Joint Construction

Joint construction is a fundamental part of the process of students learning to write. This process sees teacher and students together negotiating the composing of a text similar to the modelled text, drawing on prior learning, class notes, and brainstormed ideas. Language for negotiation is critical during joint construction, including as teachers paraphrase or recast student contributions as required. The focus should be on the process of writing and conscious choices of language. Throughout, teachers should prompt and guide talk about language features and their purposes, using relevant metalanguage. Joint construction can involve different levels of support from the teacher: for example, class and teacher compose together, teacher scribes; class and teacher compose together; ‘Shared Pen’, when students take turns in scribing for the group.