Chapter 3: An Interview With Steve Graham: A Pioneer of the Understanding of How Writing Develops, Is Taught Effectively, and Can Be Used to Support Reading and Learning

Steve Graham’s distinguished contributions to school-aged students’ writing and reading, or his understanding of the at-risk or high needs student population are not the only accolades that make him a Regents professor and the Warner professor in the Division of Leadership and Innovation at Teachers College at Arizona State University, a pioneer in education. It is not his significant contributions and meta-analyses about literacy and writing. Neither is it his lifetime contributions to enhancing learning and teaching in special education or contributions to learning and effective instruction. Instead, what makes his distinguished scientific career enriching is his development and applications of the theory of writing development across a broad gamut of contexts, situations, and diverse populations. Above all these endeavors are the high value he places on learning, his caring disposition to all students with special educational needs, and how his work empowers learners through self-regulated learning of writing skills. Graham has proved that all learners can learn with effective feedback and valuable instruction. He has helped young writers master writing with strategy instruction and self-regulation in the writing process. However, there was a time when Graham was a child and an adolescent without clear paths and a disinterest in learning.