Editorial: Composition in the English/literacy classroom

The act of writing is a complex task. About that, there is almost complete agreement, whether you are a psychologist, a linguist, a socio-cultural theorist, a teacher, or a student battling with an assignment deadline and a blank page. For the emergent writer in the infant classroom, the challenge of communicating in writing is compounded by the sheer effort of transcription – remembering to put spaces between words, shaping upper and lower case letters, marking sentence boundaries with full stops, and representing words in your head as accurately spelled sequences of letters on the page. For the older writer, the complexity persists, though the challenges change. Although transcribing text onto paper or screen may be less effortful, understanding the expectations of the writing task and imagining the needs of the (implied) reader create different obstacles to effortless composition

Entrepreneurship for Veterans with Disabilities: Lessons Learned from the Field

A 2009 research brief produced for the NTAR Leadership Center, a consortium led by the John H. Heldrich Center for Workforce Development at Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey. Founded in 2007 under a grant/contract with the Office of Disability Employment Policy at the U.S. Department of Labor, the NTAR Leadership Center's mission is to build capacity and leadership at the federal, state, and local levels to enable change across workforce development and disability-specific systems that will increase employment and economic self-sufficiency for adults with disabilities. This brief examines entrepreneurship as a viable option for veterans with disabilities, particularly those returning from the present-day conflicts in the Middle East. As entrepreneurs, veterans have an array of opportunities to customize their employment, accommodate their challenges, maximize their strengths and skills, and achieve their financial and career goals. This brief takes a close look at one program -- the Entrepreneurship Boot Camp -- and discusses some lessons learned from the operation of this program

Editorial: Non-themed issue: 2010

The decision to have regular non-themed issues of English Teaching: Practice and Critique was made by way of Board consultation some time ago. As a Board, we believe that the policy of having a panel of guest editors taking control of a “themed” issue has worked well. In many cases, guess editors have worked together for the first time in a common enterprise. In all cases, having panels of guest editors has expanded the reach of the journal, increasing its subscriber base and the number of distinct educational constituencies who view the journal as a desirable target for contributions. It has facilited the journal’s aim of providing “a place where authors from a range of backgrounds can identify matters of common concern and thereby foster professional communities and networks”

Towards a Linguistic Model of Sentence Development in Writing.

publication-status: Publishedtypes: ArticleDrawing on the findings of an ESRC-funded research study,which included a detailed linguistic analysis of a large corpus of writing from secondary English classrooms, this article describes patterns of linguistic deployment at the level of the sentence. Given the limited number of applied linguistic studies which consider writing development in older writers, as opposed to primary aged writers, the paper aims to investigate developmental differences in mastery of the sentence in this older age group. It describes similarities and differences in linguistic characteristics of writing at sentence level according to age and writing ability, and makes connections between the linguistic patterns and effectiveness in writing. The paper illustrates that clear developmental trajectories in writing can be determined which have implications for appropriate pedagogical or instructional designs. Finally, the paper offers a linguistic model of sentence development in writing, and signals the potential significance of linguistic models within a multi-disciplinary approach to writing pedagogy

From Talking to Writing: Linguistic Development in Writing

publication-status: Publishedtypes: ArticleBackground Previous research in linguistic development in writing has primarily addressed the acquisition of writing, early linguistic development of writing, and spoken-written interactions in the primary phase. This study explored linguistic development in older writers in the secondary phase. Aims The aims of this two year study were to investigate both the linguistic constructions in secondary-aged students’ writing, and to explore their understanding of their own writing processes. Sample The data reported here draws on the first year data collection: a sample comprising two pieces of writing, narrative and argument, drawn from pupils in year 8 (aged 12-13) and year 10 (aged 14-15). The writing sample was stratified by age, gender and writing quality. Methods The writing was subject to linguistic analysis at both sentence and text level, using purpose-built coding frames and a qualitative analysis sheet. Results The linguistic analysis indicates that the patterns of linguistic development show that the influences of oral speech characteristics are strongest in weaker writing than good writing. Conclusions Cognitive research into the translation from thought to text needs to address more explicitly the fact that good writing requires not only production of text, but also shaping of text. Although it is well-understood that learning to be a writer draws on ‘talk knowledge’, this study makes it clear that one key element in learning to write with accomplishment is, in part at least, learning how not to write the way you talk, or rather acquiring adeptness in transforming oral structures into written structures

Principled Understanding? Teaching the Active and Passive Voice

This article describes some of the misconceptions and confusions in metalinguistic understanding which are established during whole class teaching of the active and passive voice. It draws on findings from a larger study investigating how teachers use talk in whole class settings to scaffold children’s learning. Through a detailed analysis of the teacher’s interactions with her class the article illuminates the significance of clarity in explanations and choice of examples and the importance of secure subject knowledge. It demonstrates how the teaching of metalinguistic knowledge requires more than an ability to identify and define terminology, and how an over-emphasis upon content can lead to a failure to acknowledge the cognitive and conceptual implications of pedagogical decisions.ESR

Snakes and ladders: towards a post-maturity evaluation index of integrated library system ownership

Although the integrated library system increasingly dominates the information activities of library staff and users, there are very few objective measures available by which to evaluate its medium to long-term impact. This article moves towards the production of a simple, numerical index of ILS evaluation. It applies a variety of context-dependent evaluation methods to the different phases of the ILS lifecycle culminating in a draft index of evaluation. Although this methodology and index should not be regarded as a finished product, it should act as a useful starting point for further comparative studies, particularly those that seek simple ways to incorporate relevant, less-subjective criteria into the ILS evaluation process

Canute rules the waves?: Hope for e-library tools facing the challenge of the "Google generation"

Abstract Purpose: To consider the findings of a recent e-resources survey at the University of Exeter library in the context of the dominance of web search engines in academia, balanced by the development of e-library tools such as the library OPAC, OpenURL resolvers, metasearch engines, LDAP and proxy servers, and electronic resource management modules. Methodology: Report of survey findings in the context of similar, recent research and articles. Findings: The survey confirmed the very high usage, ease of use, confident use and user satisfaction in web search engines as the predominant means of accessing academic information. The survey also reveals the considerable use, user confidence, and search success of Exeter’s various e-library tools. A number of variations have been detected between user groups including part-time groups, disabled users and those who do not own personal computers. Practical implications: The paper confirms popular conceptions about how academic users access information although it clearly identifies a vital, continuing role for e-library tools which must accordingly develop and adapt to users’ preferences. Originality/value: The paper draws on aspects raised by recent international surveys and research. It reveals highly-profiled survey findings in the context of the University of Exeter and a unique insight into the current use of e-library tools in this setting