Alberta Writes Conference

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.