Widening access to writing support: beliefs about the writing process are key

Abstract

Universities’ performance indicators for scholarly outputs depend on academics having productive and sustainable writing behaviours. Research shows that writing programmes can increase research output, but less is known about which writing processes are productive. A project was initiated at a university which widened access to writing support to include staff who were not included in these performance targets, but who might be in the future. Following a writing for publication workshop, 36 academics were offered a place at a structured writing retreat. The evaluation aimed to increase our understanding of participants’ perceptions of their writing skills and processes before and after the retreat using a transactional model. We found that participants’ perceptions of their writing abilities were greater than their perceptions of their ability to employ effective writing practices. Both scores improved after the retreat. This finding confirms that a structured writing retreat provides an environment and structure for academics to practise effective writing. It enhances self-belief in the processes and skills required to produce output. Widening access to writing support for academics is essential for success in performance-based systems. Writing support must provide opportunities for academics to develop strong performance beliefs by practising writing skills and productive and sustainable writing processes.     

"Bracketing" in phenomenology: Renouncing assumptions in hearing about student cheating

The suspension of presuppositions (the epoche, or bracketing) arose historically as part of Husserl's "transcendental reduction," allowing the contemplation of detached consciousness. Merleau-Ponty interpreted Husserl's later work in an existentialist way, and bracketing became the resolve to set aside theories, research presuppositions, ready-made interpretations etc., in order to reveal engaged, lived experience. The focus of this paper is on research practice, and on the quest for entry into the life-world of the research participant. The role of bracketing is illustrated by the way in which an aspect of the life-world of students in higher education ("cheating") is revealed.     

应用文中的模糊语言谫论

应用文中存在模糊语言有其必然性,模糊语言在应用文中具有不可替代的作用,但在运用模糊语言时应注意掌握分寸,与精确语言配合使用,不能含糊其辞,否则会影响公文质量。     

谈化学方程式书写的有效策略

指出了书写化学方程式时应注意的问题,提出了书写新情境题中化学方程式的有效策略.     

小议写方块字

随着科技的发展，电脑的普遍使用，有部分人对需不需要练写方块字产生疑问，其实回答是肯定的。因为方块字是中华民族的象征，它有着悠久的文字文化，它为中华民族的繁荣昌盛作出了不可磨灭的贡献，并现在和将来的社会也离不开它，所以我们不但要好好的写它、练它，还要对那些书写方法、字型不正确的现象及时纠正，以达到发扬光大方块字的效果。     

略论教案编制的个性化

要想培育出个性化人才,教学就必须富有个性。教学要个性化,就必然要求教案个性化。教案个性化包括教学目标、内容、策略、思考练习、迁移拓展的个性化。     

身体写作的是与非

身体写作在上个世纪八十年代与其他西方各种后现代文艺思潮一起涌入中国,为中国的文学创作和文学批评注入了新鲜血液。它为90年代女性意识高扬的个人化写作提供了理论来源和实践基础,为中国当代女性主义创作的多样化,打下了良好的基础。     

Darwin,dogs and DNA: Freshman writing about biology

We describe a successful interdepartmental program at a major research-oriented university that melds freshman writing with freshman biology to the significant benefit of both disciplines. Extensive, repeated feedback on individual student writing projects from two instructors, one a humanities professor, one a biology professor, appears to work synergistically so that learning by the students is significantly enhanced. Particulars derived from five years of experience with intensive, student-centered strategy are included.     

What does Simon know about writing?-looking closely at one child's writing

In many ways Simon is a competent writer and learner, and yet he needs to know more about spelling. Janet White analyses his strengths and looks closely at what he still needs to learn. She shows how it would be possible to devise an individual spelling programme for Simon which would help him to spell better without diminishing his obvious achievements as a writer.     

Backwards writing: An unexpected ability in writing

Summary The case of a left-handed female patient is described who presented serious problems in learning how to write during childhood, particularly in relation to directionality and letter sequence. The patient then learned to write correctly with her left hand, but practiced and maintained her ability to write backwards (from the last letter to the first). Implications of the case are discussed.Send Correspondence to Dr. Alfredo Ardila, Miami Institute of Psychology of the Caribbean Center for Advanced Studies, 8180 NW 36 Street, Second floor, Miami, Florida 33166-6612.     

It's all about Baxter: task orientation in the effective teaching of writing

This New Zealand‐based study of the classroom practice of nine exemplary teachers of writing to upper primary‐age students explored the significance of task orientation as a component of effective teacher instruction and the instructional strategies or actions that effective teachers utilise to promote such. Effectiveness pertains to teachers being able to generate a positive impact on learners' engagement and academic outcomes. Particular attention was given to the content and organisation of the tasks and activities that teachers required of their students. Analysis of observed teacher practice in relation to learner gains showed actions associated with task orientation to be strongly associated with student progress in writing. Two indicators linked particularly with learner gains in writing. They relate to teachers being able to select and promote learning tasks that are purposeful and challenging for students and to students being involved in the selection or construction of learning tasks. There were relatively high levels of proficiency with regard to teachers being able to select and promote purposeful and challenging tasks but significant operational variability with regard to teachers involving their students in task selection or construction. Classroom illustrations are provided on how effective teachers promote learner involvement in task selection or construction.     

Individual differences in children's writing: A function of working memory or reading or both processes?

The purpose of this study was to investigate whether a general or specific working memory (WM) system is related to writing and whether individual differences in reading and/or processing efficiency underlie the correlations between WM and writing. Two studies correlated WM with writing (Test of Written Language-TOWL) and reading measures. In Study 1, WM was correlated significantly with a number of writing measures, particularly to those measures related to text generation. Working-memory also contributed unique variance to writing, beyond what is predicted by reading comprehension. Study 2 compared the correlations of verbal and visual-spatial WM measures with the TOWL under initial and enhanced memory processing (dynamic assessment) conditions. The coefficients were statistically comparable between initial and enhanced processing conditions, suggesting that individual differences in processing efficiency do not account for the correlations between WM and writing. Overall, the results indicated that (a) WM measures contribute unique variance to writing, especially text generation, and (b) working memory performance improves under gain conditions, but this enhanced processing efficiency did not appear to mediate the links between WM and writing. Taken together, the two studies support a general capacity explanation for the relationship between working memory and text generation.     

Piagetian controversies,cognitive competence,and assumptions about human communication

This article is a comment on Ed Elbers' analysis of the debate between R. Gelman and R. Siegler on the development of fundamental counting competencies. An attempt is made to characterize some aspects of the theoretical positions of Gelman and Siegler. It is argued that the tendency to reduce human cognitive performance to an issue of either the application of preformed competencies of various kinds, or, alternatively, of the use of domain specific knowledge, hampers our understanding of cognitive growth and the mastery of intellectual tools. The alternative offered is that all human activity—including what takes place in the experiment — should be seen as socially and culturally situated, and that our focus should be on understanding the resources—mental as well as practical—that people draw on when solving problems.     

高师写作改革与中学作文教学的思考

探讨培养中文师范生作文从教能力的思路和办法 ,阐述师范毕业生从事中学作文教学的理念和方法 ,这是高校写作教师的责任和使命。