Teaching students to write persuasively in PDHPE

Equipping students with persuasive writing skills is more than just an academic exercise, it's a crucial part of empowering them to advocate effectively for important health and physical education issues. Whether it's arguing for better sports facilities or promoting wellness programs, the ability to persuade is invaluable. Here, I hope to help you teach your students to write persuasively in your PHDPE classrooms.

The Basics of Persuasive Writing

Persuasive writing is a foundational skill that enables individuals to influence others effectively through well-structured arguments. The key components of a persuasive piece include a clear thesis statement, supporting arguments, the use of evidence often linking to real world examples, and a compelling conclusion. In the context of PDHPE, these skills can be applied to a variety of important issues—from advocating for mental health initiatives to persuading peers to adopt healthier lifestyles. One thing is for certain, students need to be able to write persuasively in various contexts, not just in response to exam questions and in essays.

Real World Situations and Audiences

One of the best ways to teach persuasive writing is to anchor it in real-world situations that resonate with students. Constantly asking students to complete practice exam questions can help improve their writing, but few will be motivated to do this as they will struggle to see how it impacts their life beyond school. Below are four scenarios that can provide meaningful contexts for persuasive writing tasks:

Situation 1: School Board Presentations

Audience: School administrators and board members
Scenario: Students might be tasked with persuading the school board to allocate funds for a new sports program, engaging outdoor areas, or better assessment schedules to help student mental health. They would need to research the benefits of their proposal, articulate how it aligns with the school’s educational goals, and prepare a presentation that addresses potential concerns of the board members. They could then actually provide the documents or present it themselves to the board at a meeting.

Situation 2: Community Health Awareness Campaigns

Audience: Local community members or parents
Scenario: Imagine students writing persuasive articles or brochures to convince community members to participate in a local health awareness event, such as the upcoming push-up challenge to raise awareness around mental health. They could discuss the impact of the event on community health, using data and testimonials to strengthen their case. Throughout the brochure they would be using evidence to persuade those who read it to change their behaviours and engage in the event.

Situation 3: Policy Advocacy

Audience: Local government or health organizations
Scenario: Students could engage in a project where they advocate for changes in local health policies, such as improving access to health services or updating green spaces. This could involve writing letters or creating proposals that highlight research findings and potential benefits of the policy change.

Situation 4: Social Media Campaign

Audience: Young people around the world

Scenario: Students can be tasked with analysing current social media advertisements relating to health and wellbeing so that they can then create their own 30- to 90-second video to be posted on social media as short-form video. This video could criticise or complement current videos or trends as well as provide actual evidence-based information to try and persuade the viewers to make a specific change to impave their health and wellbeing. The topics could be endless, but how it is done involves good writing and creativity to make sure it is watched, but also creates a change. 

Teaching Strategies for Persuasive Writing

To effectively teach persuasive writing, consider incorporating the following strategies:

Strategy 1: Role Play and Debates

Engaging students in role-play and debates can really improve their persuasive skills. By arguing their points in a live setting, students learn to think on their feet, respond to counterarguments, and refine their delivery techniques. This dynamic approach improves their oral persuasion skills but also deepens their understanding of the issues at hand. In addition, students could be asked to summarise the debate in writing afterwards to present an argument for who won the debate.

Strategy 2: Collaborative Writing

Collaborative writing has been used a lot in Stage 6 as a way to scaffold the writing and have peers develop and help each other with this skill. Working in groups to create persuasive letters or proposals allows students to pool their knowledge and skills, fostering a collaborative environment. This approach also helps students learn from each other's strengths and perspectives, producing a more rounded and effective piece of writing. This can even be done in a rotation format where students contribute a sentence to the paragraph and then move on to another collaborative writing piece to add another sentence.

Strategy 3: Case Studies and Examples

Utilizing case studies of successful health campaigns or community initiatives can provide students with exemplars of effective persuasion. Analyzing these cases helps students identify key elements that made these campaigns successful and how those elements can be adapted to their own writing. This can be seen in the social media context example above.

Strategy 4: Guest Speakers

Inviting health professionals, local activists, or policy-makers to discuss their experiences with persuasive advocacy can provide students with valuable real-world insights. Guest speakers can offer practical advice, be used as mentors in PBL, provide students with feedback or simply be interviewed to provide inspirational stories that resonate with students and illustrate the power of effective writing.

Resources and Tools for Enhancing Persuasive Writing

A variety of resources can enhance your teaching of persuasive writing. Consider incorporating online articles, books, and educational videos that provide examples of persuasive writing in action. Additionally, tools such as graphic organizers, online forums, and document sharing platforms can facilitate the writing process and encourage peer feedback.

To help you enhance persuasive writing skills in your classroom, here are five effective resources and tools that can be integrated into your teaching methods:

ReadWriteThink Persuasion Map

This interactive tool helps students map out their arguments for a persuasive essay, making it easier for them to organize their thoughts and structure their writing effectively. It's particularly useful for visual learners as it provides a clear diagram of their arguments​ (Read Write Think)​.

Seven Steps to Writing Success

This website offers a variety of lesson plans and activities designed to break down the persuasive writing process into manageable steps. It includes resources like templates and planning tools that align with the Australian Curriculum and NAPLAN marking criteria​ (Seven Steps Writing)​.

Reading Rockets - Persuasive Writing Strategies

Reading Rockets provides a comprehensive guide to teaching persuasive writing, including strategies like listening to examples of persuasive writing, brainstorming topics of interest, and crafting arguments with a clear introduction and conclusion. This resource is great for creating an engaging learning experience that encourages critical thinking​ (Reading Rockets)​.

Literacy Ideas - Persuasive Writing Lesson Plans

Literacy Ideas offers detailed lesson plans on analysing advertisements and planning persuasive texts. These plans guide students through identifying persuasive techniques in advertisements and using these insights to develop their own persuasive writings, helping them understand real-world applications of persuasive techniques​ (Literacy Ideas)​.

TES - Persuasive Techniques and Tools for Writing

This resource from TES provides visual aids and displays that explain various persuasive techniques like the use of emotional appeals, credible evidence, and strong calls to action. It's ideal for older students who are refining their persuasive writing skills and can benefit from understanding these advanced techniques​ (TES)​.

Integrating persuasive writing into the PDHPE curriculum not only enhances students' communication skills but also empowers them to be advocates for health and wellness. By adapting the strategies discussed here, you can provide students with the tools they need to succeed and make a difference.