Writing and Writing Difficulties From Primary Grades to College

In today’s world, writing is an essential skill. At school, writing is often used to gauge students’ understanding of content material as well as to promote the learning of it. Students with learning disabilities (LD) and those at risk for writing difficulties experience considerable difficulty with almost every aspect of writing. The field of LD is developing a reasonable foundation of knowledge about what and how students with LD and those at risk for LD write. The articles in this series contribute to our growing knowledge of how students with LD struggle with the writing process and can benefit from evidence-based practices, beginning in elementary school and continuing into college. The purpose of this article is to introduce the special series on writing and writing difficulties. Three of the articles are included in this issue, and the two remaining articles will appear in the next issue. This introduction provides readers with the rationale for the series, the purpose of each article, and a brief overview of each contribution

The Writing Performance of Elementary Students Receiving Strategic and Interactive Writing Instruction

Strategic and Interactive Writing Instruction (SIWI) has led to improved writing and language outcomes among deaf and hard of hearing (d/hh) middle grades students. The purpose of this study was to examine the effects of SIWI on the written expression of d/hh elementary students across recount/ personal narrative, information report, and persuasive genres. Five multiple-probe case studies demonstrate a relationship between implementation of SIWI and improvements in genre-related writing performance. The effect of instruction was most immediately demonstrated with information reports and persuasive writing, whereas several sessions of recount instruction were needed for students to satisfy performance criteria. Additionally, pre and post data from a larger group of students (N=31) were compared. Wilcoxon Signed-Rank test statistics were statistically significant for each genre with medium to high effect sizes. Data suggest SIWI as a promising practice with elementary students, and comments regarding further development and research are provided

The Sciences of Reading and Writing Must Become More Fully Integrated

Science has greatly enhanced what we know about reading and writing. Drawing on this knowledge, researchers have proffered recommendations for how to teach these two literacy skills. Although such recommendations are aimed at closing the gap between research and practice, they often fail to take into account the reciprocal relation that exists between reading and writing. Writing and writing instruction improve students’ reading and vice versa. Theory and evidence that support this reciprocal relation are presented, and implications for the scientific study of reading and writing, policy, and practice are offered, including the proposal that the sciences of reading and writing need to be better integrated

Toward a Professional Development Model for Writing as a Digital, Participatory Process

In this formative experiment, the authors focused on developing professional development for upper elementary school teachers and investigating how it was integrated into teachers’ instruction to improve their ability to make writing a more digital, participatory process. Theoretical perspectives pertaining to technology use in education specify that this instruction should emphasize students creating rather than consuming information from media sources and that this creation process should be social. However, recent research of preadolescents has shown that although these students are using technology more in schools, they are often using technology to consume rather than create information. Further, literacy teachers, in particular, have identified barriers to integrating technology effectively into their curriculum. Thus, there is a critical need for professional development that helps teachers more effectively integrate technology into their classrooms. The objective of this study was to develop a professional development model that helps teachers engage students in writing as both a digital process and a social process. The essential elements studied in this model include the following: (a) sustained professional development, including the gradual release of teacher inquiry; (b) writing as a social practice; and (c) the use of digital tools to engage students in writing. Using both qualitative and quantitative methods, the authors studied the implementation of this professional development model in a summer institute and in teacher classrooms