Transcript Slide 1
Technical Writing in West Virginia
Bridgeport Conference Center Bridgeport, West Virginia October 26-28, 2011 Southern Regional Education Board Debbie Hall SREB/
HSTW/MMGW/TCTW
School Improvement Specialist
Southern Regional Education Board [email protected]
Southern Regional Education Board
Southern Regional Education Board
Essential Questions
Southern Regional Education Board • • • • • What is literacy? What is technical literacy?
What does industry say about technical writing?
How does technical writing compare to other writing genres?
How does the writing process affect technical writing?
How does technical writing relate to West Virginia Writes?
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What is literacy?
• • • Literacy encompasses reading, writing, listening, speaking and observing —the tools of language.
Learning is language based, and all teachers have a responsibility to help students learn.
Students need literacy-rich experiences across the curriculum that enhance their learning and thinking.
Reading Writing Speaking Listening Observing Creating Literacy-Rich Schools for Adolescents, Ivey & Fisher
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Technical Literacy is being able to
1. Read , analyze, interpret, communicate , and use writing in a CT field, 2.
Use mathematics to solve problems in the field, 3.
4.
Apply the processes and skills of science, including methods of inquiry, logic, and accuracy, and a knowledge of models, systems, and patterns of change, and Understand and apply the content and use the terms, concepts, and procedures of the field to find solutions to problems and to perform necessary tasks.
Rhodes, 2003
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How important is reading?
Reading is the single most important social factor in American today.
• • • • • • The more you read, the more you know.
The more you know, the smarter you grow.
The smarter you are, the longer you stay in school.
The longer you stay in school, the more diplomas you earn and the longer you are employed —thus the more money you earn in a lifetime.
The more diplomas you earn, the higher your children’s grades will be in school.
The more diplomas you earn, the longer you live.
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The opposite is also true
.
• • • • The less you read, the less you know.
The less you know, the sooner you drop out of school.
The sooner you drop out, the sooner and longer you are poor.
The sooner you drop out, the greater your chances of going to jail.
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Low Reading Scores = Jail?
“Based on this year’s fourth-grade reading scores, California is already planning the number of new prison cells it will need In the next century.” Paul Schwartz, a Coalition principal in residence at the U. S. Department of Education
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What do the experts say?
American fifteen-year-olds rank fourteenth among developed nations in reading, lagging behind such countries as Poland, Estonia, and Iceland.
Alliance for Excellent Education
, Policy Brief, April 2011.
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Reading Comprehension Pop Quiz
There I was, on a hard aid lead, and the RURP crack disappeared. I saw a micro seam, but even a Birdbeak was too large. What did I use? I put in a BURP, which is a RURP cut down with a hacksaw to make a mini-Birdbeak.
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Reading Comprehension Pop Quiz
There I was, on a hard aid lead, and the RURP crack disappeared. I saw a micro-seam, but even a Birdbeak was too large. What did I use? I put in a BURP, which is a RURP cut down with a hacksaw to make a mini-Birdbeak .
1.
Where was the writer?
2.
What disappeared?
3.
What did he see?
4.
What was too large?
5.
What is a BURP?
Southern Regional Education Board It is possible to make a perfect score on a quiz and score a perfect zero in comprehension.
Debbie Hall
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What does industry say?
Being able to read complex text independently, fluently and proficiently is essential for high achievement in college and in the workplace and important in numerous life tasks.
Alliance for Excellent Education
, Policy Brief, April 2011 .
Comprehension of reading material and the ability to use that material to create new thoughts and ideas is the major key to a person’s success in the global job market.
Procedural Literacy: Building Blocks of Comprehension.
Columbia-Montour Area Vocational-Technical School, 2007
HSTW
Assessment 2010
Southern Regional Education Board Students reported that they read an assigned book and demonstrated understanding of he significance of the main ideas at least monthly.
56% Students reported that they read and interpreted scientific or technical books and manuals at least monthly.
38% Students reported that they read eight or more books this year in English class.
10%
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HSTW
Assessment 2010
Students reported that they read an assigned article or book (other than a textbook) dealing with science at least monthly.
45% Students reported that they read and interpreted technical books and manuals to complete assignments in their career/technical classes at least weekly.
36% Students reported that they read a career related article and demonstrated understanding of the content in their career/technical classes at least monthly.
58%
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Occupational Reading Data Weekly Percentages
Mikulecky, National Adult Literacy Survey (2001) Job Mgt.
Prof.
Tech.
Sales Clerical Service Farming Crafts MachOp TransOp Laborer Memos Reports Manuals Instructions 93% 83% 71% 31% 86 82 70 85 63 68 50 61 69 71 50 57 39 54 28 31 46 37 61 47 54 41 28 27 38 27 32 19 25 28 56 31 28 28 37 24 34 25 25 20 Diagrams 30% 41 49 23 25 12 17 55 30 22 22
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Dr. Grover (Russ) Whitehurst
Assistant Secretary of Education U.S. Department of Education(2002-2008).
“Even in trades that have traditionally been manual trades or trades that are craft trades, the requirements of literacy, both numeric literacy and reading literacy, have increased to a level where the inability to perform or the ability to perform depends on literacy levels that weren’t previously required and places new demands on our education system
.”
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Dr. Grover (Russ) Whitehurst
Assistant Secretary of Education U.S. Department of Education(2002-2008).
“I had a conversation with an individual within the last year who runs a business, a large chain of garages, and who now, in recruiting mechanics, checks their reading scores and their math scores before employing an entry level mechanic.”
Southern Regional Education Board • • • • •
Bye, Bye Birdie Reasons to Avoid Round Robin Reading
It encourages • Children pay negative attitudes about reading.
Proficient readers read ahead.
Poor readers are forced to advertise their deficiencies.
• • attention only to the passage they have to read aloud.
It does not build fluency or accuracy.
Children need to read entire passages Fisher, Lapp & Flood called it “educational malpractice.” (2005) It’s boring for all.
• instead of pieces.
It does not require engagement with the text.
How important is writing?
Southern Regional Education Board “About one student in five produces completely unsatisfactory prose, about 50 percent meet ‘basic’ requirements, and only one in five can be called ‘proficient’.” National Commission on Writing (NCW), 2009
Southern Regional Education Board The nation’s private companies now spend an estimated $3.1 billion per year —and state governments spend an additional $200 million--teaching their employees to write.
National Commission on Writing (2004, 2005) National Governors Association
What do the experts say?
Southern Regional Education Board The idea is not that content area teachers should become reading and writing teachers, but rather that they should emphasize the reading and writing practices that are specific to their subjects, so students are encouraged to read and write like historians, scientists, mathematicians, and other subject area experts.
Gina Biancarosa, Carnegie Foundation
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Workplace Reading and Writing
“…college-ready skills emphasize reading multiple and complex tests and writing that calls on students to present and defend arguments.” Phillips, Vicki and Carina Wong. “Tying Together the Common Core of Standards, Instruction, and Assessments,”
Kappan
, February 2010.
Priorities Have Shifted
Southern Regional Education Board “The pedagogy of the old vocational education was based on the assumption that “how to do” was the content of courses. . . .The new direction calls for a new form of Career and Technical Education that . . .also prepares students for a constant process of skill development to maintain and extend marketable skills, so that students are able to advance in their chosen careers and adapt to rapidly changing economic conditions.” Doug Rhodes, 2003
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The old way of doing business
Teacher delivers information →Students absorb it
The new pedagogy
Procedure →Engagement→Comprehension
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Framework for Instruction
• Prepare the reader beforehand • Guide the reader through the learning • Provide after-reading opportunities such as comprehension checks Judy Richardson and Ray Morgan
. Reading to Learn in the Content Areas. 2008.
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Direct & Explicit Comprehension Strategy Instruction
• Select carefully the text used to teach a strategy.
• Show students how to use the strategy with different texts.
• Make sure text is the appropriate reading level for students.
• Provide appropriate guided practice.
• Talk about comprehension strategies while teaching them.
Improving Adolescent Literacy: Effective Classroom and Intervention Practices,
U.S. Department of Education, 2004
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Write weekly in all classes
Three Kinds of Writing Writing Writing Authentic to learn to demonstrate writing learning
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Writing to learn
• • • • • • Journals Learning Logs Exit/Admit Slips Inquiry Logs Mathematics Logs Note taking
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Writing to Demonstrate Learning
• • • • • • • • Paragraphs Summaries Open-response Questions Brief Constructed Response Extended Constructed Response Lab Reports Essays Research Assignments
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Authentic/ Technical Writing
• • • • • • • • • • • Memos Reports Letters Proposals Forms Requests Speeches PowerPoints emails Process Papers Directions
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Occupational Writing Data Weekly Percentages
Mikulecky, National Adult Literacy Survey (2001) Job Managerial Professional Technical Sales Clerical Service Farming Crafts Machine Op.
Trans. Op.
Laborer Memos 75% 33 35 51 58 23 31 34 22 40 28 Reports 87% 73 64 56 71 35 25 47 32 40 26 Forms 73% 43 49 53 63 26 24 42 26 48 28
Examples of Technical Writing:
• Action Plans • Advertisement • Agenda • Audit Report • Book Review • Brochure • Budget • Business Letter • Business Plan • Catalog • Contract • Critique • Data Book or Display entury • Description • Diagram, Chart, or Graph • Editorial • Email • Feasibility Report • Field Test Report • Incident Report • Informational Form • Informational Poster • Informative Summary • Instructions • Interview Questions • Itinerary WEST VIRGINIA DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION
Examples of Technical Writing:
• • Job Application • Job Description • Lesson Plan • Letter of Inquiry • Letter of Recommendation • Magazine/Newspaper Article • Marketing Plan • Memo • Meeting Minutes • Newsletter • Observation Report • Performance Evaluations • Persuasive Proposal Position Paper • Product Comparison • Proposal • Questionnaire entury • Research Report • Résumé/Portfolio • Scientific Paper/Report • Survey • Test • Transcription • Training Manual • Travel Guide • Web Page • Work Order WEST VIRGINIA DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION
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Common Core Curriculum
Common Core Reading Standards for Literacy in Science and Technical Subjects K-12 Common Core Writing Standards for Literacy in History/Social Studies, Science, and Technical Subjects K-12
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Common Core Curriculum
• Write arguments focused on discipline-specific content.
• Write informative/explanatory texts including the narration of historical events, scientific procedures/experiments, or technical processes.
• Produce clear and coherent writing in which the development, organization, and style are appropriate to task, purpose, and audience.
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Common Core Curriculum
• • • • Cite specific textual evidence to support analysis of science and technical texts.
Use technology, including the Internet, to produce, publish, and update individual or shared writing.
. .
Determine the central ideas or conclusions of a text; summarize complex concepts. . . paraphrasing them in simpler but still accurate terms.
Conduct short as well as more sustained research projects . .
.
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How does the writing process affect technical writing?
• Prewriting • Drafting • Revising and Editing • Publishing and Presenting
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How does technical writing relate to West Virginia Writes?
• Professional development in the areas of process writing, writing assessment, content area writing, on-demand writing, and technology writing in the 21st century • Passages and prompts for narrative, descriptive, informative, and persuasive writing • Formative writing assessment West Virginia Department of Education