1. Writing group facilitation as pedagogy: engineering learning Claire Aitchison UWS 1

2. HDR study is different HDR students have different needs –More, more diverse range of genres, more public, more accountable

3. Why writing groups, why now? Changing context -> New demands and expectations of students and student writing (and supervisors and institutions) Requiring new ways of working with students 3

4. Theoretical influences –Communities of practice, Socio-cultural theories of learning, academic literacies, process writing, genre studies Research –Mostly small scale, practitioner-based research and reflection Practice 4

5. Writing groups Are “the practice as well as the site of production and exchange of knowledge” (Aitchison and Lee, 2006) Reconstitute normal teaching learning practices and hierarchies Are safe spaces for learning and error- making Normalise writing Are collegial and fun! 5

6. The efficacy of writing groups Benefit writing quality and quantity (Aitchison, 2009; Cuthbert, Spark, Burke, 2009; Larcombe, McCosker, O’Loughlin, 2007; Lee & Boud, 2003; Murray, 2008) Facilitate individual and co-construction of knowledge and skill Build scholarly communities Build rich research and writing cultures. Capacity building 6

7. Learning occurs in writing groups In the process of writing for the group As peers read and critique that text In discussion of that writing amongst group members Through planned and spontaneous input from facilitator and peers In the subsequent re-drafting of the original text 7

8. Writing groups at UWS (1)Thesis Writing Circles ‘course’ 24 hours over 9 weeks. Early candidature (2) Research Writing Circle Continuers On-going. Mid candidature (3) Writing for Publication Circle On-going. Postdocs, ECRs, Academics 8

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11. Facilitating learning: Making a productive environment Organisational stuff –Room bookings, physical set-up etc etc –Recruitment: advertising and word-of-mouth Procedures, practices and norms –Ground rules: negotiable and non-negotiable –New people – before, at first meeting 11

12. Facilitating learning: Robust routines Between group meetings –Facilitator Follow up email, volunteer’s email, monitoring individuals –Members Read and write down critique to return to owner –Text volunteer Circulate text a week beforehand: incl what it is, maturity of text, what feedback wanted 12

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15. Facilitating learning: Robust routines Routines of practice during the meetings –Start of each session – schedule, etc –Text volunteer shapes the discussion Other considerations: when to do break? Responsibilities? Forms of feedback Monitor turn-taking, talk time and topic 15

16. Engineering learning: ‘Just in time’ teaching and learning Forward plan for teachable moments ‘Seize the teachable moment’ (spontaneous, planned and sometimes lost) From the particular -> general ->particular 16

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18. 18 Contextualising the Study: Identifying Themes of Exclusion in Anzac Texts Introduction In the previous chapter I established my personal interest in this area of research and detailed the theoretical, methodological, textual and structural underpinnings of this thesis. As indicated in the section on ‘chapter structure’, this chapter provides a contextual understanding of the Kokoda Track. This thesis is of the position that in order to understand texts based on the Kokoda Track the Anzac tradition must firstly be examined. For the reason that the Anzac tradition encompasses all Australian involved military actions since WWI (1914) to today (reference). By this definition, I argue that conflicts on the Kokoda Track during WWII are part of the Anzac tradition. This chapter begins by establishing the history and the significance of the Anzac tradition. The remainder of this chapter conceptualises the Kokoda Track in context of the Anzac tradition by exploring what I have identified as themes of exclusion, which form the main arguments in the following chapters.

19. Engineering learning In action Scaffolding eg joint-texting (dialogic, ZPD) Modelling eg feedback Summarising feedback Reflective journals, free writing etc 19

20. Writing groups: Safe places to share the wonder of writing and the joy of working together as a community of learners.