1. Learning and Teaching –
A Focus on Writing
Literacy
Toolkit
HGIOS 4
Where does it link to How Good is Our School?
2.2 – Curriculum
2.3 – Learning, teaching and assessment
2.4 – Personalised support
The notes section in each presentation is primarily for the facilitator, indicating additional requirements or information.
Learning and Teaching – A Focus on Writing
The objective of this PPT is to explore the ‘Learning and Teaching – A Focus on Writing’ guidelines to improve attainment in writing by fostering high quality learning experiences as described in the Writing Self-Evaluation Check-list.
This can be used flexibly, depending on your staffing arrangements and their experience.
This PPT will address the following Quality Indicators from HGIOS 4:
QI: 2.2 – Curriculum – Themes:
Rationale and design
Development of the curriculum
Skills for learning, life and work
QI: 2.3 – Learning, teaching and assessment – Themes:
Learning and engagement
Quality of teaching
Planning, tracking and monitoring
QI: 2.4 – Personalised support – Themes:
Universal support
Removal of potential barriers to learning

2. Learning and Teaching –
A Focus on Writing
Literacy
Toolkit
Agenda
Activity 1 – Introduction / Starter Activity (5 mins)
Activity 2 – How’s it going / feedback (10-20 mins)
Activity 3 – New Learning (50 – 90 mins)
Activity 4 – Personal Action Planning (10 mins)
Activity 5 – Summary of Learning (5 mins)
This agenda is fixed and is the same for every presentation in the toolkit.

3. Learning and Teaching –
A Focus on Writing
Literacy
Toolkit
Activity 1: Voice on the table
In a maximum of 30 seconds, share something you have read that has made you smile or laugh.
To start the session choose an activity which is non-judgemental and everyone can contribute.
“Think of something that happened in a lesson that made you smile. You have 30 seconds per teacher to tell the group what it is. No teacher can ‘pass”
The role of the teachers when it is not their turn is active listening
You may use a stopwatch
Choose respondents to share their opinion -everyone must be involved in this activity
Max 5 Minutes for this activity

4. Learning and Teaching –
A Focus on Writing
Literacy
Toolkit
Activity 2: How’s it going?
A community of writers: St Ninian's Primary School
This film describes how to foster creativity. Staff foster creativity through the setting up of a community of writers to write for real purposes within a primary school.
'A Community of Writers’
What features do you think are most effective in promoting high quality writing experiences?
The following video is from the Education Scotland website and can be accessed on
This film describes how to foster creativity. Staff foster creativity through the setting up of a community of writers to write for real purposes within a primary school.
The question ‘What features do you think are most effective in promoting high quality writing experiences?’ can then be posed by the facilitator, and discussed as the group.
The facilitator should encourage practitioners to reflect on the clip and their own practice.
The facilitator should encourage the group to think of the five most important factors that promote high quality writing experiences.
15 minutes

5. Learning and Teaching –
A Focus on Writing
Literacy
Toolkit
Activity 3: New Learning
Does your current writing practice . . .
promote the approaches embedded within the Highland Learning Policy regarding learning intentions, success criteria and feedback about how to improve - NOT grades and/or levels?
In pairs/ as a group, discuss:
Does your current writing practice . . .
promote the approaches embedded within the Highland Learning Policy regarding learning intentions, success criteria and feedback about how to improve - NOT grades and/or levels?
Use the HGIOS scale and find evidence. Use the ‘Writing Self-Evaluation Checklist’ to record evidence.
Facilitator to collect responses.
minutes

6. Learning and Teaching –
A Focus on Writing
Literacy
Toolkit
Activity 3: New Learning
Does your current writing practice . . .
promote extended writing for the purposes defined by the SSLN:
* to convey experiences or information
* to describe events (real or imagined)
* to explain processes
* to persuade
* to explore issues
* to express an opinion?
In pairs/ as a group, discuss:
Does your current writing practice . . .
promote extended writing for the purposes defined by the SSLN:
* to convey experiences or information
* to describe events (real or imagined)
* to explain processes
* to persuade
* to explore issues
* to express an opinion?
Use the HGIOS scale and find evidence. Use the ‘Writing Self-Evaluation Checklist’ to record evidence.
Facilitator to collect responses.
minutes

7. Learning and Teaching –
A Focus on Writing
Literacy
Toolkit
Activity 3: New Learning
Does your current writing practice . . .
provide learners with real purposes and audiences within contexts which are meaningful to the interests of the learner?
In pairs/ as a group, discuss:
Does your current writing practice . . .
provide learners with real purposes and audiences within contexts which are meaningful to the interests of the learner?
Use the HGIOS scale and find evidence. Use the ‘Writing Self-Evaluation Checklist’ to record evidence.
Facilitator to collect responses.
minutes

8. Learning and Teaching –
A Focus on Writing
Literacy
Toolkit
Activity 3: New Learning
Does your current writing practice . . .
provide practitioners with varied, differentiated and easily accessible resources and stimuli to support writing?
In pairs/ as a group, discuss:
Does your current writing practice . . .
provide practitioners with varied, differentiated and easily accessible resources and stimuli to support writing?
Use the HGIOS scale and find evidence. Use the ‘Writing Self-Evaluation Checklist’ to record evidence.
Facilitator to collect responses.
minutes

9. Learning and Teaching –
A Focus on Writing
Literacy
Toolkit
Activity 3: New Learning
Does your current writing practice . . .
adapt easily, ensuring relevance to each level/age/stage?
In pairs/ as a group, discuss:
Does your current writing practice . . .
adapt easily, ensuring relevance to each level/age/stage?
Use the HGIOS scale and find evidence. Use the ‘Writing Self-Evaluation Checklist’ to record evidence.
Facilitator to collect responses.
minutes

10. Learning and Teaching –
A Focus on Writing
Literacy
Toolkit
Activity 3: New Learning
Does your current writing practice . . .
allow learners to engage in dialogue about the extent of their success – self, peer, teacher, parent/carer assessment?
In pairs/ as a group, discuss:
Does your current writing practice . . .
allow learners to engage in dialogue about the extent of their success – self, peer, teacher, parent/carer assessment?
Use the HGIOS scale and find evidence. Use the ‘Writing Self-Evaluation Checklist’ to record evidence.
Facilitator to collect responses.
minutes

11. Learning and Teaching –
A Focus on Writing
Literacy
Toolkit
Activity 3: New Learning
Does your current writing practice . . .
provide opportunities for creativity, giving learners the freedom to explore?
In pairs/ as a group, discuss:
Does your current writing practice . . .
provide opportunities for creativity, giving learners the freedom to explore?
Use the HGIOS scale and find evidence. Use the ‘Writing Self-Evaluation Checklist’ to record evidence.
Facilitator to collect responses.
minutes

12. Learning and Teaching –
A Focus on Writing
Literacy
Toolkit
Activity 3: New Learning
Does your current writing practice . . .
include play based activities – initially developed within the Nursery context and extended throughout the 3-18 curriculum?
In pairs/ as a group, discuss:
Does your current writing practice . . .
include play based activities – initially developed within the Nursery context and extended throughout the 3-18 curriculum?
Use the HGIOS scale and find evidence. Use the ‘Writing Self-Evaluation Checklist’ to record evidence.
Facilitator to collect responses.
minutes

13. Learning and Teaching –
A Focus on Writing
Literacy
Toolkit
Activity 3: New Learning
Does your current writing practice . . .
provide opportunities for the teacher and others to model writing as a process – clarifying that editing is a vital element
In pairs/ as a group, discuss:
Does your current writing practice . . .
provide opportunities for the teacher and others to model writing as a process – clarifying that editing is a vital element
Use the HGIOS scale and find evidence. Use the ‘Writing Self-Evaluation Checklist’ to record evidence.
Facilitator to collect responses.
minutes

14. Learning and Teaching –
A Focus on Writing
Literacy
Toolkit
Activity 3: New Learning
Does your current writing practice . . .
take full account of ICT to provide models AND as a tool for producing writing?
In pairs/ as a group, discuss:
Does your current writing practice . . .
take full account of ICT to provide models AND as a tool for producing writing?
Use the HGIOS scale and find evidence. Use the ‘Writing Self-Evaluation Checklist’ to record evidence.
Facilitator to collect responses.
minutes

15. Learning and Teaching –
A Focus on Writing
Literacy
Toolkit
Activity 3: New Learning
Does your current writing practice . . .
approach writing through a ‘Read to Write’ model?
i.e. analysing a text and then writing one in the same genre
In pairs/ as a group, discuss:
Does your current writing practice . . .
approach writing through a ‘Read to Write’ model?
i.e. analysing a text and then writing one in the same genre
Use the HGIOS scale and find evidence. Use the ‘Writing Self-Evaluation Checklist’ to record evidence.
Facilitator to collect responses.
minutes

16. Learning and Teaching –
A Focus on Writing
Literacy
Toolkit
Activity 3: New Learning
Does your current writing practice . . .
address content, structure and technical accuracy: securing the development of structure and content before technical accuracy using punctuation?
In pairs/ as a group, discuss:
Does your current writing practice . . .
address content, structure and technical accuracy: securing the development of structure and content before technical accuracy using punctuation?
Use the HGIOS scale and find evidence. Use the ‘Writing Self-Evaluation Checklist’ to record evidence.
Facilitator to collect responses.
minutes

17. Learning and Teaching –
A Focus on Writing
Literacy
Toolkit
Activity 3: New Learning
Does your current writing practice . . .
value the writing process – aiming to engage and enthuse learners?
In pairs/ as a group, discuss:
Does your current writing practice . . .
value the writing process – aiming to engage and enthuse learners?
Use the HGIOS scale and find evidence. Use the ‘Writing Self-Evaluation Checklist’ to record evidence.
Facilitator to collect responses.
minutes

18. Learning and Teaching –
A Focus on Writing
Literacy
Toolkit
Activity 3: New Learning
Does your current writing practice . . .
provide opportunities to evaluate both strengths and development areas?
In pairs/ as a group, discuss:
Does your current writing practice . . .
provide opportunities to evaluate both strengths and development areas?
Use the HGIOS scale and find evidence. Use the ‘Writing Self-Evaluation Checklist’ to record evidence.
Facilitator to collect responses.
minutes

19. Learning and Teaching –
A Focus on Writing
Literacy
Toolkit
Activity 4: Personal Action Planning
Choose one or two elements that you are going to explore and evaluate over the coming weeks.
Bring back your findings to the next session
Using the Personal Action plan sheet each teacher chooses one or two elements s/he is going to explore and use during the next month. This may involve doing more of some things and less of others and teachers may need pushing on this.
Activity 4: Personal Action Planning
Have copies of My Personal Action Plan ready to distribute
At this point the facilitator should summarise the ‘New Learning’ which the group have discussed through using the ‘Writing Self-Evaluation Checklist’, highlighting the development needs as a collegiate team.
Pair-share: two minutes sharing your
plan with your partner then swap.
Randomly choose two or three
teachers to share with the group
what their partner is planning
5 – 10 minutes

20. Learning and Teaching –
A Focus on Writing
Literacy
Toolkit
Activity 5: Summary of Learning
Write your name on the card or post-it as well as something you will try differently in your teaching of writing over the coming weeks.
Leave your card or post-it on your way out.
EXIT CARDS
Distribute exit cards( pieces of card or post its) and ask each member to write their name on the card and one thing that they learned in the workshop on the card.
Collect in the exit cards.
Read through the cards so that you can feedback to the group at the start of the next workshop.

21. Learning and Teaching –
A Focus on Writing
Literacy
Toolkit
FOLLOW UP LINKS:
Literacy across learning - Principles and Practice
FOLLOW UP LINKS
The facilitator should refer participants to the follow up links which can be accessed independently for further information.
SSLN - Writing