Scaffolding English Language Learners' Imaginative Writing

Join us for the ATESOL NSW PL — Term 1 Series, a series of online professional learning sessions for English language teachers in NSW.

Session Overview

This session examines a successful experimental teaching strategy, ‘Storystyles,’ which improved EAL/D learners’ ability to write engaging imaginative narrative texts using stylistic language and literary techniques of narration, perspective, descriptive setting and mood, and dialogue and voice. The scaffolded task design of the teaching experiment is examined, the quality of student responses evaluated, and their language acquisition analysed, with a view to teachers designing and implementing the strategy in their own classrooms.

A Talk Presented By

Michael Michell:
He worked as an ESL teacher and senior education officer in the NSW Department of Education. He was part of the national writing team for the ESL Scales and the UTS research team investigating scaffolding in EAL/D classrooms. He worked as a language and literacy lecturer at UNSW (2008 – 2016) and is now an honorary lecturer at the School. Michael was President of ACTA (2015-2020) and is currently President of ATESOL NSW.

PL Key Details

Scheduled for:
Term 1, Week 10. Wednesday, 1 April 2026. 4:00-5:30 pm (AEST)

Intended Audience:

Secondary, Upper Primary