Collaborative Writing Model as Contributor to Curriculum Reform

Author(s):

Anne Jyrkiäinen(presenting / submitting)Kirsi-Liisa Koskinen-Sinisalo

Conference:

ECER 2014

Network:

03. Curriculum Innovation

Format:

Paper

Session Information

03 SES 08 A, Research Feeding Curriculum Innovation

Paper Session

Time:

2014-09-04

09:00-10:30

Room:

B110 Sala de Aulas

Chair:

Wilmad Kuiper

Contribution

In Finland the national core curriculum for basic and pre-primary education is being renewed. The process involves broad-based co-operation with education experts and various stakeholders. The renewed core curriculum will be completed by the end of 2014. The new local curricula should be ready by the beginning of school year 2016–2017 (FNBE 2012).

There are several views about what kind of competences are needed in the future, how the curriculum change will be realised and what kind of skills are needed among the teachers and in teacher education. The world in which schools operate has changed in different levels, for example, in doing, knowing and being (FNBE 2012; Ståhle 2009).

Broad-based competences in the core curriculum consist of seven dimensions, for example thinking and learning, cultural competence interaction and expression, multiliteracy, ICT competence and participation, empowerment and responsibility (FNBE 2012).

According to Heinonen (2011) competence needs of future working life includes social competence and co-operation (collaboration) skills. It seems that Finnish school system has been lacking ways to support community and collaboration.

In the last report on the mother tongue skills of Finnish teenagers The Finnish National Board of Education (Lappalainen 2011) discovered that Finnish pupils, especially boys, have problems with writing. Pupils need more varied practice and guidance to advance their writing skills. Hence, one important question is what kind of pedagogical method supports pupils’ social needs and improves their literacy skills the best.

This paper introduces educational design research of Collaborative Writing in a Finnish Teacher Training primary school with 2^nd – 5^thgrades. The aim of this study is to produce knowledge about which characteristics of Collaborative Writing Model best support teachers’ and pupils’ collaboration and teachers’ professional development.

The Collaborative Writing Model (CWM) builds on the socio-constructivist and socio-cultural theories of learning. According to Vygotsky (1978) and Lave and Wenger (1991) social interaction and language play a crucial role in the process of cognitive development. In this study genre pedagogy is the pedagogical basis of the CWM. Genre pedagogy (Christie & Martin 2005) is based on the idea of familiarising pupils with different text types and guiding them through discussion in the context of a shared experience. Learning different genres is a goal-oriented social process (Luukka 2004).

The context of this study is to develop literacy and communality skills and it was carried out in the Teacher Training School of the University of Tampere. Research questions are

What are the characteristics of teaching arrangements which support teachers’ and pupils’ collaboration skills that are needed in the future?
How do teachers experience collaborative teaching?
How do pupils describe their performance during collaborative writing process?

Method

The frame of this study is educational design research (EDR), which appears in authentic teaching and learning situations. It is based on continuous cycles of design, enactment, analysis and redesign. Educational design research supports educational design processes and it results interventions, professional development and even curriculum reform (Design-Based Research Collective 2003; Nieveen 2007; Plomb 2013; Van der Akker 2009). This study was carried out by following the features of curriculum design research by Van der Akker (2009): 1) preliminary investigation, 2) theoretical embedding, 3) empirical testing and 4) documentation, analysis and reflection on process and outcomes. Some of the key theories of collaboration, genre pedagogy and assessment were studied before the preliminary pedagogical model was designed. The first prototype was formulated and named the Collaborative Writing Model (CWM) in 2012 (Jyrkiäinen & Koskinen-Sinisalo 2012). In this design research process the participants consisted of 14 classes with 250 pupils (2nd – 5th grades) and 12 teachers during 2008–2014. A class teacher and a special education teacher designed and implemented the study together as teacher researchers. The data were collected using multiple qualitative methods. The data consist of recorded group discussions, pupils’ writing tasks, interviews, questionnaires and observations. The aim of the analysis was to gain a more specific picture of the characteristics of Collaborative Writing Model (CWM) which support collaboration between teachers and among students. The analysis was phased and the method was content analysis.

Expected Outcomes

The Collaborative Writing Model includes eight steps: 1) Orientation, 2) Studying genre, 3) Assignment and teachers’ collaborative modeling, 4) Clarifying the criteria, 5) Writing in groups, 6) Rewriting the text, 7) Displaying and 8) Assessment. Teachers experienced that mutual collaboration increased support, negotiation and professional development. Three key elements of successful collaborative modeling were found: teachers’ modeling interaction, clarifying talk to pupils and interaction with pupils. However, some teachers couldn’t find their natural role during pupils’ group writing. Pupils’ descriptions of themselves as team writers can be classified as an inventive, adaptive, inventive adaptive or other. The teachers’ responses about the pupils’ roles can be divided into four categories: leader, active participant, passive or troublemaker. Pupils found their roles more active than their teachers did. CWM improves both pupils’ agency and teachers’ professional development. Different kinds of co-operation skills are needed in the school context at every level. The prototype of CWM has been admitted as a support material for Curriculum reform of Finland. During ongoing academic year the empirical testing of the model will be analysed. As the outcome of this educational design research the final form of the CWM will be published. In addition, some teacher continuing education programs will be designed. Internationally, this study can yield pedagogical tools for teachers’ and pupils’ collaboration and teachers’ professional development. Further, this research can assist education stakeholders in curriculum reform at school level.

References

Christie, F. & Martin, J.R. (2005). Genre and institutions: social processes in the workplace and school. London: Continuum. Design-based research collective. (2003). Design-based research: An emerging paradigm for educational inquiry. Educational researcher, 32 (1), 5–8. FNBE (2012). Curriculum reform in Finland. Finnish national board of education. http://www.oph.fi/download/151294_ops2016_curriculum_reform_in_finland.pdf Heinonen, S. (2011). SUHO 14.2.2011. Hämeenlinna, Finland. Jyrkiäinen, A. & Koskinen-Sinisalo, K-L. (2012). Collaboration in Writing. In Aoibheann, Bernadette, Gene, Gillian (Ed.) Creating multiple pathways to powerful literacy in challenging times. Dublin, Ireland: RAI, 84–92:8. Lappalainen, H-P. (2011). Sen edestään löytää –Äidinkielen ja kirjallisuuden oppimistulokset perusopetuksen päättövaiheessa 2010. Opetushallitus. Web site: http://www.oph.fi/download/132347_Sen_edestaan_loytaa.pdf. Lave, J. & Wenger, E. (1991). Situated learning: Legitimate peripheral participation. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. Luukka, M-R. (2004). Genrepedagogiikka: askelia tekstitaitojen jatkumolla. In M-R. Luukka & P. Jääskeläinen (Ed.) Hiidenhirveä hiihtämässä: Hirveä(n) ihana kirjoittamisen opetus. Helsinki: ÄOL, 145–160. Nieveen, N. (2007). Formative evaluation in educational design research. In T. Plomp & N. Nieveen (Ed.) An introduction to educational design research. SLO. Netherlands institute for curriculum development, 89–102. Plomp, T. (2013). An introduction. In Educational designresearch.SLO. Netherlands institute for curriculum development, 1–52. Ståhle, P. (2009). Mitä tulevaisuus vaatii perusopetukselta? Seminar 19.9.2009. http://www.oph.fi/hankkeet/perusopetuksen_yleisten_tavoitteiden_ja_tuntijaon_uudistaminen/seminaarimateriaalit Van der Akker, J. (2009). Curriculum design research. In Educational designresearch. SLO. Netherlands institute for curriculum development, 37–50.

Author Information

Anne Jyrkiäinen (presenting / submitting)

University of Tampere

Kirsi-Liisa Koskinen-Sinisalo

University of Tampere, Finland

Search the ECER Programme

Search for keywords and phrases in "Text Search"
Restrict in which part of the abstracts to search in "Where to search"
Search for authors and in the respective field.
For planning your conference attendance you may want to use the conference app, which will be issued some weeks before the conference
If you are a session chair, best look up your chairing duties in the conference system (Conftool) or the app.