As the new school year begins, many teachers are grappling with a familiar challenge: feeling underprepared to teach writing. Research consistently highlights this gap, with studies showing that writing instruction is one of the areas where teachers most want support – from first-year teachers to experienced educators.
It’s not just teachers who need more support in this area; students do too as evidenced by the ongoing decline in writing results:
‘A review of 10 million NAPLAN year 3–9 writing results and more than 350 persuasive writing samples by the government-funded Australian Education Research Organisation (AERO) has found students’ writing declined significantly in every key skill area but spelling over seven years to 2018,’ (Sydney Morning Herald).
Two big issues that are clearly linked. The answer seems obvious – give teachers the professional development and resources they need to teach great writing, and student results will improve.
But unfortunately for a few years now, teacher shortages, competing curriculum requirements and time and budget constraints have meant that teachers have struggled to find time and money for writing PD. So what can they do?
Realistically, they need PD to fit into their busy schedule and maximise the time spent in PD so they are learning new skills and setting up their lessons for the term to come.
One recent innovative solution – Teacher Hub’s writing courses from Seven Steps to Writing Success – has been designed to do just this.
Teacher Hub: Upskilling Made Easy
Designed to build teachers’ confidence and skills in teaching writing, Teacher Hub has been a valuable tool in schools since its launch in 2021.
Crucial to its success is the Seven Steps to Writing Success approach which has been transforming student writing in Australia for over 20 years. This proven, evidence-based writing program has helped schools achieve impressive results, with 40% of top-performing NAPLAN schools using Seven Steps as part of their literacy teaching.
“We’ve trained over 50,000 teachers in our live, award-winning workshops over the last 20 years. Delivering high quality training that is interactive and truly change-making has always been our passion,” Seven Steps CEO Kathleen Killick told The Educator.
“So when we saw the challenges that teachers were facing in getting to PD, we knew we had to bring our training to them.”
The new on-demand training on Teacher Hub makes learning and implementing the award-winning Seven Steps program quick and easy, with features such as:
- bite-sized training videos – delivered by experienced teachers
- fun, interactive activities
- curriculum-aligned resources
- straightforward implementation advice and assessment resources
- an in-built planning tool to create customised lessons.
Teachers can grab actionable insights in just 15 to 20 minutes, then roll out what they have learnt using the carefully curated resources.
Feedback from teachers has been incredibly positive. Teacher Angie Fraser said: “Wow! I just feel so confident. Honestly, I would have been vague and waffly without all the tools the writing courses have given me. I truly think the Seven Steps is BRILLIANT! I’ve loved learning from the videos on Teacher Hub – very engaging and inspiring. Money and time well spent.”
And head of curriculum Leigh Tankey shared: “The resources save our teachers so much time and are exactly what we need. Thanks for making teaching writing so much easier and fun. Yes, fun!”
Recognition on a global stage
Seven Steps’ commitment to innovation and excellence in education was recognised in December at the 2024 Digital Education Awards, where Teacher Hub’s Narrative Writing Course won the prestigious New Digital Course of the Year award. The accolade highlights the course’s impact on professional development and how it aligns with the evolving needs of educators worldwide. Judges said:
“[The course’s] emphasis on nurturing students’ creativity and empowering teachers to cultivate those skills is a standout feature, addressing the challenges of teaching a complex skill like narrative writing.”
Sarah Bakker, who heads up Teacher Hub at Seven Steps, expressed her gratitude and excitement about the recognition:
“Winning this award is an honour and it reinforces what we hear from teachers – that the course has given them the confidence and the resources to teach writing more effectively,” Bakker said. “That is one of our core goals as a company.”
To celebrate the award, Seven Steps is offering exclusive discounts on access to this award-winning course and everything Teacher Hub has to offer – available until February 14.