Facilitators: Herb Budden, Eileen Steele
Recorder: Gretchen Bertolet
Solutions & Actions - download in print-friendly format
Based on what is currently happening in writing across the curriculum…
- What should we be doing?
- Who should be doing this?
- How should this be accomplished?
Discussion notes
Significant Issues From Morning Discussions
- Local school culture affects success of WAC (Writing Across the Curriculum) efforts.
- Diverse concepts about writing are root cause of lack of success of WAC or WID (Writing in the Discipline) programs.
- Professional Development & realistic time & resources are essential for K-16 writing across the curriculum or within the disciplines.
- Making meaning, thinking and discovering are essential skills in the 21st century. The integration of reading & writing serve as the vehicle for fostering learning.
- Attention to: under-funded mandates
- Unrealistic expectations (Class size, time, adequate training)
Transcript
- What should we be doing?
- How many schools in Indiana actually employ WAC?
- What do you think happens in school to allow WAC to be adopted?
- Some non-English teachers– want to, but are not confident to do so
- Some teachers see need while others say…
- Why should a shop teacher need to write?
- Long-standing attitude.
- Requires intensive professional development
- Started at Plymouth HS with “why aren’t English teachers doing their job?”
- Now with intensive, intensive professional development, we’ve been doing it since 1999.
- First created an inter-disciplinary writing committee made up of teachers from across the school.
- We also had in-service about writing prompts.
- Discussion also took place during in-service time.
- Our belief statement was “All Students Can Learn.” From there it went to “Students learn through writing.”
- Provided “job-embedded professional development.” You had really strong support, including financial.
- Also had cluster meetings, after in-service on prompts, where prompts were reviewed.
- If you had a question about writing, or trouble coming up with effective prompts, or needed research done there were L.A.M.P.S. (undefined acronym for a person in the school who could provide assistance). Having these people available was very effective. And they were kept very busy.
- At the very beginning we taught the writing process to all teachers. There has to be proof of revision by the student.
- At Hamilton Southeastern they use students who are trained in the Writing Center – to go out and help students with content area writing.
- Less professional than Plymouth’s but available without financial support.
- We must hold teachers and students accountable.
- In Plymouth they must turn in reports, etc. every six weeks.
- Students who didn’t write did not have a choice on completing assignment. They would work with separate teacher to get writing done. As the years progressed, the numbers of completion problems have dwindled.
- For embedding assigned writings in the content areas
- Holding both accountable is required – go hand in hand.
- Grading papers can be like the difference between “cars looking good versus riding well.”
- At one school, entire school does writing prompts 4-6 times per year.
- There is no professional development at school.
- Staff reviews writings with free time arranged for this, with modest training.
- Knowledge grounding is essential for writing across the curriculum to be effective and have impact.
- What is required to do it?
- Administrators need to be involved…understands what is needed and supports the needs.
- Strong leadership is key.
- Must have conversations re: philosophy of beliefs i.e. “CAN LEARN//LEARN VIA WRITING”
- Must have school-wide study of best practices
- WAC requires PD support and depth//without it – it becomes just a 221 goal.
- Sharing the resources we have – we need to share and encourage adoption of models that are working in Indiana schools.
- Use the advantages of technology to increase communication about student development in writing with digital portfolios.
- Do school systems actually wipe hard drives clean at the end of the year.
- Would be great if students had personal memory sticks to download their work.
- Many school systems don’t even provide student storage space on hard drives.
- What potential impact would an increased use of technology in WAC? Would content area teachers find less standard forms of writing more applicable to their content – as in
- Video writing
- Audio writing
- Image writing
- Web writing
- There is a perception that English classes tend to be more focused on daily experience rather than writing a lab report or naturally occurring environmental event.
- Noted the program Inspiration and how it is used with students. We also have told content teachers that they are not responsible for teaching writing, “That is our job.”
- Concerned about expanding WAC into area of technology; not part of the definition in this morning’s session.
- What should IDoE do?
- Continue to help provide tools like Criterion;
- Opportunities like the May writing conference - providing financial incentives for writing policy.
- Put pressure on framers of 221 - to have consistent focus on goals relative to SIP.
SOLUTIONS AND ACTIONS - PRESENTED
- Professional development is one essential element for future success in writing across the curriculum
- With best practices embedded in job
- Well supported by budget and administrative philosophy and action.
- With a consistent focus
- Use and share resources and exemplary models that are working in Indiana schools, e.g.:
- Embedded in the work day cluster / focus groups
- Coaching / writing mentors available
- Relentless focus on Writing across the curriculum and building background knowledge
- Built in strong, practical accountability model
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