first, grouping and labeling afterward. groups or independently, teachers should engage in
The latter group might need to organize their ideas instructional conversations that support increased
several times to get them to make sense and suit their use of contextualized academic language, empow-
purpose. It is helpful for these students to use separate ering students to use such language in their discus-
sions (Echevarria & Graves, 2010).
sticky notes for each keyword generated (see Figure 2).
Students need not just practice but the right kind
By doing so, students can further take the leadership
of practice to boost literacy achievement (Gallagher
of organization, moving ideas that are related to one
& Kittle, 2018). When adults interact with students, it
another in ways they feel make sense.
should be in a facilitative role, with the intention to
Although this approach benefits many students, it
foster students’ own words, not change them. Adults
can be an especially helpful way to support English
must be careful not to force language onto students
learners to make sense out of known words and con-
or change their ideas. The more students own the
cepts. It can allow them to access and work with
words, the more motivated they become to write.
known vocabulary and language, connect ideas, and Additionally, educators must intervene strategi-
make sense out of how ideas are related. Regardless cally, with questioning that is open-ended. Using the
of the content or type of writing, open-style planning prompt “What can you do to help yourself with ___?”
empowers students to use their own ideas and choose can keep the focus on the students’ strategic action
how to organize them before writing (see Figure 3). as a writer. For example, a teacher might say, “What
can you do to help yourself organize your ideas or
Deliberately Pair Students for Feedback spell that word?” This helps focus the students on
Oral language heavily influences written language problem solving and the process of writing while
building independence and self-efficacy.
(Shanahan, 1984). The opportunity to communi-
cate with peers about writing allows students to be
exposed to language in authentic contexts, further Interactive Writing: Make Writing “Ours”
developing their language acquisition orally and, Working demands of transcr iption affect both
consequently, in writing (Echevarria & Graves, 2010). younger and older students when composing.
790
The Reading Teacher Vol. 73 No. 6 May/June 2020literacyworldwide.org
Teaching Tip
Figure 2
Student-Generated Word Banks
Note. The color figure can be viewed in the online version of this article at http://ila.onlinelibrary.wiley.com.
Figure 3
Independent Use by a Kindergarten Student Teachers can build independence through system-
atic and gradual release that helps students under-
stand how language works in print. For this reason,
teachers often use interactive writing to support
emergent writers. However, this shared-pen type of
writing can be powerful in helping students under-
stand how writing works at any age while supporting
specific skills they need (Cooper & Kiger, 2010).
Interactive writing can be done with a class, a
small group, or an individual student. During inter-
active writing, the process of writing is visible for
all students. The act of writing words, phrases, sen-
tences, or larger parts of a piece is literally shared by
the student(s) and the teacher, as the pen flows from
one writing participant to another (see Table 1). The
teacher may also model or guide students’ under-
standing of concepts about print or more advanced
Note. This strategy can easily be transferred to other types of
skills, such as language usage, paragraph develop-
writing for students of any age. A student who had been previously ment, or craft moves an author might make.
shown how to create a four-square for planning during a narrative Interactive writing is intended to be shared work.
writing genre study applied this strategy independently while
writing about reading during a benchmark assessment. Thus, it is important to make sure that students
are never encouraged to copy a writing piece. The
791
Teaching Tip
Table 1
Interactive Writing Steps
Concepts of print Beyond basics

1. Students generate a sentence that they would like 1. Students share in the development of ideas and writing
to write. throughout the process.
2. The teacher repeats the sentence. 2. The piece is written on chart paper so the process can
3. Students help write the sentence word by word on a be seen by all.
sentence strip as the teacher facilitates the process 3. The teacher models a focus skill or writing strategy
of transcription. within the experience.
4. The sentence is cut apart and reassembled by students 4. The pen is shared throughout the experience as the
to focus on how sentences are built. teacher and students craft the piece together.
5. The finished, cut-up sentence is used in literacy 5. The finished writing is displayed in the classroom as a
centers or at home by a student. resource for students.
finished work belongs to both the teacher and stu- ■ Students can use interactive word walls to help
dents. Copying gives students misconceptions about themselves spell high-frequency words (see
the purpose of shared writing and their own capa- Figure 5).
bilities as writers. ■ Students can work to spell “tricky” words by
Models made in front of students should be taken clapping syllables and tapping each syllable
down during the gradual release process so students (see Figure 6).
do not get the misconception that their job is to copy
More experienced writers may benefit from dif-
already-produced writing or ideas. The goal is to
ferentiated versions of these supports. Instead of
have them see the process, know what they need to
writing lines first and touching and saying each
do to be successful, and try it on their own.
word, using Think It, Say It, Write It with a sentence
or two at a time may help students build their work-
Scaffolds for Transcription ing memory until they are efficient enough in tran-
The following scaffolds can help writers learning the scribing their ideas to write word by word in long
transcription process: stretches.
■ Students can count the number of words in a

sentence. Learning to Self-Regulate During Writing
■ Students can write lines for each word as they Students who struggle with executive function-
ing might need to learn to how to help themselves
say them.
stay focused during writing, a task high in cognitive
■ Students can touch and say their sentence, demand. Teachers can empower students to moni-
pointing to the lines that represent each word. tor themselves for distraction and choose the tools
■ Students can write the “easy” words where they need to be successful. Different combinations
they belong, touching and saying the sentence of multiple strategies may be needed for students to
each time (see Figure 4). become successful writers.
Figure 4
Easy Words First
Note. Touching and saying a sentence and writing easy words first helps build working memory.
792
Teaching Tip
Figure 5
Interactive Word Wall
Note. Interactive word walls help students take ownership for spelling some words accurately. The color figure can be viewed in the online version of
this article at http://ila.onlinelibrary.wiley.com.
Sharing Success Stories up, dropped the use of sticky notes, and maintained
A fourth-grade student with attention deficit hyper- focus while sitting to write an entire piece.
activity disorder struggled with getting ideas onto
paper. She was unable to produce writing of more than
two sentences in a 40-minute time frame. After being Promoting Agency During
taught Think It, Say It, Write It and to monitor herself the Reviewing Process
for distraction, she chose to grab headphones and orally Teaching students to own the reviewing process of
rehearse sentences she was going to write. These strat writing is important, too. There are several ways that
egies helped to support her in writing pages on a topic in teachers can involve students in this process. Have
the same time frame over the course of a month. students of all ages do the following:
Another student who also struggled with attention
was taught to recognize his own need to stand. He ■ Rank anchor papers from weakest to strongest
was given a standing station that included a dry-erase and create success criteria checklists for strong
board and sticky notes that he could use to keyword writing.
plan there. In a matter of three days, he started choos- ■ Generate rubrics that will be used in the evalu-
ing to use this area because he saw his own produc- ation of their own work.
tivity improve so drastically (see Figure 7). Over a few ■ Engage in peer feedback and self-evaluation
weeks, he weaned himself to just planning standing (see Figure 8).
793
Teaching Tip
Figure 6 Figure 7
Finger Tapping Standing Station
Note. Finger tapping is a multisensory approach that can help

students segment sounds. Be sure that students use their right
hand, palm out, so directionality is not impacted. Clapping syllables
and tapping sounds support students’ application of this strategy
with multisyllabic words.
Student-Led Conferencing
During conferencing, instruction focuses on teaching
the student writing strategies they can apply in future
writing pieces. This writing support often occurs one
on one as students independently work on writing,
homing in on an individual’s application of strategies
taught as well as goal setting.
Allowing students to lead conferences and set
goals from one session to the next can increase
both agency and motivation. The more voice a stu- Note. The color figure can be viewed in the online version of this
article at http://ila.onlinelibrary.wiley.com.
dent has during conferring, the more empowered
the student becomes as a writer. Teachers can ask
open-ended questions to facilitate the conver-
sation, identify a teaching point, provide direct Final Thoughts
feedback, and have the student set goals for trying Teaching writing is about teaching the writer strate-
the strategy taught. Teaching points and the level gies that motivate them and support them as they
of support should vary based on students’ needs share their own thoughts and ideas with their audi-
(Anderson, 2009). ence. Modeling writing is not enough for students to
794
Teaching Tip
Figure 8
Sticker Scoring
Note. Motivation can be increased by allowing partners to sticker score each other for criteria developed by the class. The color figure can be viewed
in the online version of this article at http://ila.onlinelibrary.wiley.com.
become agents in writing. Educators must provide Cooper, J.D., & Kiger, N.D. (2010). Literacy assessment: Helping teachers
plan instruction (4th ed.). Boston, MA: Cengage Learning.
students with strategies that facilitate students’ Echevarria, J., & Graves, A. (2010). Sheltered content instruction:
ownership of the writing processes and their meta- Teaching English language learners with diverse abilities. Boston,
cognition about these processes. The more strategies MA: Pearson.
Gallagher, K., & Kittle, P. (2018). Giving students the right kind
students have for engaging in and owning writing, of writing practice. Educational Leadership, 75(7), 14–20.
the more successful they will be in developing their Hayes, J.R., & Flower, L.S. (1980). Identifying the organization
craft, self-awareness, and ultimately agency. of writing processes. In L.W. Gregg & E.R. Steinberg (Eds.),
Cognitive processes in writing (pp. 3–30). Mahwah, NJ: Erlbaum.
Poon, J.D. (2018, September 11). Part 1: What do you mean when
REFERENCES you say “student agency”? Education Reimagined. Retrieved from
https://education-reimag ined.org/what-do-you-mean-when-
Anderson, C. (2009). Strategic writing conferences: Smart conver you-say-student-agency/
sations that move young writers forward. Portsmouth, NH: Shanahan, T. (1984). Nature of the reading–writing relation:
Heinemann. An exploratory multivariate analysis. Journal of Educational
Auguste, E. (2018). The balancing act of kindergarten writing Psychology, 76(3), 466–477. https://doi.org/10.1037/0022-0663.
instruction. Educational Leadership, 75(7), 61–64. 76.3.466
795

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TEACHING TIP

Promoting Student Agency in Writing

Figure 1 Strategic partnerships create opportunities for

Concepts of print Beyond basics

■ Students can count the number of words in a

Note. Finger tapping is a multisensory approach that can help

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