“Writing has been identified as one of the most essential skills because the world has become so text-oriented. Due to this, teachers are in great demand … to improve writing skills in students.”¹

Many students find it hard to express their views clearly and this can discourage them from writing. There are evidences that independent writing “improves academic performance and increases confidence and motivation in students.”²

Here are a few ways to help students build independent writing skills:

Initiation:

• In the beginning, write the first half of an answer on the board and let students write the other half on their own.
• Write a sentence starter on the board and ask students to complete it because often students may not know how to start a sentence while writing.
• Initially, students may write words the way that they hear them. For example, they may write ‘leter’ instead of ‘letter’ or ‘hart’ instead of ‘heart’. That is fine because it shows that the student is aware of phonics.

In-class practice:

• Give them a weekly topic and ask them to write whatever comes to their mind. They can start by writing 1 or 2 words that they associate with it and later advance to sentences.
• Tell a story and stop in the middle. Ask students to write the other half of the story using their imagination.
• Allow students to discuss their ideas with their peers before they write independently.
• Ask them to describe a picture in writing. You could guide them with a few questions like, “What is the girl doing in the picture?” “Why do you think the boy is happy?” “What story can you write on this picture?”

Application in everyday life:

• Encourage students to take notes if they go on a holiday or even to the market and describe what they saw. Ask them to share what they wrote.
• Get them into the habit to write birthday greetings or thank you notes on their own instead of saying it verbally.
• Encourage them to write a page of a diary or a journal every day on the things that happen in school, how they spent the day and about people they meet. They could read some of it in class and share with others.

Most importantly, avoid writing for the students even if they are finding it difficult – instead, ask them what they are struggling with. In most cases, students worry about framing sentences correctly or writing the correct spelling. Encourage them to write by highlighting that they should focus on “what” they write and not “how” they write. This will encourage them to go ahead.

Try using these techniques in class to see their writing skills improve a great deal!