Why Does the Never-Fail Method Work?

It works because the positive feedback creates an atmosphere where learners can pay attention to what is being taught. The positive atmosphere supports them, so they are not short-circuited by a mix of emotions and memories that come from years of failure, and which interfere with their ability to learn in the moment.

It works because learners see examples of how to write well in their own writing and in the writing of other learners: They hear specific feedback about what was done well and why it was effective.

It works because feedback takes place in real time, person-to-person. We are dealing with people who have difficulty reading and interpreting the written word. Surely written feedback is the worst possible way to help them.

It works because the practitioner gives feedback in front of a group of other learners. The effectiveness of the feedback is multiplied by the number of learners who hear it. Its value is further augmented by the supportive comments learners make on each others’ work.

It works because it can be used with a range of levels of writing abilities in one group.

It works because practitioners can implement it as slowly or quickly as they like, and new learners are easily incorporated.

It works because it considers that writing is a generative process. It is more than grammar and punctuation. Writers are making art of their lives, and adult learners bring the artfulness and richness of their lives to their writing, no matter how weak their grasp of mechanics. The method looks for that richness and highlights the artfulness.

It works because it comes in a simple framework. There are few steps, so learners get used to the routine easily. It uses a cyclical structure, so learners don’t have to be proficient at the first steps to take in the next ones.

Yet underneath that simplicity, the Never-Fail Method is a complex, nuanced, artful practice that smoothly moves learners towards a goal of being thoughtful, capable writers who know what makes a piece of writing good, and who can implement those techniques in their own work.

Seems unbelievable, right? Possibly, in your shoes, confronted all at once by the whole thing, I wouldn’t have believed it either. I would have dismissed it as too good to be true. Fortunately, however, I developed this method slowly, inch by inch, until it emerged in its final form, so I got a chance to see parts of it working as I moved further and further away from the “givens” of teaching writing.

You can take a gradual approach too: Start by giving specific feedback about the good things you see in learners’ writing and ignoring the mistakes.