- Australia
- New Zealand
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- Australia
- New Zealand
- United Kingdom
- Australia
- New Zealand
- United Kingdom
Helping Students Own Their Success
Find out how Writer’s Toolbox boosted student writing performance at Whakatāne High School.
English and CoL Written Language Support teacher Joss Matthews recognised her students needed more support to succeed in NCEA Level 1. Looking for a solution, she went along to a Writer’s Toolbox teacher conference and was impressed by what she saw. After experiencing the effects of Writer’s Toolbox first-hand— writing strategies quickly understood by students—Matthews brought the programme into Whakatāne High School. “Our students weren’t getting the depth of writing they needed, and we knew we had to move away from PEEL. I’ve supported using more concise and purposeful writing since attending one of Dr Ian Hunter’s presentations back in 2012. It was a revelation; it just blew me away.”
Implementing Writer’s Toolbox
Whakatāne High School identified their students who had previously used Writer’s Toolbox at primary and intermediate school. Matthews used these students as early adopters and ambassadors, supporting their classmates. Their enthusiasm was infectious.
“You’ll be celebrating student writing success almost immediately.”
Student impact
Matthews is quick to acknowledge the significant change in student results, with an 80 per cent achievement rate in NCEA portfolio writing. Among the students themselves, there’s also been a noticeable shift in writing confidence and enthusiasm.
With easy-to-follow structure and built-in immediate feedback, Writer’s Toolbox has helped students focus their ideas and communicate in a concise and purposeful way. Matthews praises the usability of Writer’s Toolbox; “Interactive, colourful, and engaging: it’s the gamification of writing. Our students intuitively know how to navigate around the tool. We’ve had a great shift with our boys because of that.”
“In 2022, we had 80 per cent achievement in our NCEA portfolio writing.”
Teacher impact
Along with the students, Matthews found teachers believe in the Writer’s Toolbox system and its philosophy of learning. “If you don’t have that buy-in from your teachers, your students are not going to engage in the tool. But teacher confidence grows every day. In the staffroom, teachers are saying, ‘I’ve been on Writer’s Toolbox—did you see my feedback?’”
With students using Writer’s Toolbox across all subjects, there is a consistency in language for the teachers. “Our PE students struggle with the technical language; Writer’s Toolbox supports that. For history, they can choose an essay; for English, a piece of creative writing; for science or music, a report. There’s no waiting period for feedback, and that immediacy prompts students to revise and improve their writing.”
Authentic choice
With Writer’s Toolbox’s intuitive, constructive, and supportive feedback, Whakatāne High School’s student writing has become more authentic. The skills students have learnt allows them to focus on the content, but keep their writing structured and highly engaging. “Whether students are working on a formative assessment or doing free writing, Writer’s Toolbox empowers them. Instead of expecting feedback from a teacher, they control their own learning and push themselves. They have true choice.”
“It’s an amazing tool that has changed the lives of students; it’s empowered students to make decisions about their learning that has given them success. And they have earned it—it hasn’t been fed to them from a teacher— they own that success.”
