Evidence-Based Practices for Writing Instruction - Effectiveness of Teacher Modelling by Roselle Gordon

In an earlier post I shared with you how teachers can use their own essay pieces in the classroom. This is a perfect example of what teacher modeling would look like. creating pieces that represent the quality of work that is expected of our students and also, quality pieces that show or outline the various aspects of writing you wish for your students to learn. 

Vygotsky’s theory encourages collaborative and cooperative learning between children and teachers and this demonstrates that. Teachers who show enthusiasm for writing and regularly display the writing skills, strategies, and processes they wish students to emulate help students duplicate similiar habits and traits. In addition, when a student views the teacher as a “writer,” the teacher’s input is considered as more authentic.

An example of teacher modelling is demonstrated in the below video for a lower level grade.

By observing their teacher's thinking and decision-making, students gain valuable insights into the writing process. Additionally, teacher modelling helps students understand the different components of effective writing, such as organization, sentence structure, and vocabulary choices. It also allows students to see examples of various writing genres and styles. Through consistent teacher modelling, students learn to apply these strategies and techniques independently, leading to improved writing proficiency.