ABSTRACT
Boys' writing projects focused on writing as a communicative tool, emphasising compositional skills over transcriptional skills. Practitioners recognised that writing is an expressive art and having a functional purpose; that writing is a cognitive tool that supports abstract thinking and it is a social tool that helps children relate to each other. The projects focused on boys and this allowed practitioners to provide spaces and resources where boys could follow their interests and take the initiative in their learning. Practitioners created learning environments that were more suited to active learning, appropriate to young children's developmental needs, and so all children benefited. During the boys' writing projects, practitioners countered the negative stereotyping of young boys by responding positively to their fascinations, their styles of behaviour and their play. They looked for ways to create an environment that conveyed 'egalitarian messages', where boys and girls felt equally comfortable and valued, and all children were able to develop their confidence as learners.
