Contexts for writing,writing in context

The role of context variables is emphasized in recent research on writing, from which a great variety of meanings of the word ‘context’ emerges. The aim of this paper is to investigate some aspects of the identification of context variables in writing research by focusing on three main functions of context:

1. context as a condition for communication, i.e. the ground the writer creates in order to communicate with the reader
2. context as task environment, i.e. the situational variables (task objectives, motivational aspects, media, etc.) which can influence the writing process and/or product
3. context as an interactive framework, i.e. context as constituted by what people are doing, as well as by when and where they are doing it.

     

对秘书写作程序的几点认识

秘书写作是受命之作，需要遵循严格的逻辑程序依次而行。从当代秘书撰文的实际出发，可以将秘书写作的程序归纳为六个步骤，每个步骤又都有其具体内容和写作要求。 秘书写作所具有的受命而作的本质特征，决定了秘书人员的拟文过程是一种逻辑化的活动，必须遵循严格的程序进行。本文从秘书写作具体实践的抽象入手，将秘书写作的一般程序概括为验证意图──确定基调──汇集素材──整理材料──选定题材──组合文稿六个步骤。     

Validating the British Index for Inclusion for the Australian context: stage one

This paper presents a summary of outcomes from the first stage of a 3‐year project funded through the Australian Research Council Strategic Partnership Industry Research Training (ARC‐SPIRT) scheme and the Catholic Education Office in Victoria. This longitudinal study, in Catholic primary and secondary schools, will investigate the effectiveness and sustainability of a whole‐school approach to improving inclusive practice, strengthening transition networks outside the school and improving learning for students with disabilities. The first stage of the project evaluates the recently developed Index for Inclusion (2000). The Index clearly provides a valuable starting point, but as it was developed in the UK, there is a need to establish its validity for use in the Australian context. There is a need, therefore, to ensure its content fits with local ‘cultures’ including Commonwealth legislation and State and school‐level policy legislation. The paper reports on a six‐phase process of validation and modification including both quantitative and qualitative analyses and the resulting trial versions of four questionnaires.     

The witch woman: A recurring motif in recent fantasy writing for young readers

Conclusion In these books and others (see Related Reading), we find a richly varied portrayal of the wise/witch woman. Sometimes these women work alone, as inThe Earth Witch. Sometimes they work with a single apprentice, as in The Ghost Drum. At other times they live in community, as inSnow-Eyes. Sometimes their work is primarily beneficent, as inSnow-Eyes. Sometimes it is primarily evil, as inThe Earth Witch. And at other times it is a mixture, depending on what evokes the magic, as inThe Ghost Drum. Often these women possess simple herb lore; all three books feature main characters with this ability. Sometimes the abilities are more complex. They may be complex physical abilities. For example, Chingis inThe Ghost Drum can reinhabit and bring to a semblance of life a dead body. Sometimes the complex abilities are mental. Bronwen inThe Earth Witch is able to make Owen forget his friends and family, desiring only to be with her. An interesting feature of these powerful women is that their abilities are always limited in some way. InThe Ghost Drum, Chingis cannot write the spells of the drum. Bronwen inThe Earth Witch cannot prevent herself from growing old. And inSnow-Eyes, the servitors cannot call the rains unless they act together. In these fantasies and others published recently, we find an impressive array of abilities, making the witch/wise woman one of the most interesting characters in this genre. and a past president of the Wisconsin, and the National Council of Teachers of English. His most recent book isLooking at Picture Books (Highsmith Press), and his children's picture book,Princess Florecita and the Iron Shoes is forthcoming from Apple Soup Books.     

Examining how teachers judge student writing: an Australian case study

This paper reports a 3‐year (1999–2001) Australian study of teacher judgement of student writing. It analyses teachers' talk to discover how they arrive at such judgements. It focuses on the processes teachers use as they read and appraise student writing, as distinct from judgements recorded as numerical or letter grades. It identifies and discusses a set of data‐based indexes the teachers rely on to constitute their judgement. In so doing, the ‘global’ standard‐setting of external assessment (judging the quality of student work against stated standards), and the ‘local’ of teacher judgement (based on the richness of what teachers bring to the task) are reconsidered. This study notes how teacher judgement of student coursework may be intertwined with and shaped both by officially authorized curriculum materials, syllabus documents, and assessment practices, and by other essentially private, local ways of knowing.     

The discourse of collaborative creative writing: Peer collaboration as a context for mutual inspiration

Drawing on socio-cultural theory, this paper focuses on children's classroom-based collaborative creative writing. The central aim of the reported research was to contribute to our understanding of young children's creativity, and describe ways in which peer collaboration can resource, stimulate and enhance classroom-based creative writing activities. The study drew on longitudinal observations of ongoing activities in Year 3 and Year 4 classrooms (children aged 7-9) in England. Selected pairs’ collaborative creative writing activities were observed and recorded using video and audio equipment in the literacy classroom and in the ICT suite (13 pairs, about 2-4 occasions each).The research built on the contextualised, qualitative analysis of the social and cognitive processes connected to shared creative text composition. Using an analytic tool developed specifically for creative writing tasks, we linked collaborative and discursive features to cognitive processes associated with writing (‘engagement’ and ‘reflection’). The research has identified discourse patterns and collaborative strategies which facilitate ‘sharedness’ and thus support joint creative writing activities.The paper discusses two significant aspects of the observed paired creative writing discourse. It reports the significance of emotions throughout the shared creative writing episodes, including joint reviewing. Also, it shows children's reliance on collaborative floor (Coates, 1996), with discourse building on interruptions and overlaps. We argue that such use of collaborative floor was indicative of joint focus and intense sharing, thus facilitating mutual inspiration in the content generation phases of the children's writing activities. These findings have implications for both educational research and practice, contributing to our understanding of how peer interaction can be used to resource school-based creative activities.     

Poetry writing as expressive pedagogy in an EFL context: Identifying possible assessment tools for haiku poetry in EFL freshman college writing

Japanese poetry, haiku, has been widely accepted in western countries. While previous studies have reported on the applicability of haiku poetry to teaching practices in a variety of contexts, few researchers have discussed assessment which is one of the most important factors in language teaching.The aim of this study is to produce assessment tools for haiku poetry writing as expressive pedagogy at the tertiary level in an EFL Japanese context. The study first discusses the concept of haiku poetry writing as expressive pedagogy, and then describes what factors need to be assessed in haiku writing in terms of peer assessment and teacher assessment. It lastly demonstrates a rubric which consists of analytic rating scales. This study also provides a model for designing a rubric for assessing haiku poetry in English language teaching.     

Towards an eclectic framework for teaching EFL writing in a Chinese context

The challenges of writing itself and lack of appropriate teaching methodology demotivate EFL （English as a Foreign Language） learners in some Chinese universities to write more, especially as the only incentive for students to write is the compulsory tests. The main objectives of this article are： （1） to discuss the background of the EFL learners in Chinese tertiary education and then to elaborate on their needs and problems for EFL writing; （2） to review the existing approaches to teaching writing; and （3） to propose and justify an integrated model on the basis of these approaches for teaching EFL writing in the Chinese context.     

The montessori method: Some recent research

This paper on recent research with the Montessori method includes a brief review of this method for educating preschool-age children and criticisms leveled against it, and a review of comparative research studies in relation to several types of non-Montessori preschool programs with economically disadvantaged and middle-class populations. The comparative results are discussed in relation to three kinds of preschool experience: no schooling, traditional early childhoodoriented programs, and structured cognitive-oriented programs. The findings are interpreted in terms of Hunt's conceptual leel matching model.

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Résumé Cet article à propos des recherches récentes sur la méthode de Montessori comprend une brève revue de ce système pédagogique appliqué aux enfants préscolaires et des critiques de ce système, et des études comparées avec les nombreuses sortes de programmes préscolaires non-Montessori qui traitent des populations économiquement désavantagées et des populations de classe moyenne. Les résultats comparatifs sont discutés par rapport à trois sortes d'expériences préscolaires: par d'école, les programmes traditionnels préscolaires, et les programmes structurés orientés vers la cognition. Les conclusions sont interprétées en employant le modèle conceptuel de Hunt.

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OISE     

Australian Teacher Education: Some background observations

This paper discusses the neglect of the study of pedagogy in teacher education. Transmission modes of imparting theory are criticized as is the undue elevation of atheoretical practical teaching in the preparation of teachers. The study of pedagogy as a central focus for teacher education is proposed with an emphasis on the practical application of theoretical notions in general teaching skills. The effective application of these skills to practice is suggested as the crucial element in the study of pedagogy. Attention is drawn to the need for pedagogical theory for various academic subjects, and for the need for systematic training of supervisors of practical teaching. Examples of the approach discussed are referred to.     

Handwriting automaticity and writing instruction in Australian kindergarten: an exploratory study

Accumulating evidence indicates handwriting automaticity is related to the development of effective writing skills. The present study examined the levels of handwriting automaticity of Australian children at the end of kindergarten and the amount and type of writing instruction they experienced before entering first grade. The current study involved 177 kindergarten children enrolled in 23 classrooms from seven government-funded primary schools in Western Australia. Individual child level data (e.g., handwriting automaticity and word-reading skills) were collected and teachers were asked to complete a survey assessing the amount of time and types of writing activities developed in their classrooms (e.g., teaching basic skills and teaching writing processes). Hierarchical linear models were conducted to examine total variance attributable to child and classroom levels. Results showed a total variance of approximately 20% in children’s handwriting automaticity attributable to differences among classrooms when gender and word-reading skills were controlled for. Large variability was noted in the amount and type of writing instruction reported by a subset of participating teachers. Handwriting automaticity was associated with the teaching of revising strategies but not with the teaching of handwriting. Implications for writing development and writing instruction are discussed.     

Constructing inclusive education in a neo‐liberal context: Promoting inclusion of Arab‐Australian students in an Australian context

School systems are a major social change agent capable of challenging social inequalities and economic disadvantages. Yet, while schools in Australia are being confronted with increasingly culturally diverse populations as well as an increasing focus on student retention, this transformative role is increasingly being played out in a broader educational context that has been found to replicate rather than challenge patterns of social inequality. Successive governments in Australia have responded to this context with a raft of policy initiatives. This paper, based on three‐year longitudinal research undertaken in the city of Melbourne, outlines this policy context and introduces the theoretical approach that underpins its innovative approach to managing cultural diversity in educational institutions. It argues for, and presents, a multidimensional model for managing cultural diversity in schools, one that provides the tools for transformative practices to be undertaken to effect positive change in school environments for the benefit of all students.     

Developing mathematical proficiency in the Australian context: implications for students with learning difficulties

The teaching of mathematics in Australian schools has received considerable attention over the past decade. States and territories have designed and implemented new mathematics syllabi, and education sectors have supported teachers through sustained professional learning initiatives. Whereas the major focus of these initiatives has been on students constructing mathematical knowledge from a range of learning activities and quality instruction, the education of students with difficulties in learning mathematics has been given little direct attention. This analysis of current syllabus developments and professional learning initiatives highlights the risk of exposing students with learning difficulties to fragile program designs and classroom instruction. The research literature is also examined to propose ways in which these fragilities can be addressed.