You could look in George Hillocks' Research on Written Composition IF you
and/or your administration puts credence in quasi-experimental research and
its meta-analysis.
For example, you'll find regarding "duration of treatment" that some short
bits of work on writing have a noticable impact on student writing and some
don't; and some extensive work on writing has not noticable impact while
other work does. For many people, this is counter-intuitive. More is not
necessarily better. It seems that WHAT happens during the writing
instruction is more important.
You'll also find that Hillocks attempts to bring together the research on 4
different approaches to teaching writing, including "Presentational." His
criteria for including studies is so strict that very few Presentational
studies survive the cut. With that delimitation, the "Envirnonmental"
method--which you cannot do in a large lecture hall--wins out by a wide
margin over "Presentational."
This may be some of what you are looking for.
Jim Bell
Coordinator, Learning Skills Centre
University of Northern BC
3333 University Way
Prince George, BC V2N 4Z9
Phone: 250-960-6365
Fax: 250-960-6330
> -----Original Message-----
> From: CASLL/Inkshed [mailto:[log in to unmask]]On Behalf Of Roberta lee
> Sent: Tuesday, February 15, 2000 7:11 AM
> To: [log in to unmask]
> Subject: Re: 1st-year writing programme assessment
>
>
> I have no "evidence." But teaching writing in large lecture courses
> goes against everything I believe and know about teaching writing.
> We have come a long way in opposing this kind of regressive
> practice--that lets the powers that be in the university say that they
> are "doing something" about the "problem" of student writing. For
> heaven's sake, let's not give into this corporatist model--even
> though "they" may tell us it's not only necessary but useful.
> Fight on!
> Roberta
>
> '
>
> On 14 Feb 00, at 17:01, Rick Coe wrote:
>
> > Does anyone have any evidence that lecturing to students about writing
> > produces significant development of their writing abilities? Or, in the
> > case of the Brock courses, that this development significantly
> exceeds what
> > they would have learned from just seminars, the writing practice, and
> > individual feedback? Last I checked, which was a long time ago, I don't
> > believe there was such evidence (just as there is lots of evidence that,
> > whatever "common sense" may suggest, grammar drills do not significantly
> > reduce "errors" in actual writing). When I teach writing courses, I do
> > sometimes "lecture," i.e., talk for 15 minutes straight explaining
> > something or other, but I believe my successes turn on running
> the course
> > as a workshop and that the students learn most from writing and getting
> > various kinds of feedback (hence the workshop approach).
> >
> > One can always argue that something/anything is better
> than nothing.
> > Given the budgetary bias in favour of large and larger classes, I would
> > want to see positive evidence that lecturing can significantly improve
> > actual writing.
> >
> > Rick
> >
> >
> >
> > At 07:33 PM 2/14/2000 -0500, you wrote:
> > >Colleagues,
> > >
> > >What is your assessment of a writing programme offering not one but two
> > >terms of lecture-hall-based, introductory-level, general
> writing instruction?
> > >
> > >Here's the situation: Two years ago, Brock University created
> two separate
> > >one-term courses -- Introduction to Writing and Academic
> Writing -- which
> > >students are offered in succession. The English department
> here is very
> > >interested in keeping grammar prominent in the first course;
> the first is a
> > >prerequisite for the second. Neither are compulsory for Brock
> students,
> > >though that will change for students in at least one department.
> > >
> > >On the positive side, both courses offer students two hours of small
> > >seminars per week, lead by experienced TAs who have advanced degrees in
> > >literature. On the not-so-positive side, there is a one-hour
> lecture per
> > >week to an audience that, next year, may be as high as 200. Is such a
> > >situation reasonably within the range of acceptable Canadian practices?
> > >
> > >I know this list has had a go both at the lecture-hall
> teaching of writing
> > >and at the conflation of writing with grammar. However, I
> also know there
> > >are some one-term lecture-hall courses in Canada that do not have the
> > >benefit of two seminar-hours per week with mature, experienced
> TAs. And,
> > >of course, two terms of writing is presumably better than one.
> > >
> > >The English department here is facing program review in 2000-2001, and
> > >writing is a new undertaking at Brock. How would you evaluate this? I
> > >would be pleased to pass on your responses to our department chair.
> > >All the best,
> > >John
> > >
> > >/// /// /// /// /// /// /// /// /// ///
> > >
> > >John B. Killoran, PhD
> > >Assistant Professor
> > >Dept. of English Language and Literature
> > >Brock University
> > >St. Catharines, Ontario
> > >L2S 3A1 Canada
> > >
> > >(905) 688-5550 ext.3886
> > >[log in to unmask]
> > >
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>
>
> Supervisor, Writing Centre
> University of New Brunswick, Saint John
> P.O. Box 5050
> Saint John, NB
> E2L 4L5
> Fax: (506) 648-5528
> Phone: (506) 648-5502
> Email: [log in to unmask]
>
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>
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