The Lighthouse Diary #45: Teaching and Learning Academic Writing

Classes were delivered online last week due to the mass transport strike. We reverted to synchronous and asynchronous sessions almost as quickly and with better ease. The pandemic has taught us agility and flexibility too.

I had an engaging session with our grade 11s during our research skills session. Giving you a glimpse of how it looked like on Jamboard. Now that we are back on campus, I am meeting students individually and in small group sessions to continue the discussion on academic writing.

From their responses, topics and skills on source selection, evaluation and documentation will be taken up as well as the unpacking of an academic essay that makes use of varied sources. This is evidence of mutli-voiced writing. Also, prerequisite skills to writing academically would be source knowledge and the ways on using them. How strong are the foundation skills in referencing and research taught in the middle grades? This learning experience will reveal the extent and expanse of research skills instruction from grade 4 to grade 10.

As guide, I sent our grade 11s questions for them to think through as they prepare for the crafting of a research question and statement of inquiry.

Guide questions:

1. How would one know that sources are credible and that, the selection of sources meet the needed information or that, it answers an inquiry? It is therefore important to review the skills and knowledge on sources and how sources are used across different subjects.

2. Read the academic essay (courtesy of our English Teacher and Learning Support Teacher). Take note that context is first established, followed by a thesis statement and an identification of sources cited and attributed in-text. Also, pay attention to the tone of the writer. Notice the writer's voice.

- When is it merging with the source authors' voices?

- When does it rise above them that it asserts its own opinion as informed by a well done research?

- What words, sentences and paragraph signal that it is the writer's voice and it is the writer merging with the source authors' voices?

There will be a part 2, and 3 and onwards. This is fun, for me. The challenge is how to make it fun for a 16-17 year old high school student?