Writing is valuable, regardless of what you’re teaching.
Voice is important, regardless of the context, but we might use it different ways, depending on the context.
We should help kids understand the context and deconstruct the context.
The importance of draft writing, and the importance of making mistakes.
Process, and the ability to take risks, is important.
We should avoid the narrow focus created by standardized testing.
We want to teach this way, but we often feel limited or constrained by the Diploma exams.
Content, organization, expression all transfer across domains. Transfer is important.

Group discussion about “gaps”

Sometimes expectations aren’t clearly stated at the outset, and students don’t know what’s expected of them.
It’s easy to forget what we learn at professional development-type conferences like this one. It’s hard to immediately implement what we’ve learned.
Our biases in our own disciplines can create obstacles in our teaching of writing.
We can become too focused on content. The kids matter more.

Group discussion about “implications”

The importance of metacognition.
The value of interdisciplinary discussion, as well as discussion across levels.
The importance of conversation, even within our specific departments.
How do we get our message to people in other departments?
Taking the risk to extend the conversation beyond this conference.

Group discussion about “what’s next?”

Building practical strategies. What can we do in our own classrooms? What can our colleagues do right now, to start?
Building writing into other courses.
Bringing in the other strands of literacy: Alberta Reads, etc.

– create practical strategies for the classroom
– broaden the conversation, include new voices from different backgrounds and regions
– create texts, documents
– include more strands of literacy across the curriculum

What’s next?
-meetings by division/grade to do examination of Alberta education rubrics and creations of our own
-Revolutionize education! (less subject specific, more connectedness)
-More dialogue between ALL subject divisions.
-Continued growth for all teachers; it is just as important for us to remember and remind ourselves and each other that we too, are still learning and growing like our students. “Teacher as model”
-More dialogue between university and high schools.
-Bring in content area teachers (besides ELA) and continue this dialogue.

Gaps
-Lack of communication
-Expectations placed on ELA teachers to be the “teachers of writing”. Content area teachers need to assume responsibility as well.
-We have a difficult balance between what we would like to do and what we must do (curriculum/exam constraints). This is magnified by a lack of writing in other disciplines.
-Knowing what others are actually doing (sharing assignments, assessments, stories etc)
-Universities have writing assignments across disciplines so why are we not doing this in high school?
-Preparing our students for what they will be learning (curriculum) AFTER they move up a grade level, and when they graduate from high school.

What’s Next?
– Meetings in schools, communities about the same issues
– Student teach PD seminars and workshops
– Define, objectively, effective writing. Remove as much subjectivity as possible.
– How do we assess to show that writing is a process and yet also adhere to a university’s requirement for evaluating grades?
– Encourage cross-curricular development of writing skills.

Implications

Various strategies to determine what works best
Practice, practice, practice!!!
Work amongst all subject areas to incorporate subject specific reading and writing
The need / necessity of space and time
Link narrative to public writing
Focus on process and practice
Focus first on voice and then on “editing”
Context is key – specificity and focus constraints can liberate
Multidisciplinary writing
Evaluating drafts!
We aren’t being the best teachers we can be because we aren’t working together to create a full picture for students especially in junior and senior high.

What’s Next:
– meetings by division/grade – examination ABEd rubrics and creation of our own
-revolutionize education! Less subject specific, more connectedness
– more dialogue between all subject divisions (have the same activity for different majors)
– continual growth for all teachers, it is just as important for us to remember and remind ourselves and each other that we too are still learning like our students. “Teacher as model”
– more dialogue between universities and high schools
– bring in content area teachers (besides ELA) and continue this dialogue