Alberta Writes 2
Conversations about writing: Exploring shared responsibility for the teaching of writing in Alberta
As part of the WriteForward project team I recently attended the one-day conference on teaching writing
Alberta Writes 2. The focus was on Alberta
education and the perspectives of educators on writing across the curriculum.
Roger Graves (University of Alberta) and David Slomp (University of Lethbridge)
presented and co-hosted the event with presentations from Robin Bright
(University of Lethbridge), and Heather Graves (University of Alberta). The
presentations were relatively short to allow the focus to be on conversation with
conference attendees at the round tables. The conversations at the table were
then shared with the larger group (about 100 people), and as the conversations
were happening, a facilitator recorded notes on the Alberta Writes 2 blog.
The presentations asked the participants to read samples of
student writing, and then discuss the merits, challenges, and strengths of the
writing. The conversations around the student samples were interesting and
intriguing. At the table with me and the WriteForward project coordinator
Deanna Jager, were three English professors from the University of Alberta.
Their experiences with writing and teaching writing were quite different from
mine, allowing for some captivating conversation. In discussing the student
writing (all from high school or post-secondary), with our table and the larger
group, several key questions and themes cropped up.
Gaps at all levels
The entire group at the conference seemed to feel there were
writing gaps at every level and a stronger emphasis needs to be placed on
writing across all courses. Those with a high school perspective voiced
concerns that the students were not fully prepared to write for high school,
and those with a post-secondary perspective voiced concern high school didn’t
fully prepare the students for post-secondary. It was clear there were concerns
at all levels about student writing and their ability to communicate in a
written format and complete written assignments.
Putting pen to paper
Another observation that stood out was about student ability
to translate thoughts to paper. A student may fully understand a concept or
idea taught in class, or with background knowledge, but many students have
difficulty “putting pen to paper” to explain that concept. This was interesting
from a WriteForward perspective in that we are developing an assessment tool
for adult literacy learners, and yet students in high school and post-secondary
have difficulty with writing and writing concepts. This may inform the
WriteForward framework in terms of audience and skills developed in the
assessment tool.
Technology, students and writing
As an assessment tool, WriteForward will develop adult
learners’ writing skills and abilities. There has been discussion around the
medium of the writing (pen and paper or using technology). One of the comments
made was pertinent to our technology discussion. The facilitator Robin Bright
stated students are writing more in their daily lives than ever before. They’re
writing emails, texts and social media posts daily, often many times a day.
There is a disconnect for the students, however, in that they don’t think of
these acts as “writing”. This is interesting and made me wonder if the same is
true for adult literacy learners. What do adult literacy learners consider to
be writing? How can we determine their thoughts on writing and what writing is
to them?
What difference does genre make?
When we are thinking about writing, the question of genre
and structure is important. At the conference, there was discussion about genre
and how that changes a person’s writing. Robin Bright brought up the idea of
teaching genres in writing so that students can write well in a certain genre (she
used the example of letter to the editor). Writing well in a genre allows the
students to have a voice in their writing. She also stated that some of the
most interesting writing and writers are ones who challenge conventions and “resist”
the normal conventions and genres. I think this speaks to the importance of
taking risks in writing, and allowing students to take those risks. If the
students feel they are in a safe and respectful place, and they feel confident
in the genre, they may take more risks, allowing them to expand their skill
set.
Does spelling count?
Many of the teachers were concerned about the spelling in
one of the writing samples we received. I thought this was interesting,
especially in terms of taking risks, and fostering writers who take risks. The
paper in question was written by a grade 10 student. It was a persuasive essay
on the legalization of marijuana. The essay was an interesting read and the
writer’s voice and passion were clear and consistent. The writer made several
spelling mistakes, but all words were phonetically spelled, and I found the
spelling errors did not detract from meaning or from her argument. Some of the
participants felt the spelling was a distraction. I had the sense that spelling
was important to some of the instructors at the conference. Thinking about
WriteForward, I wondered if and at which point in the assessment we will assess
spelling.
Other questions that materialized for me need further
reflection, and I feel these are questions all teachers should consider. These
questions were:
·
What do learners value as writers?
·
What do teachers do in inhibit writing?
·
What can teachers do to promote writing?
·
What are some successful writing prompts? Are
they written, oral, or visual?
·
How do you incorporate theory in the classroom?
The conference was very interesting and provided great food
for thought in looking at the writing assessment of WriteForward. The Alberta
Writes team is hoping to host a conference in Calgary on writing and the
workplace, and I look forward to attending this as well. The conversations from
our day at Alberta Writes 2 were incredibly valuable and provided many
questions for consideration. I was thrilled to be invited and participate in
the conversation.
Deanna Jager has also recorded her thoughts and reflections
on the conference which you can find on the
WriteForward website.
