HIGHLIGHTING CHILDREN'S AWARENESS OF THEIR TEXTS THROUGH TALK

This research shows that focusing on peer and teacher talk about Year 5 and 6 students’ scripts creates significant increases in the quality of the students’ written language. Students’ initial comments about their writing were largely general, affective, and unfocused. After professional development teacher support, a follow-up survey indicated a 2-fold increase in talk and talk content that included precise and constructive comment. The students reported greater satisfaction in writing and recognised that their writing had improved.