Scientific Writing: Developing Materials Without Reinventing the Wheel

Casida E. Luzares

Lecturer:Mr. Joey Z. Balsomo

GRTE208De La Salle University - D

OVERVIEW

I. The ProblemII. Needs Analysis

A. Pre-needs identificationa.1. Essence of Scientific Writing

CourseB. Needs identification

b.1. Role of subject specialist teachers

b.2. Role of students

III. Assumptions on materials development inScientific WritingA. Kind of Material/sB. Students learn Writer’s Decision MakingC. Students learn to write [science].

IV. Considerations on choosing the genre.V. Putting Together the Learning Materials.VI. Conclusion

OVERVIEW

Scientific Writing: Developing Materials Without Reinventing the Wheel

Motive Questions

• What is genre analysis?• What difference of approach do you see

between academic course and a pre-service course?

• It is not necessary to course a lot of genres, but rather to course a few in depth. Agree?

Heavy teaching loads+ large classes

LACK OF TIME to do research or to develop materials

I. The Problem

II. Needs Analysis

A. Pre-needs Identification

• Teacher/materials developer avoids overlapping of content, subject matter or skills

• Academic course or Pre-service course?

A. Pre-needs Identification• Academic course– writing tasks demanded by their specialist courses

at the university

• Pre-service course– writing tasks that required the students to do when

they start practicing the profession

II. Needs Analysis

B. Needs IdentificationB. 1. Role of subject specialist teachers

• Tell types of papers/reports• Enumerates the criteria of evaluation• Distinguishes writing problems• Being persuaded to allow their works to be

exploited for teaching purposes.

II. Needs Analysis

B. Needs IdentificationB. 2. Role of students

• Attitudes towards writing• Attitudes towards English• Attitudes towards the English teacher• Study/work habits• Level of general writing proficiency

II. Needs Analysis

III. Assumptions on materials development in Scientific WritingA. Kind of material/s

• What is writing?• What are the primary purposes of

writing in science?• How does one learn to write?• What is the role of materials in

learning how to write?

B. Students learn Writer’s Decision Making•Why am I undertaking this writing task?•Who is my reader?•What kind of information or content do I

need?• How should I organize this information or

content?

III. Assumptions on materials development in Scientific Writing

C. Students learn to write [science].•the writing task is meaningful•writing whole genre/sub-genre is meaningful

than fragments of texts/non-contextualized sentences

•discoursal and formal characteristics of the specific genre or sub-genre is understood.

•writing is non-linear.

III. Assumptions on materials development in Scientific Writing

IV. Considerations on choosing the [scientific writing] genre

• Which one is needed immediately?• How much time will it take to learn how to

write it?• Which one has already been learned in the

subject specialist courses that the students have taken?

V. Putting Together the Learning MaterialsThree types of Scientific Writing:

A. Materials that provide a venue for discovering the discoursal and/or linguistic

or formal features of the genre.

Illustration A

V. Putting Together the Learning Materials

http://www.beaconlearningcenter.com/documents/307_01.pdf

V. Putting Together the Learning MaterialsThree types of Scientific Writing:

B. Materials that provide the content or information for the writing of the text or genre.

Illustration B

V. Putting Together the Learning Materials

V. Putting Together the Learning Materials

V. Putting Together the Learning MaterialsThree types of Scientific Writing:

C. Materials that increase the learner’s awareness of the linguistic or discoursal features or items of the genre and provide practice in the use of these features.

Illustration C

V. Putting Together the Learning Materials

Conclusion

• Our age is learning a post-textbook age.• Teachers are more credible sources of

information on what are needed and what works.

Reference

GETTING STARTED:MATERIALS WRITERS

ON MATERIALS WRITING

Edited by

Araceli C. HidalgoDavid Hall

George M. Jacobs