Teaching writing by formula: empowerment or exclusion?

The teaching of writing in secondary English subjects in Australia, as in other countries including England and the United States, has become increasingly formulaic. Pedagogies including direct instruction, modelling, scaffolding and genre-based approaches involve the implementation of formulas for writing sentences, paragraphs and entire essays; this has taken place in the neoliberal context of tightly proscribed, high stakes testing regimes that often demand the reproduction of these formulas. This article considers affordances and constraints for inclusion of this process. It then presents findings of a small-scale qualitative study into the teaching of writing in Victoria that asked teachers about pedagogies for the teaching of writing, and how students were faring as a result. In conclusion, the article offers recommendations for inclusive practice in the teaching of writing.