Session Information
32 SES 03, Cooperative Learning (Part 2)
Paper Session
Contribution
This study focuses on how two different lower secondary schools work to improve the pupils writing abilities in a variety of school subjects. Both schools participate in a 1 ½ yearlong national project initiated by the Norwegian Directorate for Education and Training. The main goal in the national project is to create school development in order to improve teaching in universal skills (DeSeCo, 2015), and at the same time make classes more practical, motivational, varied and relevant. The schools in this study joined the national project in August 2015. Improvement and refinement in writing abilities, are in both schools seen as crucial for gaining knowledge and strengthening the learning outcome, an element that has been supported by many literacy researchers (Hertzberg, 2006, Langer, 2011).They see writing as a tool for developing knowledge in all subjects, and argue that all teachers at school have a responsibility for the writing education within their subject. Both schools also want to take steps towards a more collective educational practice by sharing and discussing methods and building a collective culture, making the colleges cooperate more closely (Brandi and Elkjær, 2014). To achieve this, they use observation and colleague based development to develop their organizational learning, going from the teacher’s individual experience to collective knowledge (Ertsås and Irgens, 2014). Through practical, authentic writing and meaningful writing exercises, both schools attempt toimprove both writing competence and increase motivation for writing, as well as to strengthen attitudes towards writing and make pupils view themselves as writers (Bromley, 2011, Graham and Perin, 2007). But, the schools differ in the way they approach their development project. While one school emphasizes writing strategies, to make the pupils become strategic writers (Kringstad and Kvithyld, 2013), and building a common culture for evaluation, the other school puts emphasis on collective writing projects seeking to strengthen the motivation for writing among their pupils, in cooperation with the local community. At this school, the pupils have written a book together as a result of this development project, and another book is under production this spring.
In the national project, the schools as organizations are learning while being tutored twice a semester from teacher educators from Nord University, a learning process that requires effort and mindfulness from both teachers and leaders (Hernes and Irgens, 2013).
The central questions for this research has been on what kind of development strategies the schools use in order to improve their writing education and how they facilitate collective learning among the colleagues. The research also looks into what the schools consider as challenges in the process of collective and organizational learning.
Method
Expected Outcomes
References
Brandi, U., & Elkjær, B. (2014). Organisatorisk læring. In P. Kjær & S. Vikkelsø (Eds.), Klassisk og moderne organisationsteori (pp. 257-277). København: Hans Reitzels Forlag Bromley, K. (2011). Best Practices in Teaching Writing. I: Gambrell and Morrow (red.) Best Practices in Literacy Instruction. Fourth Edition. New York: Guilford DeSeCo (2005). Definition and Selection of Competencies (DeSeCo) Executive Summary. http://www.oecd.org/education/skills-beyond-school/definitionandselectionofcompetenciesdeseco.htm and http://www.oecd.org/pisa/35070367.pdf Accessed Juli 2015. Ertsås, T.I. & Irgens, E.J., (2014). Fra individuell erfaring til felles kunnskap: Når kompetanseutvikling er virkemiddel for å skape bedre skoler. I M.B. Postholm (red.), Ledelse og læring i skolen. Oslo. Universitetsforlaget. Graham, S., & Perin, D. (2007). Writing Next: Effective strategies to improve writing of adolescents in middle and high school – A report to Carnegie Corporation of New York. Washington, D.C. Alliance for Excellent Education. Hernes, T., & Irgens, E.J. (2013). Keeping things mindfully on track: Organizational learning under continuity. Management Learning, July 2013 vol. 44 no. 3, 253-266 Hertzberg, F. (2006). Skrivekompetanse på tvers av fag. I: Eyvind Elstad & Are Turmo (red.), Læringsstrategier. Søkelys på lærernes praksis. Universitetsforlaget. Kringstad, T. og T. Kvithyld (2013). ”Skriving på ungdomstrinnet. Fem prinsipper for god skriveopplæring.” I Betre skole nr. 2 2013. http://www.skrivesenteret.no/uploads/files/BS-2-13_web_Kringstad_Kvithyld.pdf Kvale, S. og Brinkmann, S. (2009). Det kvalitative forskningsintervju. 2. Utg. Oslo: Gyldendal akademisk. Langer, J. A. (2011). Envisioning Knowledge: Building Literacy in the Academic Disciplines. New York: Teachers College Press.
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