1.
TI: FIFTH-GRADE STUDENTS' KNOWLEDGE ABOUT WRITING PROCESS
AND WRITING GENRES
AU: . Gillespie, Amy; Olinghouse, Natalie G; Graham, Steve
SO: Elementary School Journal. Jun2013, Vol. 113 Issue 4, p565-588. 24p
Abstract:
The purpose of this study was to determine what students know about the
process of writing and the characteristics of stories, persuasive arguments,
and informational reports. Participants were 50 grade 5 students. Students
responded to questions about writing process and the three different types
of writing, and showed a nuanced but relatively unsophisticated
understanding of the processes underlying writing and the characteristics of
three types of writing. Most of their responses centered on procedures for
writing and drafting texts as well as obtaining and organizing information for
writing. They described each writing genre by referring to elements
specific to it, but these descriptions were not complete for any of the three
types of writing. Results of regression analyses revealed that students'
knowledge about substantive writing processes predicted how much they
knew about each type of writing after gender, writing achievement, and
emphasis on production procedures during writing were first controlled
statistically
2.
TI: Teaching Rhetorical Analysis to Promote Transfer of Learning
AU: Graff, Nelson
SO: Journal of Adolescent & Adult Literacy. Feb2010, Vol. 53 Issue 5, p376 385. 10p. 3 Charts.
Abstract:
The article presents an overview of the role that the teaching of rhetorical
analysis can play in helping students to develop their knowledge and
awareness about writing and in transferring their knowledge about writing
to different tasks and contexts both in and out of the classroom. A discussion
of research which examined the things that students learned about writing
and were able to transfer to different tasks and contexts is presented. A
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rhetorical analysis program which was used successfully in a classroom is
discussed.
3.
TI: Improving the writing performance, knowledge, and self-efficacy of
struggling young writers: The effects of self-regulated strategy development.
AU: Graham, Steve; Harris, Karen R; Mason, Linda
SO: Contemporary Educational Psychology. Apr2005, Vol. 30 Issue 2, p207 241. 35p.
Abstract:
Writing is a complex task. Its development depends in large part on
changes that occur in children’s strategic behavior, knowledge, and
motivation. In the present study, the effectiveness of an instructional model,
Self-Regulated
Strategy
Development
(SRSD),
designed
to
foster
development in each of these areas, was examined. Adding a peer support
component to SRSD instruction to facilitate maintenance and generalization
was also examined. Struggling, third grade writers, the majority of whom
were minority students attending schools that served primarily low -income
families, received SRSD instruction focused primarily on learning writing
strategies
and
knowledge
for
planning
and
composing
stories
and
persuasive essays. These students wrote longer, more complete, and
qualitatively better papers for both of these genres than peers in the
comparison condition (Writers’ Workshop). These effects were maintained
over time for story writing and generalized to a third uninstructed genre,
informative writing. SRSD instruction boosted students’ knowledge about
writing as well. The peer support component augmented SRSD instruction
by increasing students’ knowledge of planning and enhancing generalization
to informative and narrative writing. In contrast, self- efficacy for writing
was not influenced by either SRSD condition (with or without
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4.
TI: Writing and Teaching Writing
AU: Turvey, Anne
SO: Changing English: Studies in Culture & Education. Aug2007, Vol. 14
Issue 2, p145-159.
Abstract:
This article investigates the difficulties faced by trainee English teachers
when they teach writing. As newcomers to the profession, they are trying to
understand the processes involved in becoming a writer. At the same time,
they are asked to focus on the forms and features of different kinds of
writing as a way to meet 'writing objectives' laid down in a number of
curriculum documents. When the student teachers do approach writing as a
process, they sometimes see it as a process of progressively acquiring
discrete skills, such as 'writing descriptions' or 'using complex sentences'.
The experiences of five trainees are examined with a view to understanding
how their subject knowledge about writing might be developed by those
working with them, in universities and in schools/
5.
TI: Phonological skills and writing of presyllabic children
AU: Silva, Cristina; Alves-Martins, Margarida
SO: Reading Research Quarterly. Oct-Dec2002, Vol. 37 Issue 4, p466-483
Abstract :
Discusses a study which explored the causal relationship between the
development of phonological abilities and progress in knowledge about
writing in preschool children. Conceptual levels of children's knowledge of
written language; Evaluation of the intelligence of children; Effects of
writing and phonological training on children's phonological skills.
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6.
TI: Instruction in a Strategy for Compare-Contrast Writing
AU: MacArthur, Charles A; Philippakos, Zoi
SO: Exceptional Children76.4 (Summer 2010): 438-456.
Abstract:
Students learned a strategy for planning, writing, and evaluating
compare-contrast essays. Instruction followed the principles of self regulated strategy development, which aims to improve knowledge
about writing, strategic writing processes, self-regulation, and
motivation. Six adolescent students, 3 with learning disabilities in
writing and 3 average writers, were taught in pairs in a multiple
baseline
design.
All
students
made
substantial
gains
in
text
structure elements (percentage of non-overlapping data [PND] =
100%) and in overall writing quality (PND = 85%). Gains in mean
quality scores for individual students ranged from 1.2 to 3.2 on a 6 point scale. Gains in text structure elements were maintained for
the 4 students who could be assessed; gains in quality were
maintained for 2 students. Self-efficacy increased for all students
7.
TI: Close reading of students' writing: What teachers learn about
writing
AU :
Limbrick, Libby; Knight, Nicky
SO: English Teaching4.2 (Sep 2005):
Abstract:
A professional development initiative in writing provided a context in which
teachers could research their own knowledge about writing, writing
assessment and writing instruction. Through close attention to student writing
samples, and debate in ascertaining writing levels using the English
Exemplars, teachers articulated growing confidence in their knowledge of
language and the writing process. This was reflected in an increased
confidence in, and ability to articulate, beliefs about writing instruction. The
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moderation process for ascribing levels to the student samples took place
within professional learning communities. The paper identifies some problems
in establishing these as productive and positive contexts for teachers as
researchers.
8.
TI: Writing Instruction for Teacher Candidates: Strengthening a Weak
Curricular Area
AU: Grisham, Dana L; Wolsey, Thomas Devere
SO: Literacy Research and Instruction50.4 (2011): 348-364.
Abstract:
In this case study, two teacher educators in literacy examined teacher
candidates' (N = 24) learning of writing instruction across a three-course
sequence of literacy methods. Data collected included a survey of candidates'
knowledge of writing instruction, their formal observations of writing lessons in
their student-teaching placements, a writing lesson co-constructed with a
cooperating teacher during their final student-teaching placement, and
structured reflections on the observations and lessons. The researchers found
that little writing instruction occurred in the schools where teacher candidates
were placed and that reading and reading skills dominated observed literacy
instruction. Teacher candidates valued particular elements of process writing
(focus on student needs, choice, scaffolding, student interest and
engagement, and literacy skills). Lesson plans and reflections toward the end
of the academic sequence demonstrated that teacher candidates' knowledge
about writing instruction increased in complexity and that their beliefs and
their practices were somewhat aligned. Implications for teacher education
programs include a need to provide scaffolded and distributed instruction for
new teachers in the area of writing instruction.
9.
TI: Writing Matters: Back to the Future with Rhetoric
AU: Pare, Anthony
SO: Education Canada, v49 n4 p4-8 Fall 2009
Abstract:
The past four decades have seen dramatic developments in the study and
teaching of writing. The result is a body of knowledge about writing that has
profound practical and pedagogical implications for teaching, thinking, and
5
learning across the curriculum. This article discusses five things about writing
that can have an effect across the curriculum and the grade levels : (1) writing
is heuristic; (2) the written text is improved by a well -supported writing
process; (3) the finished product is structured in particular ways to have
certain types of effect; (4) texts have consequences, they make things happen;
and (5) texts (process and product) reflect their contexts. Teachers want their
students to grasp the best of what is known in their subject areas, but they
also want them to take part in the practices and procedures that make
disciplinary knowledge. Writing is central to that process
10.
TI: Teaching Scientific Communication Skills in Science Studies: Does It
Make a Difference?
AU: Spektor-Levy, Ornit; Eylon, Bat-Sheva; Scherz, Zahava
SO: International Journal of Science and Mathematics Education7.5 (October
2009): 875-903.
Abstract:
This study explores the impact of "Scientific Communication" (SC) skills
instruction on students' performances in scientific literacy assessment tasks.
We present a general model for skills instruction, characterized by explicit
and spiral instruction, integration into content learning, practice in several
scientific topics, and application of performance tasks. The model was
applied through an instructional program that focuses on the following
learning skills: information retrieval, scientific reading and writing, listening
and observing, data representation, and knowledge presentation. Throughout
the 7th-8th grades, 160 students learned the whole program or one of its
components: "structured instruction (SI) of SC skills," or "performan ce tasks"
(PT). A comparison group of 42 students did not receive instruction of SC
skills. Students' performances were assessed through a questionnaire and a
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complex task that measured students' scientific content knowledge, SC skills,
and the quality of the final products. Results indicated that students who
learned the whole program or one of its components achieved higher scores in
all categories than the comparison group students. High achievers can benefit
from just one component of the program: either structured instruction (SI) or
learning from practice (PT). However, they can hardly acquire SC skills
spontaneously. Low and average achievers require both components of the SC
program to improve their performances. Results show that without planned
intervention, the spontaneous attainment of SC skills occurs only to a limited
extent. Systematic teaching of skills can make a significant difference. The
explicit instruction of skills integrated into scientific topics, the opportunities
to implement the skills in different contexts, the role of performance tasks as
"assessment for learning"--all these features are important and necessary for
improving students' scientific literacy. Our general model of skills instruction
can be applied to the instruction of other high-order skills. Its application can
lead to the realization of the central goal of science education: literate
students possessing scientific knowledge
11.
TI: Concurrent and Longitudinal Neuropsychological Contributors to Written
Language Expression in First and Second Grade Students
AU: Hooper, Stephen R; Hooper, Stephen R; McBee, Matthew
SO: Reading and Writing: An Interdisciplinary Journal24.2 (February 2011):
221-252.
Abstract:
The primary purpose of this study was to examine several k ey questions related
to the neuropsychological contributors to early written language. First, can we
develop
an
empirical
measurement
model
that
encompasses
many
of
the
neuropsychological components that have been deemed as important to the
development
of
written
language?
Second,
once
derived,
will
the
neuropsychological components of this model remain stable over first and second
grades or will the model change in its composition? Third, will the strength of the
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relationships between neuropsychological co mponents and writing outcomes be
constant over time, or will the strength of the relationships change over time?
Finally,
will
the
derived
empirical
model
show
significant
concurrent
and
predictive relationships with written expression? The sample included 205 first
grade students recruited from a single school district who were followed into the
second
grade
via
two
cohorts:
Measures
were
aligned
with
major
neuropsychological components as extracted from theoretical models of written
expression and available empirical findings examining the neuropsychological
contributors to writing in children. These domains included fine -motor speed,
language,
short-term
memory,
long-term
memory,
and
various
attention/executive functions including working memory. Confirma tory factor
analyses (CFAs) and longitudinal structural equation modeling (SEM) methods
documented that three core latent traits were present and stable at both grades 1
and 2: Fine-Motor, Language, and Attention/Executive Functions. The overall
model was highly related to written expression and spelling at both grades 1 and
2, with the first grade latent traits accounting for 52 and 55% of the variance in
second grade written expression and spelling, respectively. At both grades, the
Language
and
Attention/Executive
Functions
latent
traits were
more
highly
associated with written expression and spelling than the Fine -Motor latent trait.
12.
TI:
DEVELOPING
WRITTEN
TEXT
PRODUCTION
COMPETENCE
USING THE READER-RESPONSE METHOD
AU: Demény, Paraschiva
SO: Acta Didactica Napocensia5.3 (2012): 53-60.
Abstract:
The first part of the present paper deals with the analysis of the literary theory
and linguistic background of the reader-response method, respectively with the
presentation of the process of composition an d its psychological components. The
reader-response
textual
interpretation
method
can
take
several
different
approaches of literary theory, sometimes the borders being so fade, that they
cannot
be
distinguished,
they
melt
into
each
other.
In
the
context
of
hermeneutics, Gadamer and Ingarden state that a literary work is finished by the
reader, as the process of reading is carried out through the interaction between
reader and literary work. In Iser's opinion the hiatus of the work is filled in by the
imagination of the reader. The father of practical literary science, Richards says
8
that meaning, sense is tied to the inner and outer status of the individual, thus it
is a relative thing. According to transactional literary theory (Rosenblatt) meaning
is born within transaction. From the linguistic point of view, the semantic
approach states that meaning is the dynamic interaction between language and
reality, thus it is relative, as the individual interprets the world through her/his
own experiences. Sociolinguistics analyzes the cultural influences, presenting how
a certain culture raises its system of conventions, and the individual is adapted
through the process of socialization, and all this influences her/his points of view.
Through the psycholinguistic approach I have outlined the principle of word
association. It can be seen how the reader -response method can be seen from
different perspectives, in fact different tendencies have different approaches of
the same principle: meaning is created by the reader. Concerning the components
of the abilities of expression in writing I am presenting the model of Hayes,
according to which these abilities are influenced by individual and environmental
factors. The
former include
motivation, short -term and
long-term memory,
cognitive psychological processes, while the latter include the factors of social
and physical environment. I have sketched the process of composition regarding
the specificities of age. About the teaching of composition I have presented the
steps of the process.The second part of the paper includes the presentation of my
research, the formulation of the results and of the conclusions, which confirm that
applying reader-response in textual interpretation is a huge gain
13.
TI: MNEMONIC STRATEGIES: CREATING SCHEMATA FOR LEARNING
ENHANCEMENT
AU: Goll, Paulette S
SO: Education125.2 (Winter 2004): 306-312.
Abstract:
"Mnemonic Strategies: Creating Schemata for Learning Enhancement"
investigates the process of remembering and presents techniques to improve
memory retention. Examples of association, clustering, imagery, location,
mnemonic devices and visualization illustrate strategies that can be used to
encode and recall information from the long-term memory. Several memory
games offer the opportunity to test your skills as you explore the strategies
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14.
TI: Math Disabilities: A Selective Meta-Analysis of the Literature
AU: H Lee Swanson; Jerman, Olga
SO: Review of Educational Research76.2 (Summer 2006): 249 -253,255,257274.
Abstract:
This article synthesizes published literature comparing the cognitive functioning of
children who have math disabilities (MD) with that of (a) average -achieving
children; (b) children who have reading disabilities (RD); and (c) children who
have co-morbid disabilities (MD+RD). Average achievers outperformed children
with MD on measures of verbal problem solving, naming speed, verbal working
memory (WM), visual-spatial WM, and long-term memory (LTM). Children with MD
outperformed co-morbid children on measures of literacy, visual-spatial problem
solving, LTM, short-term memory (STM) for words, and verbal WM. Children with
MD could be differentiated from children with RD only on naming speed and
visual-spatial WM. Differences in cognitive functioning between c hildren with MD
and average achievers were related primarily to verbal WM when the effects of all
other variables (e.g., age, IQ, and other domain categories) were partialed out.
15.
TI: What Brain Research Suggests for Teaching Reading Strategies
AU: Willis, Judy
SO: The Educational Forum73.4 (2009): 333-346
Abstract:
How the brain learns to read has been the subject of much neuroscience
educational research. Evidence is mounting for identifiable networks of
connected neurons that are particularly active during reading processes
such as response to visual and auditory stimuli, relating new information
to prior knowledge,
long-term memory storage, comprehension, and
memory retrieval. This article offers strategies that build on current
research
showing
the
correlation
of
brain
structure
development, providing interventions for educators .
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and
literacy
16.
TI: Linguistic structure with processing in second language research: is a
'unified theory' possible?
AU: Selinker, Larry; Selinker, Larry;
SO: Second Language Research20.1 (Jan 1, 2004): 77-94.
Abstract:
We investigate a unique attempt at working out a unified theory of second
language acquisition (SLA), Carroll's 'Autonomous Induction Theory'. This
theory integrates SLA traditions that often ignore each other and adds a
learning theory where novel information gets cre ated to resolve learning
problems. Cognitive universals, modularity theory, universal grammar,
inductive learning, initiation of learning, working and long-term memory,
top-down
and
bottom-up
processing,
input,
errors,
correction
and
feedback, language transfer, fossilization, restructuring of interlanguage
are amongst the concepts reviewed. This project thus spans multiple
domains but leaves many unresolved issues. How ever, since these issues
appear in one framework, we have found that altogether, it provides
excellent discussion material for advanced students. Finally, we suggest
some ways in which the burden of the denseness of the material might be
lightened.
17.
TI: A Multi-institutional Study of Students' Perceptions and Experiences in
the Research-based Capstone Course in Sociology
AU: McKinney, Kathleen; McKinney, Kathleen
SO: Teaching Sociology40.2 (Apr 2012): 142-157.
Abstract:
in an earlier paper based on other data from the current project, including an
analysis of syllabi, McKinney and Busher (201 1)1 found that the main foci of the
research-based
capstone
are
to
conduct
research,
produce
a
paper/thesis,
develop writing and presentation skills, and integrate past learning. [...] our
results also suggest faculty members should think about ways to increase the
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following factors promoting learning and success in the course: student choice
(e.g., start the class with an assignment that helps students select an int rinsically
interesting research topic, offer options for the format of final products, let
students select peers for any collaboration), high -quality active learning and
feedback pedagogies (e.g., provide guidelines and practice for any peer review,
have students practice doing mini-assignments of all components of the research
process, have students in the capstone help students in methods and statistics
with analysis and interpretation using their capstone data), and ways to keep the
course structured while offering assistance with time management (e.g., break
the project into smaller parts and deadlines, bring in a guest speaker on time
management to share strategies, provide plenty of in -class time for student work
and peer collaboration on the project).
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