Teaching Secondary Students to Write Effectively

Recommendation 1 

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Recommendation 1 

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the rubric a 1, 2, 3, or 4, with 1 being “I’m 

not confident at all in what I’m saying here,” 

and 4 being “I’m totally confident in this 

judgment.” Students who make inaccurate 

self-assessments and rate their confidence 

high may need a better understanding of 

what the rubrics are focused on. Students 

who make inaccurate self-assessments 

and rate their confidence low may need a 

better understanding of how to address the 

rubrics in their own writing.

Obstacle 1.5. How can I help my students to 

feel comfortable reflecting on their own work?

Panel’s advice. It will take time for nov-

ice writers to understand what qualifies as 

effective writing, build their writing skills, 

and strengthen their confidence to reflect 

upon and improve their own work. Gradually 

transitioning responsibility to students helps 

them build their skills and confidence steadily. 

Teachers might have to demonstrate the 

reflection process multiple times to illustrate 

that reflection and self-criticism are helpful 

tools to improving one’s writing. Reflection is 

a cyclical process and should occur through-

out the writing process. Students should be 

given multiple opportunities to reflect on the 

same piece of writing.

Teachers can also focus on creating a support-

ive and safe classroom environment for stu-

dents to self-critique their work. For instance, 

after a student voices a self-critique in front of 

other students, a teacher might say the follow-

ing so everyone can hear, “You showed good 

awareness there when you criticized your 

own work, Juan. It’s hard, but that’s how good 

writers get to be good writers. I’m proud of 

you for doing that.” By commenting positively 

and publicly when students self-critique their 

writing, teachers can help students build confi-

dence in their reflection skills.

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