Building strong writers: creating a balance between the authorial and secretarial elements of writing

Writing supports and extends learning across all disciplines, as well as promotes social, emotional and cognitive development. One of the challenges for teachers involves the interpretation of students’ ‘learning to write’ journeys in a way that provides them with the information they need for informed, focused and explicit instruction in writing, as well as for providing feedback to students and parents. This paper considers the importance of process and content when analysing student writing and creating a balance between the authorial and secretarial elements of writing.