Metalinguistic modelling of writing: re-framing classroom talk about writing

在各个国家和地区，对学生写作成绩的担忧仍然是一个持续存在的问题。在英国，2017年关键阶段2的结果显示，写作仍然落后于阅读。埃克塞特大学（University of Exeter）写作研究中心（Centre for research in Writing）的一项累积研究表明，明确教授如何在写作中选择适当的语法，在统计上对学生的写作成绩有显著影响。与此同时，这项研究强调了高质量的写作谈话作为支持儿童学习写作选择的有力工具的重要性。高质量谈话的一个方面是教师使用“元语言模型”，这是一个由团队开发的新兴概念，涉及教师引导对话讨论的方式，讨论作者在出版文本（导师文本）中做出的选择，以及教师在自己的作文中做出的选择。研究表明，目前教师并不总是对元语言建模充满信心，也不总是利用它提供的学习潜力。拟议的博士学位将通过专注于新兴的“元语言建模”概念来发展这一关键的研究方向，寻求在理论上概念化它，并探索如何在小学课堂上进行教学操作。该研究有可能改变教师在谈论写作管理方面的做法，并通过这一点对儿童的写作成就产生实质性的影响。该研究的主要目标将是，首先，产生术语“元语言建模”的理论概念化，其次，在元语言建模中开发有效的教学实践，可以在整个专业中共享。它将由以下（临时）研究问题来塑造：-写作文本的有效元语言模型的特征是什么？-使用导师文本的有效元语言建模的特征是什么？-教师的模式和孩子在随后的写作中表现出来的是什么关系？在许多国家，例如美国、英国和澳大利亚，使用教师建模作为教学写作的一种策略已经成为课程政策的标准要素，并且是英国国家扫盲战略的关键要素。教师写作模型的教学指导倾向于强调教师与青年作家分享他们的思考和写作决策。从理论上讲，教师建模借鉴了对元认知的理解，尤其是与写作、写作过程的自我调节有关的元认知。Graham和Perin（2007）以及Graham、Wilcox和Early（2014）报告了一项研究，该研究证明了写作指导的有效性，该指导模拟了教师揭示他们如何管理写作过程的自我调节策略。然而，尽管Fisher在2002年的研究认为在实践中元认知建模是罕见的，教师发现它很困难，但关于教师如何模拟写作过程的研究相对较少。同样，教师建模的概念，无论是在专业实践还是在研究中，都倾向于关注写作过程的自我调节，特别是对规划、起草和文本修改的管理。迄今为止，除了埃克塞特大学进行的研究外，还没有研究考虑教师建模如何支持作家发展对他们作为作家所做的文本选择的元语言理解。元语言模型这一新兴概念关注的是教师模型如何帮助青年作家理解语言决策和他们可用的选择。

Concerns about students' achievements in writing remain a persistent issue, across nations and jurisdictions, and in England the 2017 Key Stage 2 results show that writing continues to lag behind reading. A cumulative body of research in the Centre for Research in Writing at the University of Exeter has demonstrated that explicit teaching of how to make appropriate grammatical choices in writing can have a statistically significant effect on student attainment in writing. At the same time, this research has highlighted the importance of high-quality talk about writing as a powerful tool for supporting children's learning about choice in writing. One aspect of high-quality talk is the teacher's use of 'metalinguistic modelling', an emergent concept developed by the team which relates to the way in which teachers lead dialogic discussion about the choices made by writers in published texts (mentor texts), and about the choices made in teachers' own compositions. The research indicates that currently teachers are not always confident in metalinguistic modelling, and do not always capitalise on the learning potential it offers.The proposed PhD will develop this critical line of research by focusing exclusively on the emergent concept of 'metalinguistic modelling', seeking to conceptualise it theoretically and to explore how it is operationalised pedagogically in the primary classroom. The research has the potential to change teachers' practice in the management of talk about writing, and through this to make a material difference to children's achievements in writing.The principal objectives of the study will be, firstly, to generate a theoretical conceptualisation of the term 'metalinguistic modelling', and secondly, to develop effective pedagogical practices in metalinguistic modelling which can be shared across the profession.It will be shaped by the following (provisional) research questions:- What characterises effective metalinguistic modelling of composing a text?- What characterises effective metalinguistic modelling using mentor texts?- What is the relationship between what teachers model and what children demonstrate in their subsequent writing? The use of teacher modelling as a strategy for teaching writing has been a standard element in curriculum policy in many countries, for example, in the United States, England and Australia, and was a key element of the National Literacy Strategy in England. Pedagogical guidance on teacher modelling of writing tends to emphasise teachers sharing their thinking and their composing decisions with young writers. Theoretically, teacher modelling draws on understanding of metacognition, and particularly in relation to writing, self-regulation of the process of writing. Graham and Perin (2007) and Graham, Wilcox and Early (2014) report research which has demonstrated the effectiveness of writing instruction which models self-regulation strategies where teachers reveal how they manage the writing process. However, there is relatively little research which examines how teachers model the writing process, although Fisher's 2002 study argued that in practice metacognitive modelling was rare and teachers found it difficult. Equally, the concept of teacher modelling, both in professional practice and in research, has tended to focus on self-regulation of the process of writing, particularly management of planning, drafting and text revision. There has been no research to date, beyond that undertaken at Exeter, which has considered how teacher modelling can support writers in developing metalinguistic understanding about the textual choices they make as writers. The emergent concept of metalinguistic modelling focuses on how teacher modelling helps young writers understandthe linguistic decision-making and the repertoire of choices available to them.