Teaching grammatical revision strategies with the “Writer's Profile” device: description of teaching practices deemed effective by secondary school teachers in Quebec

Abstract

For Quebec students, learning grammar revision strategies is key to academic success in writing. The “Profil de scripteur” (Writer’s Profile) tool combines four synergistic features that allow teachers to differentiate their instruction of these strategies to meet their students’ needs. This article describes the implementation practices reported by secondary school teachers (students age: 12-16). Results, collected via questionnaire and group interview, show that most of the teachers use three of the four tools. Teachers report that the “Profil de scripteur” helps them to better plan and teach revision strategies. However, they offer students a one-size-fits-all approach to self-correction rather than tailoring it to the needs observed with the “Profil de scripteur” tools. Six winning practices have been identified to help implement this system and shed light on classroom practices.