Writing Workshop The ‘How’ of Embedding Writing

Note to those looking at this PowerPoint

When presenting this PowerPoint at the symposium, interactive examples were provided via whiteboard. To give some meaning to

this PowerPoint, I have added some of these examples on extra slides to give some idea of how to embed writing in a context.

You will no doubt be able to adapt these to your own contexts.

Individual Learner Report

The eight criteria for assessing writing using the online assessment tool are closely linked to the six* writing progressions in order to Know The Learner

Progression No. Criterion

Purpose and audience 1 Purpose and audience

Spelling 2 Spelling

Vocabulary 3 Language choices

Language and text features

4 Punctuation of sentences

5 Punctuation within sentences

6 Sentence structure

7 Text cohesion

Planning and composing 8 Quality of ideas

*Note that ‘Revising and Editing’ is not listed for the online assessment

Individual Learner Report

• Assess learner writing (Task A /Task B) using the 8 criteria• Enter the results into the online tool - these results are reported against the progressions (KTL)• Map the writing demands of your course (KTD)• Identify and prioritise what to teach (KWTD)• Embed deliberate acts of teaching (writing) into your context• Make a difference !• Inspire potential !

• Understand the writing skills of your learners– Strengths and key areas to develop

• Act on information about your learners’ writing: – write learning goals based on the progressions– Select teaching activities that are literacy focused

to support learning

Create and make the most of opportunities to strengthen learner writing skills in the context of your course

Based on an individual learner report,you can:

Central to meeting the needs of adult learners is the concept of functional literacy(Thornbury cited in Starting Points, 2008, p11)

Learners will not develop literacy skills by simply ‘doing reading and writing’ if they have been unsuccessful in this area for most of their lives.

They need highly contextualised instruction in skills that relate to their real life needs. Even at beginning levels therefore, it is important to integrate learning into a clear and meaningful context (Starting Points, 2008, p11)

The concept of functional literacy

• Adults are self-directed learners and capable of independent learning

• Adult learners draw on their previous experiences of life and learning and bring these experiences to bear on their new learning

• Learning needs to be directly related to the developmental tasks of an adult’s social roles and directly applicable to real-life issues

• Motivation factors are deep-seated and internally derived (Starting Points, 2008, p10)

1. What role do your adult learners play in their own learning?

2. What deliberate acts of teaching have you experienced yourself or used with learners that have made a difference to overall writing ability?

Principles of adult learning

What writing activities and incidental writing tasks do your learners do?

Exploring Know the Demands

Brainstorm activity

Know the Demands

Know What to Do Know the Learner

• What if my learner is at Step 1 or below?

• What if my learner has English as a second language?

• What if that learner did not even go to school in their own language?

• What if my learner has personal or other learning challenges that provide a barrier to learning?

What if...?

Starting Points

Know the Demands Know What to Do

Know the Learner

Otherwise...

use Write to Communicate

So...if the learner report comes out a little like this...

use Starting Points.

Write to Communicate

Know the Demands Know What to Do

Know the Learner

• Purpose and audience• Spelling• Language choices• Punctuation of sentences• Punctuation within sentences• Sentence structure• Text cohesion• Quality of ideas

Embed in context

Teach the elephant one bite at a time

Always remember Teach within a

context

Brainstorm inside a metaphorThink of a task you easily achieved – recently or in the distant past

I finally went to the supermarket and got blueberries to add to breakfast for extra antioxidants..

I finally went to the supermarket and got blueberries to add to breakfast for extra antioxidants..

I made a mango cake

I made a mango cake

I had always wanted to meet Greg

Mortenson - so when I got the

chance I travelled to San Francisco and he signed a copy of his book for me too.

I had always wanted to meet Greg

Mortenson - so when I got the

chance I travelled to San Francisco and he signed a copy of his book for me too.

I sketched out the design of a room I wanted to

add on to the house.

I sketched out the design of a room I wanted to

add on to the house.

I took my dog with me for a run on the mountain

every day.

I took my dog with me for a run on the mountain

every day.

I adopted an adult cat from

the SPCA.

I adopted an adult cat from

the SPCA.

An Embedding example in the context of goal setting

• Draw the process of achieving your goal as a metaphor such as climbing a hill, riding your bike up a mountain, jogging across a desert, becoming a butterfly etc. (Quality of ideas)

• Identify where it was easy/challenging/achieved (Quality of ideas – and preparing for sentence structure and text cohesion)

• Write words phrases and expressions all over your picture to describe things in the picture and also how you felt through the process. (Language Choice)

• Write a heading and bullet points under the heading showing the sequence of the process: First I, then I after that it, etc. (Language and text features: punctuation of a sentence, sentence structure, text cohesion)

• Using one of the three topic areas: ‘easy’, ‘challenging’ or ‘achieved’, teacher elicits three paragraphs using three different controlling focus statements in the topic sentence. (See next slide) (Punctuation within a sentence, sentence structure and text cohesion)

Topic Sentence - The topic is challenges The 3 controlling foci: A ...were clear at the outset, B ...came up during

the process. C Surprisingly... appeared only after the goal was achieved.

A: Challenges were clear at the outset.*the paragraph content elicited would reflect the challenges that occurred at he beginning. (You could elicit the ‘examples’ way of paragraph writing)

B: Challenges came up during the process.*the paragraph content elicited would reflect the challenges that occurred during the process of achieving the goal. (Proof / evidence)

C: Surprisingly, the challenges appeared only after the goal was achieved.*the paragraph content elicited would reflect the challenges that occurred after the goal was achieved. (Question/Answer way of paragraph writing – see example on next slide)

Now think of a new goal please...

Before they know it, learners will have used modals such as ‘might’, and future tense forms such as:• will• going to• am ... Ing etc.

Parallel Writing: Past changes to future (modal) Language choice and sentence structure will change for learners writing about challenges of achieving a goal in the past compared to writing about challenges of achieving a goal in the future. Using learners’ own goals (past achieved and new future goals) creates a personal and motivational context to embed different grammar and language choices.

Thinking ahead, challenges could easily appear once I achieve my goal. I think I will be really happy to reach a fitness level that enables me to run 10 kilometres each day. However, if I enjoy running so much and I am out on the hills a good part of each day, I mightn’t have the time to do many of the day-to-day tasks such as shopping, housework and gardening. I realise I may need to make new goals to manage this. So I could hire a cleaner, and pay someone to do the garden as well as do online shopping. Use of future tenses, modals etc.

Surprisingly, the challenges appeared only after the goal was achieved. I thought going jogging with my dog would have been great. However, I hadn’t thought about the impact on my dog’s legs. I needed to visit the vet clinic and sort out medication for the dog’s legs. I decided that I would go alone on the mountain run, and only take the dog with me on shorter runs on hills and grass. That worked really well for me and the dog. Use of past tense

The eight criteria for assessing writing using the online assessment tool may be covered as teaching points embedded inside an authentic context.

Progression No. Criterion

Purpose and audience 1 Purpose and audience

Spelling 2 Spelling

Vocabulary 3 Language choices

Language and text features

4 Punctuation of sentences

5 Punctuation within sentences

6 Sentence structure

7 Text cohesion

Planning and composing 8 Quality of ideas

*Note that ‘Revising and Editing’ is not listed for the online assessment

The Learning Progressions (Books)

– For Adult Literacy and Numeracy Background Information– For Adult literacy (flax) incl. the writing strand charts– Teaching Adults to Write to Communicate– Starting Points

Know the Learner

The Online Writing Assessment Tool– using the eight criteria, linked to the six writing progressions

with results reported against the Learning Progressions– The Investigations–Starting Points Assessment Guide

Know What to Do: Writing Toolsfor Adult Literacy Teaching and Learning

References

Hillocks, George Jr. (1995) Teaching Writing as a Reflective Practice. Published by Teachers College Press, New York.

Tertiary Education Commission. (2008a). Learning progressions for adult literacy. Wellington, New Zealand: Tertiary Education Commission.

Tertiary Education Commission. (2008b). Starting points. Supporting the learning progressions for adult literacy. Wellington, New Zealand: Tertiary Education Commission.

Tertiary Education Commission. (2008c). Teaching adults to write to communicate: Using the learning progressions. Wellington, New Zealand: Tertiary Education Commission.

Thank you