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
4 Punctuation of sentences
Language and text
features
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 !
Based on an individual learner report,
you can:
•
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
The concept of functional literacy
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)
Principles of adult learning
• 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?
Brainstorm activity
What writing activities and incidental writing tasks do your learners do?
Exploring
Know the Demands
Know the Demands
Know What to Do
Know the Learner
What if...?
• 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?
Starting Points
Know the
Learner
Know the Demands
Know What to Do
So...
if the learner report comes out a little like this...
use Starting Points.
Otherwise...
use
Write to Communicate
Write to Communicate
Know the Learner
Know the Demands
Know What to Do
Teach the elephant one bite at a time
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
Purpose and audience
Spelling
Language choices
Punctuation of sentences
Punctuation within sentences
Sentence structure
Text cohesion
Quality of ideas
Embed in context
Always
remember
Teach
within a
context
Brainstorm inside a metaphor
Think 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 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 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 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.
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
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.
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
4 Punctuation of sentences
Language and text
features
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
Know What to Do: Writing Tools
for Adult Literacy Teaching and Learning
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
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