Learning To Write Effectively Current Trends In European Research

This book provides a detailed overview of current or recent research exploring a wide range of ideas, theories, and practices around written text production. European researchers from a broad range of disciplines brought together under the European Research Network on Learning to Write Effectively were instructed to contribute short papers summarising their current activity. The papers are grouped around the four main themes. The first deals with issues around the development of basic ("low-level") writing skills, mainly in the early years of education. The second section focuses directly on issues around the teaching and learning of writing. This is divided into five parts that describe: evaluations of different forms of writing instruction, research exploring the processes by which writers learn, methods of text assessment in educational contexts, research exploring the effects of various learner and teacher variables on the development of writing skill, and conceptions of and variation in educational text genres. The third section reports research exploring effective document design. The final section has a main focus on tools for exploring the writing process.

This book provides a detailed overview of current or recent research exploring a wide range of ideas, theories, and practices around written text production. European researchers from a broad range of disciplines brought together under the European Research Network on Learning to Write Effectively were instructed to contribute short papers summarising their current activity. The response was impressive and showcases the vibrancy and range of European writing research.

This volume aims at contributing to an interpretive approach to writing and its dynamics. It offers a general scope on the process-product interface by multiplying the points of view on both the process and the product and their links. The book presents new findings and perspectives in the study of language and writing, both theoretical and methodological (e.g. dual process models of writing, pragmatics of writing, linguistic analysis of psycholinguistic units such as bursts of production). It also presents new tools for a longitudinal approach to the writing steps, key-stroke logging with integrated linguistic modules, and textometric analysis of written texts. The volume is composed of five sections that highlight different approaches to writing from the viewpoint of multiple disciplines: Anthropology, Cognitive Psycholinguistics, Communication Studies, Didactics (Applied Linguistics), Discourse Analysis, Literacy, Sociolinguistics and Text Genetics. This book will be relevant for scholars and students interested in writing, text analysis, literacy, learning and teaching. As of January 2019, this e-book is freely available, thanks to the support of libraries working with Knowledge Unlatched.

Writing matters, and so does research into real-life writing. The shift from an industrial to an information society has increased the importance of writing and text production in education, in everyday life and in more and more professions in the fields of economics and politics, science and technology, culture and media. Through writing, we build up organizations and social networks, develop projects, inform colleagues and customers, and generate the basis for decisions. The quality of writing is decisive for social resonance and professional success. This ubiquitous real-life writing is what the present handbook is about. The de Gruyter Handbook of Writing and Text Production brings together and systematizes state-of-the-art research. The volume contains five sections, focussing on (I) the theory and methodology of writing and text production research, as well as on problem-oriented and problem-solving approaches related to (II) authors, (III) modes and media, (IV) genres, and (V) domains of writing and text production. Throughout the 21 chapters, exemplary research projects illustrate the theoretical perspectives from globally relevant research spaces and traditions. Both established and future scholars can benefit from the handbook’s fresh approach to writing in the context of multimodal, multi-semiotic text production.

This volume tells the story of research on the cognitive processes of writing--from the perspectives of the early pioneers, the contemporary contributors, and visions of the future for the field. It includes the very latest in findings from neuroscience and experimental cognitive psychology, and provides the most comprehensive current overview on this topic.

Closing the Attainment Gap in Schools explores the experience and history of teachers who have a determined, no-nonsense approach to providing an excellent standard of education to all young people from differing backgrounds. Using professional conversations, voices are given to schools and teachers striving successfully to address this important issue through evidence-based practices. Linked with the Ad Astra Primary Partnership, what these teachers do with their schoolchildren will resonate with all schools in any location. From Superstar Assemblies to encourage their dreams and aspirations; to Munch ‘n Mingle sessions to encourage healthy eating; to Marvellous Me software to encourage the use of open-ended questions and parent-child conversations at home; and through to the use of skilled specialists to develop their handwriting skills, this book: explores the rich complexity of teacher learning; contains numerous case studies and examples of success; reflects upon and considers evidence-based pedagogy, practical wisdom, teacher-research, self-improving school systems and social justice; proposes a rich array of approaches and suggests ways forward. Offering first-hand, invaluable and practical advice this wide-ranging book will encourage and enable any teacher to develop their own practical wisdom and a ‘can do’ approach whilst never shying away from the very real issues within education.

Writing plays a key role in society. Yet, many children struggle in learning to write, and often this is related to difficulties in the development of their oral-language skills. For students with oral language difficulties text production is particularly challenging, yet there have been few attempts to consider the impact of different oral language problems on the production of written text. This book focuses on the relationship between oral language problems and writing problems for children with hearing loss, those with oral-language difficulties and those with dyslexia. The causes and nature of their writing problems are examined by experts in the fields. Authors from three continents and nine countries contributed their research to extend our understanding of the problems that these children face. The collection provides timely information across languages and countries, enhancing our understanding of the links between oral language problems and writing, informing both writing assessment and intervention.