Catering for learner diversity –
using variation theory to enhance
students’ understanding of
argumentative writing
Pat Heung Central Primary School – To Kwok Kuen
2009.2.19
Background and Aim
• New English Language Curriculum
Guide (different text types - 6
categories*)
• Individual differences (reading
comprehension)
• Students learning problems (lack the
experience)
•
*Narrative texts, Information texts, Exchanges, Procedural texts, Explanatory texts, Persuasive texts, (CDC,
2004 - p.17)
Background and Aim
Aim:
To use variation theory to improve students’
understanding of argumentative writing
Flowchart
Students’
problem
Teachers’ meeting
(critical aspects)
Reflection
Assessment
Intervention
About the lesson preparation……
• Students had problems in understanding the
structure of argumentative writing
• Students had great individual differences
• A pre-test was conducted in order
to better understand their ways of
understanding or seeing argumentative writing
Students’ different ways of
seeing (Pre-test)
Case 1
Teacher : What is argumentative writing?
Student A: Oh, argumentative writing is to argue about …
write something to tell someone that this is good and
this is bad and argue about it.
Case 2
Teacher : What is argumentative writing?
Student B: There is no who, where, what and when and no background
information in argumentative writing.
Students’ different ways of
seeing (Pre-test)
Case 3
Teacher : What is argumentative writing?
Student C: Oh, argumentative writing is to argue about … write
something to tell someone that this is good and this is
bad and argue about it.
Case 4
Teacher : What is argumentative writing?
Student D: Argumentative writing has many paragraphs but fewer
words.
Students’ different ways of
seeing (Pre-test)
Case 5
Teacher : What is argumentative writing?
Student E: Argumentative writing is something about gossip.
Case 6
Teacher : What is argumentative writing?
Student F: I don’t know.
About the lesson preparation……
• Dr Pang’s suggestions
• 3 experienced English teachers
prepared and designed the lessons
together
- We focused on:
• Students’ learning problems
• Students’ learning diversity
About the lesson preparation……
The 2 critical aspects identified are:
• 1. different ways of reading texts
resulting in different understandings
• 2. different genres having different
structures
Lesson plan (1)
Pattern of variation/ invariance
Text
Act
Learner
i
v
i
Text
Meaning Learner
i
v
v
Text
Act
Learner
v
i
i
Text
Meaning Genre
v
i
v
Text
Type
Characteristics
v
i
v
Outcome
Makes act visible
Makes meaning visible
Generalizes act across texts
Brings out genre related
differences between texts
Brings out differences between
texts within same genre
Lesson plan (1)
Stage 1
Teacher uses the variation theory to make the act visible
(Same text A but different in act)
Students should discern that there are different ways of
reading
Stage 2
Teacher uses the variation theory to make the meaning
visible (Same text A but different in meaning from their
summaries)
Up to here, students should discern if they use different
ways of reading to read a text, they may have different
understandings on the same text.
Lesson plan (1)
Stage 3
Teacher generalizes act across texts
(Read text A and B and generalize the way of understanding
and reading the texts)*
Students should discern the relationship between the way of
reading and the understanding of the text
*-Text A and B are narrative texts
Lesson plan (1)
Stage 4
Teacher points out genre-related differences between texts
(narrative and argumentative)
Read text C (similar topic/meaning to text B but different in
genre, that is argumentative)
Lesson plan (1)
Stage 5
Teacher guides students to discuss the differences between
text C and text D (both of them are argumentative texts but
they have different themes)
Teacher brings out differences between texts within same
genre
Reflection
The 3 teachers discussed the performance of
students in the 4 lessons after the instruction.
The teachers reviewed the students’ work and
interviewed some students. They found that
after the two critical aspects of the object of
learning were introduced, students had no
significant improvement after the instruction.
Reflection
The teachers decided to start another cycle to
deal with the students’ problem.
After discussion, it was concluded that some
critical aspects of the object of learning might
be missed and the texts that students have read
might be too difficult for them at this level.
Reflection
The three additional critical aspects:
3. the difference between the meaning of
descriptive sentence and writer’s opinion
4. the words used in argumentative and
narrative writing (support, agree, should….)
5. the structures of argumentative and
narrative writing.
Reflection
Two extra lessons were spent on helping
students achieve the object of learning. At
the same time, all the texts used in the
lessons were tailored and shortened.
Lesson plan (2)
Example 1:
Ask students to read the 5 sentences on the lefthanded column (writer’s opinion)
Guide them to find out the similarities of the 5
sentences
Variant: wordings
Invariant: function of the sentences
Separation and generalization
Example 2:
Lesson plan (2)
Let students read text C (Theme - Lies and
Honesty, argumentative)
Text C has a similar topic to text B (Theme - An
Honest Boy, narrative)
Variant: structure of the text (genre)
Invariant: theme
Students may discern the differences of the text
structure.
Contrast
Results
• Introducing variations in the second instructional
design did help improve students’ understanding
of the features of argumentative writing.
• Students made significant improvement in
discerning the features of argumentative writing.
• More than half of them were able to either state
the features of argumentative writing or
categorize the given texts correctly.
Suggestions
• Appropriate and sufficient variations be
introduced in teaching to enhance students’
learning.
• Teacher’s reflection is important to the use
of variation theory in teaching and learning.
Thank you !