-We’re all working hard on this, and want to communicate with each other/see continuity from k-PSE.

-Thinking and writing to learn.

Some gaps:

-A gap between reading and writing (or thinking and talking about reading and
writing, respectively.)

-A gap between what students know what to do and what we wish they knew
what to do.

Next steps:

-More of this.

-Thinking about solutions that tie together writing education at all levels (from k-Ph.D) and sharing what we’ve learned with colleagues etc.

-Assessment reform?

-Connecting with industry. Advocating for literacy and writing.

-Recording what happened today, sharing it with each other, wider audience etc.
Bottom line: doing something with the material (reflective assignment!)

Gaps:
– Enormous differences in skill level (in first year uni context) (We should perhaps teach EAL English to our English-speaking students!)
– We need to talk about students as readers, as well as students as writers, because the two are related–good writing can come from good reading/being well read
– It’s good to hear about what happens in other spaces. Are the basics of writing a common ground that we share?
– We need to communicate to students that poor writing skills are not simply veiling their otherwise brilliant thoughts, but help them to see that good ideas and good writing go hand-in-hand
– David showed Beaufort’s Transfer-Oriented Construct knowledge and the importance of metacognition
– importance of audience
– the gap between what students know how to do, and what we wish they knew how to do

Next Steps:
– more of this
– what solutions and changes need to be made so that we can work as a community across the board
– we need to get teachers in all contexts to teach writing, not just English classes
-it’s not just reading and writing but literacy and critical thinking that we’re teaching with writing
– we need to share with colleagues what we discussed today
– assessments are going the wrong direction: multiple choice is a bad decision
– how do we influence public perceptions of writing in this province?

– Assignment: write a reflective piece about this experience, and maybe we can make a larger, collaborative statement book(let) that could more powerfully express our ideas!

– We are all trying very hard – the fact that we are here on a Saturday says a lot.
– There needs to be a unity and plan from K to College.
– Thinking to learn is important and that writing to learn is important across all disciplines and is a shared responsibility.

Gaps:

– Differences in skill levels that students come in with.
– Good reading helps with good writing.
– Where is the common ground among the different levels? Could it be basics about writing?
– There is a myth that students do not have anything worthwhile to write.
– The way we frame an argument depending on the discipline we are in.
– There is a gap between what students know and what we wish they knew how to do.

Next Steps:

– More Alberta Writes Conferences.
– Let’s look at solutions as to what needs to be done so that we can achieve our objectives to deal with gaps.
– All teachers teach reading and writing across all subjects (English teachers do not know expectations across all the disciplines).
– It’s not just reading and writing that is being taught, but literacy and interpretation of what is being read and written.
– Sharing with other staff members.
– Assessment methods (multiple choice) is going in wrong direction in some disciplines (e.g., Math).

Future:
– Pulling in elementary schools to see what is happening and figuring out what needs to be done.
– Pulling in industry people to see what is happening and figuring out what needs to be done.
– Work with Ministry to see which people might be interested in this subject because we are getting the same people to come to the Alberta Writes conferences.

Themes:
– Everyone is trying very hard. Here on a Saturday (!) means community building
– Everyone believes that there should be contact between different levels of education
– Writing to learn, it is a shared responsibility common to all disciplines

Gaps:
– Enormous differences in skill level that first year university students have – across Canada and the world – we should be teaching ESL to everybody because no-one can spell regardless of their background!
– Reading – reading informs students as writers – good writing comes from good reading, well-read students do better than those drilled in grammar
– It is important to find common ground between all levels of teaching – part of the common ground should be communication about basics of writing – how we express things is what we express – the myth of great ideas but poor articulation must be deconstructed
– list of ten myths about student writing – including the one that students have nothing important to say
– what are the basics of writing? Expert writers draw on a range of knowledge domains – shaping texts for contexts – discourse community knowledge is essential and contextualizes assignments, eg what is a paper? No universal definition. To help students make sense of discourse communities we have to provide them with a better foundation for translating genres. Emphasis on process knowledge and toolbox, developing a bank of strategies to draw from – not just content – students need to be able to unpack the implications of different audiences and purposes. It is possible to begin this at a very early age – eg – creating a zoo assignment – what are the things we need to know when we create texts for different audiences?
– There is a gap between what students know how to do and what we expect them to know how to do.

Next steps:
– More of this
– Creating action points – what do we need to do so that we can work together as a community?
– Expecting that all teachers teach reading and writing in some form – changing curriculum
– It’s not just reading and writing that we’re teaching, but also literacy – how to unpack content
– Share this information with staff members and colleagues
– Curriculum has changed assessments in the sciences to be only multiple choice – wrong direction
– How can we control public perceptions of writing, especially in Alberta?
– Pull elementary teachers and different disciplines into the conversation
– What does writing look like in the workplace, how can we involve industry?
– Channeling this information into a document that can be used for recommendations