A survey by Vanderbilt University found that 50 percent of teachers “are not prepared to teach students how to write well and rarely assign complex writing tasks.” The research by Vanderbilt professor Steve Graham was published this spring in the Journal of Educational Psychology.

According to the article at Vanderbilt’s News Network:

The lack of writing and writing instruction was more pronounced in social studies and science, but even language arts teachers provided little writing instruction for their students,” Graham said. “Another disturbing finding was the sizable number of teachers who made few or no adaptations in their teaching efforts to assist weaker writers.

According to the results, teachers rarely ask high school students to complete assignments that involve writing more than a single paragraph, and most common writing assignments involve little to no analysis or interpretation. Some teachers reported using a variety of effective writing practices, but indicated that the use was infrequent, removing their effectiveness.

Writing is an important tool for educational, occupational and social success,” Graham said. “Writing instruction needs to be reformed to improve high school student work as well as strengthening the ability for success in college and beyond.

This is an alarming study because the ability to write effectively is an important skill in the workplace and you could argue it is becoming more important as professionals are more likely to write for a work related blog whether they are in business, journalism, or other fields. The growth of the cell phone and social media culture can develop bad habits such as poor grammar and punctuation that should be addressed in the classroom. Teens with cellphones avg 2,272 text messages a month, compared with 203 calls according to a Nielsen study.

One simple way that could help students to become more effective writers is to encourage student blogs. Blogs require students to write long form compositions that require analysis and critical thinking. Since it is publicly viewable, students will want to proofread for correct spelling, punctuation and grammar. It is also a fun way to express yourself and can even encourage a passion for writing.