Download - Self-Regulation in Textbooks and Assessment Tim Collins, Ph.D. National-Louis University, Chicago
Self-Regulation in Textbooks and Assessment
Tim Collins, Ph.D.National-Louis University, Chicago
Underlying Theories
• Most textbooks rely on theories of rhetoric (traditional rhetoric, process writing).
• Textbooks may be process-based or product-based.
• May focus on speaker, audience, text.
Approaches to Writing
• Product-based (focus on accuracy)• Genre-based (focus on authenticity)• Process-based (focus on fluency)• A hybrid of these(Badger and White, 2000)
Few consider composition theory.
Composition Theory
• Examines reasons why we write (other than “Miss Appleby assigned it)
• Considers internal, mental processes that happen when we write
These can be very hard to operationalize in the pages of a student book. May appear in a TE or not at all.
Internal Processes of Writing
• Motivation for writing• Creative use of rubrics• Reflections and exit slips• Side-by-Side Evaluation• Wikis, blogs, and social networking
Motivation for Writing
• Motivation may be highly instrumental (assignment or test)
• Genres we focus on may not be the genres that students actually want to write
• “Publishing” options in process writing can be nonexistent, highly contrived, unmotivating.
Creative Use of Rubrics
• Peer assessment• Self-assessment• “Focused” rubrics or general rubrics
Reflections and Exit Slips
• Reflections attached to compositions in portfolio
• Reflective writing journals• Effective use of technology (Google dox or
other software or online tools for collaborative writing and review
Side-By-Side Evaluation
• Discourse with student about writing• Opportunities to engage student about
motivation, decisions, and implications
Wikis and More
• Blogs, wikis, and similar give students reasons to write, and reasons to communicate effectively.
• Wikis in particular may show and retain all stages of revision, so writers may see and reflect upon their growth as writers during the writing process.