Students at Marymount College Burleigh Waters are 'writing' their own success stories.
Over a four-year period, the College has seen significant improvement in its NAPLAN Year 9 Writing results, largely due to a College-wide approach focused on the explicit teaching of writing.
Marymount College Burleigh Waters Assistant Principal of Middle Years Curriculum, Wes Guthrie, said this approach helped students grasp complex writing concepts and techniques while fostering critical thinking and creativity.
For example, the College provides its middle years students the opportunity to explore a range of literary texts, including poetry, film, novels, and folklore.
“Students learn and practise the form of the sentence or paragraph and, importantly, the function of each," he said.
“Timely feedback from teachers helps students identify their strengths and areas for improvement, promoting continuous learning and a focus on skill development."
Marymount College Burleigh Waters Leader of Pedagogy and English Curriculum Leader Mallory Lowe said the College was very proud of the efforts of teachers in championing the approach in the classroom.
“Explicit writing instruction enhances student engagement by providing clear, structured guidance, making the writing process more accessible and less intimidating for students," Mallory said.
“All teachers at the College have received professional development in the skills of sentencing and paragraphing, and these skills have been purposefully embedded into work programs and are taught and practised regularly in classrooms."
The College has used Ian Hunter's online Writer's Toolbox program to complement classroom instruction, providing students and teachers with another immediate source of feedback on areas for growth.
“Staff are highly engaged with the program, and students have responded well to its explicit, formulaic nature."
“It is fantastic to see our focused application of explicit teaching across the College has improved writing across all subject areas, including our NAPLAN results in Year 9 Writing," Mallory said.
Brisbane Catholic Education Head of Student Learning and Wellbeing, Marisa Dann, said it was exceptional to see such growth and improvement over time.
“Through an explicit approach to the teaching of writing across the curriculum and the prioritisation of regular feedback to students, Marymount is an example of excellence in action," she said.
“The school's results are a reflection of the significant commitment the leadership team and teaching staff have for each student to grow and thrive."