Some students can speak confidently during classroom discussions, yet when asked to put their thoughts on paper, they become hesitant. Their sentences are often short, poorly organised and filled with grammatical, spelling and punctuation errors.
I have therefore come to believe that many learners who struggle with writing are not necessarily lacking ideas. They need patient guidance to organise their thoughts and gradually transform those thoughts into clear sentences and meaningful paragraphs.
This issue has also become an important part of my mentorship of a final-year English student at the University of Education, Winneba. She is undertaking her teaching internship at Kumasi Girls’ Senior High School and understudying me as her mentor. During her internship, I engaged her in a reflective exercise on how teachers can help learners who struggle with writing. Her responses, drawn from her university training, classroom observations and developing teaching experience, offered useful insights into the challenges facing developing writers and practical ways of supporting them.
Her reflections have enriched my own thinking about writing instruction. They have also provided an opportunity to bring together the perspective of an experienced classroom teacher and that of a teacher-in-training who is observing, questioning and learning from classroom practice. Some of the practical strategies discussed in this article emerged from her responses and our subsequent professional discussions.
One of the issues she identified was mother-tongue interference, particularly when learners think in their local language and translate directly into English. This can affect the structure of the sentence and may even distort meaning. Michealla also observed that limited vocabulary makes it very hard for some students to express their views confidently.
A learner may understand a topic perfectly well but lack the vocabulary to communicate that understanding effectively. Instead of dismissing such a learner as weak, we should ask ourselves: How can I help this learner develop the language needed to express what he or she already knows?
Another important observation from Michealla was that some learners are afraid of making grammatical mistakes. This fear causes them to write very short sentences or avoid writing altogether. This reminds us that confidence is an essential part of writing development.
From an Idea to a Paragraph
One practical strategy I have found useful is helping learners develop a simple idea step by step.
For instance, a student may write: “Farming is good.” Rather than immediately marking the sentence as inadequate, the teacher can ask: Why is farming good? The learner may respond, “Because it gives us food.” The teacher can then ask for an example: “My father grows maize, so we do not buy food at home.” The teacher could then ask the learner to explain why farming is important. Gradually, the learner has moved from one simple statement to several connected ideas.
Michealla described this as a step-by-step expansion method: beginning with an idea, adding a reason, providing an example or explanation, and finally showing its importance. This is a simple but powerful technique because it teaches learners that a paragraph does not appear magically; it is built from connected ideas.
We Must Make Writing Practical
If we want learners to become better writers, writing instruction must go beyond asking them to “write an essay”.
Activities such as sentence expansion, arranging jumbled sentences, picture composition, group writing and short daily writing exercises can give struggling learners regular opportunities to practise.
For example, a teacher can write, “The boy ate,” on the board and ask learners to expand it by answering questions such as: What did he eat? Where did he eat? When did he eat? How did he eat?
Picture composition can also help learners who struggle to generate ideas. A picture of a market, classroom, football match or community activity can provide a starting point for discussion before students begin writing.
Group writing is another useful strategy. When learners work together, those who struggle can observe how their peers generate and organise ideas. It can also reduce the fear of making mistakes.
Correct Without Destroying Confidence
Teachers must also consider how they respond to errors.
Michealla suggested that instead of marking every error in red, teachers could identify three to five major errors at a time and allow learners to correct them. For example, a teacher may focus on tense this week, spelling the following week and punctuation afterwards.
An error notebook can also help students record their common mistakes and corrections.
Most importantly, our language as teachers matters. I particularly appreciate the suggestion that instead of repeatedly describing learners as “weak students”, we should refer to them as “developing writers”. The latter expression communicates possibility. It tells the learner that writing ability can improve.
A student who says, “I cannot write,” should not immediately be confronted with another long essay. Let us start with one sentence, then two sentences, then five sentences, and eventually a paragraph. With consistent practice, the learner can progress to longer pieces of writing.
Reading and Writing Must Work Together
Michealla also explained the strong relationship between reading and writing and urged students to become avid readers in order to write effectively. She lamented the declining reading culture among learners today. According to her, teachers can address this by encouraging learners to read more storybooks and other academic materials. Reading and writing should therefore be treated as complementary skills. Regular reading exposes learners to new vocabulary and helps them write better.
Portfolio assessment can also help learners see their own progress. If students keep their weekly writing, corrections and improved versions, they can compare their earlier work with what they produce later. This allows them to see that improvement is possible.
Ultimately, our responsibility as English teachers goes beyond preparing learners for examinations. We must help learners discover that they have something to say and give them the tools to say it effectively.
A weak paragraph today does not have to define a learner’s future as a writer.
Every confident writer begins somewhere. Sometimes, the journey begins with one simple idea, one encouraging teacher and one opportunity to try again.
Our task is to help learners move from ideas to sentences, from sentences to paragraphs, and from paragraphs to confident voices.
By Mr. Isaac Nyarko Antwi (English Tutor, GES; Mentor) and Ms. Michealla Koduah (Final-Year Student, UEW; Mentee)
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