Writing: programme proposal
Presentations and Workshops MA
Programme Literacy, University Can Tho,
Gert Rijlaarsdam
Content
1. Session
1: Practice of Learning and Teaching of Writing in Vietnam and The Netherlands
2. Session
2: New concepts of learning in the writing curriculum: learning by observation
3. Session
3: Individual writing strategies in
writing to learn (and observing writing strategies)
4. Session
5: Writing Process Research
5. Optional
Session: including the learning to learn paradigm into writing classes
6. Session
6: Connecting Writing with the other skills and the teaching of literature
Appendix A: Analysis Textbook/curriculum writing in secondary education
1. Workshop
1: Practice in Vietnam and the netherlands
1.1 Preparation
of group presentations
1.2 Frame
of reference to analyse text books for L1
1.2.1 The
perspective of content
1.2.2 The
perspective of methodology
1.2.3 The
perspective of practice
Appendix B. Participants’ Preparation Can Tho MA Course
1. Presentation
& demonstration: including the learning to learn paradigm into writing
classes
1.1 Necessary
Preparation of group presentations
0. Preparations of students
35 members were divided into 6
groups, each groups read all articles.
Analysis if text books:
1)
Groups A, B
analyze and compare content of writing textbook of secondary and high school.
2)
Groups C, D:
Analyze and compare methodology of writing textbook of secondary and high
school.
3)
Groups E, F:
Analyze and compare writing practical of writing textbook of secondary and high
school.
Each group will realize
clearly strong and weak points of writing program in secondary and high school.
1.
Session 1: Practice of Learning
and Teaching of Writing in
Monday morning, 8.00-11.00; 9.30 break
To define common grounds, we explore in a
workshop (20 participants or less?) the writing curriculum philosophy and
practice in
1) Introduction of class and workshop provider, and research programme the workshop provider is engaged in; referring to individual profiles read
2) Introduction of programme and tasks:
a. Group produces questions
i. Three test questions per article; format A4:
1. First half:
a. Reference (author, title)
b. Question
2. Second half: answer
ii. One question to the author (max five articles): in an email format to the author.
iii. Bring stack with questions Wednesday
b. Redraft your best lesson, based on the new input and discussions: poster format Thursday afternoon
3) Groups present group papers, in Vietnamese; 10-15 minutes per group ABCDEF; interpreters provide after each presentation a slide with a summary
4) Gert presents Dutch curriculum for writing:
Summing up Vietnamese presentations
2. Session 2: New concepts of learning in the writing curriculum: learning by observation
Aim:
1) To provide insight in new approaches in teaching writing.
Workshop session about Readers’ feedback will be included, in which participants simulate a lesson (may range from primary upper classes to upper secondary education). Demonstration is included with a short film about how to arrange different roles in classrooms, and how to design an active writing class.
Session scenario: observational learning
Observing writers:
1) Argumentative texts: Workshop 2ObservationalLearningCouzijn&Braaksma
2) Sentence combining: Zimmerman & Kitsantas,
3)
Synthesis
texts
4) Revising (Van Steendam, English as a foreign language)
Observing Readers (feedback to writers
5) Workshop 2ObservationalLearningInstructionaltexts (‘life’ feedback)
Acting as a Reader
6) Holliwell & McCutchen, tangram desciptions
Observing and Reader feedback in practice:
3. Session 3: Individual writing strategies in writing to learn (and observing writing strategies)
Tuesday afternoon, 13.30-16.30
Aim is to show how important knowledge about individual strategies is, especially when writing activities are used in other subject areas, like literature. We demonstrate that different combinations of individual writing strategies/styles and learning environment lead to different learning effects (Kieft & Rijlaarsdam; 2003; 2004, 2005, & 2007).
Individual writing strategies:
1) Individual test. (Interpreter read test items aloud in Vietnamese): 20 minutes
2) Computer room. Writing a short letter to an author of one of the articles. Using Input log (computer room). Save data on memory stick. Print out data file. Print out text[1]. 15 minutes writing. Total time (going to room, starting computers etc: 30 minutes)
3) Powerpoint Presentation:
WritingtoLearn&IndividualStrategiesVersionAugust2007. Interaction between learning condition and individual writing style. (30 minutes)
4) Playing back Gert’s demonstration tekst (inputlog); observation task: groups of three: 1=pauses, 2= revisions, 3= production pace. (10 minutes)
5) Reading some else’s data. Play back the process of a colleague, read the analysis sheet, make notes for a short report describing the process. Home work: report, handing in the report the next day (Going to the computer room, playing back, making notes: 40 minutes).
6) Short demonstration of Camtasia (free ware; 30 days free trial): screen recorder. Can be used for all computer work (powerpoint, web design, text production].
7) Exploring the use of this tool in writing education.
4. Session 4: Effective Components of Writing edcuation and results form Writing Process Research
Wednesday afternoon, 13.30-16.30
Aims:
1) to provide an overview of research about writing processes and relations about writing processes and quality of texts (Breetvelt, Rijlaarsdam & Van den Bergh, 1994; Rijlaarsdam, & Van den Bergh, 1996; Van den Bergh & Rijlaarsdam, 1996; Van den Bergh, & Rijlaarsdam, 1999; Braaksma, Rijlaarsdam, Van den Bergh, & Van Hout-Wolters, 2004, Rijlaarsdam, Couzijn, & Van den Bergh, 2004). What role plays planning, translation and revision in writing processes, under which conditions, in which writers? How can we improve planning, translation and revision processes in the writing curriculum? Participants will discuss some thinking aloud protocols (15 year olds, writing in English as a foreign language) (60 minutes). Powerpoint presentation.
2)
Models
of Writing Processes
3) To raise awareness of crucial elements in writing curriculum, based on reviews/meta-analyses (Hillocks, 1986, Graham 2007) and a recent research handbook (Rijlaarsdam, Van den Bergh, & Couzijn, 2004).To provide an overview of most successful components of writing instruction.
Effective components of writing instruction: Reviews (75 minutes). In this session we will present and discuss two reviews (1986, 2007).
Presentation Powerpoint Hillocks,
Presentation Powerpoint Graham & Perrin 2007 (not included)
5. Sesssion 5: presentation of revised lessons
Thursday afternoon 13.30-16.30
Students present in a poster session their lesson plans. These plans may be based on the lessons they wrote about for their preparation paper, but might also be new inventions. Poster materials are available from 12.30. All posters should be ready to be read at 13.30.
Session scenario:
1) General assembly, explanation of how to proceed.
2) 15 minutes strolling around
3) Grouping the posters in six groups of 6 (ABCDEF). Guided tour in six groups (new groupings: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6). Short presentation (five minutes) and questions; then free choice for interaction. 60 minutes.
4) Groups ABCDEF sit down and collect items: In which respect were the lessons improved? 15 minutes. Each group prepares a transparency I(select two categories of items).
5) General meeting:
a. In what respect can Vietnamese text books be improved; each group (A, B, C, D, E, F) presents their ideas:
b. Gert tries to wrap up.
6) Evaluation & Farewell
Optional Session: including the learning to learn paradigm into writing classes
Aim of this session is to demonstrate how the learning to learn paradigm can be included in the writing lessons, based on research in The Netherlands (Bonset & Rijlaarsdam, 2004). First we will demonstrate how different levels of self sustained learning can be implemented in an existing lesson series (varying from a low level to a high level). Then participants will try to redesign a lesson series they developed in advance (or extracted from the Vietnamese textbook), including the learning to learn paradigm.
1) How revision of textbooks can enhance autonomous learning. Powerpoint
2) Key concepts
5) Independent learning scheme
6. Session 6: Connecting Writing with the other skills and the teaching of literature
Summing up, sharing and discussion about learning experiences. Relating mini course to practice (workshop 1) and research plans (MA-thesis).
in secondary education
1.
Workshop 1: Practice in
Preparation time needed: three hours.
To define common grounds, we explore in a
workshop (20 participants or less?) the writing curriculum philosophy and
practice in
1.1 Preparation of group presentations
Aim: Assessing the quality of the writing curriculum in secondary education, confronting curriculum philosophy with curriculum practice.
1.2 Frame of reference to analyse text books for L1
In the
1.2.1 The perspective of content
This perspective consisted of three sub-aspects. In the first place, list all items from the examination programme or items from the national curriculum or the key aims, and describe to which extent the textbook covers the curriculum/examination requirements. Try to assess the balance: does the text book reflects the same dominance of key-aims/curriculum requirements as the national curriculum requirements? Or did text books authors make a different choice in focussing on aims? So the point of reference of assessment is the national curriculum/examination programme etc.
1.2.2 The perspective of methodology
This perspective consisted of four questions.
1) Does the package contain (very few, few, not few-not many, many, very many) exercises and tasks that facilitate the student's development towards a competent language user. More in detail: look for: authentic (albeit simulated) communicative tasks, assignments for orientation and reflection on the process and the product of the task.
2) Does the package present (very few, few, not few-not many, many, very many) exercises and tasks that facilitate strategic language teaching and learning? Does it teach the students strategies to find out how to overcome task difficulties? More in detail: look for: support during the process of writing and speaking, the process of analysing, interpreting and evaluating written and oral texts, the choice and the use of resources and media.
3) For assessing the methodology of transfer: Does the package contain (very few, few, not few-not many, many very many) texts, tasks and/or exercises which facilitate that students relate their learning to knowledge and skills of
· other parts of the language curriculum (i.e., relating writing to reading, or speaking to writing),
· other school subjects (i.e. , relating the language curriculum to geography, history) or to
· other communicative situations (i.e., relating what is learnt to what is learnt before (backward transfer) or to
o new communicative or learning situations (forward transfer).
4) For assessing the methodology of ‘learning to learn’: Does the package contain (very few, few, not few-not many, many, very many) exercises and tasks that enable students to (learn to) grow towards ‘autonomous learning’? [2]
1.2.3 The perspective of practice
This perspective consisted of the following sub-aspects.
1) User friendliness for the teacher, meaning that the package should be complete including a teacher‘s guide. It should contain suggestions for planning and for teaching lessons adequately in the context of the new examination programme.
2) User friendliness for students, meaning that the package should be easily accessible containing user’s guidelines, a list of contents, a register etc. The language and instruction should be clear. The layout should support adequate use. Tasks should be designed in such a way that they can be carried out autonomously.
3) Attractiveness for teacher and student, meaning that the content should be geared to the interest of students, there should be a variation in learners’ activities, working methods and the use of media.
4) Differentiation, meaning that the package should give possibilities to differentiate according to level, working speed, interest etc.
5) Tests and evaluation, meaning that the package should give suggestions for the organisation of the school exam. It should contain tests with a variation of questions and assignments and suggestions for the preparation for the examination.
Interweaving the learning to learn
paradigm into the curriculum of
1. Presentation & demonstration: including the learning to learn paradigm into writing classes
Aim of this session is to demonstrate how the learning to learn paradigm can be included in the writing lessons, based on research in The Netherlands (Bonset & Rijlaarsdam, 2004). First we will demonstrate how different levels of self sustained learning can be implemented in an existing lesson series (varying from a low level to a high level). Then participants will try to redesign a lesson series they developed in advance (or extracted from the Vietnamese textbook), including the learning to learn paradigm.
1.1 Necessary Preparation of group presentations
Groups of participants (groups of two to four participants) bring a lesson series on writing, taken from their practice or from the textbook, to the workshop. Choose an unit of lesson series that has good qualities/potential to be a good lesson.