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Book part
Publication date: 5 October 2015

Darolyn “Lyn” Jones

The Indiana Writers Center (IWC) believes that everyone has a unique story to tell. The mission of IWC is to nurture a diverse writing community, to support established and…

Abstract

Abstract: Chapter Description

The Indiana Writers Center (IWC) believes that everyone has a unique story to tell. The mission of IWC is to nurture a diverse writing community, to support established and emerging writers, to improve written and verbal communication, and to cultivate an audience for literature in Indiana (About the Indiana Writers Center, 2012, para. 1).

For more than 30 years, the IWC, a nonprofit organization, has worked to foster a vibrant literary writing community in Indiana, providing education and enrichment opportunities for both beginning and accomplished writers. (About the Indiana Writers Center, 2012, para. 1).

Teacher, writer, and community activist Darolyn “Lyn” Jones was asked to join the staff at the IWC in 2005 to meet the new initiative: take writing out of the center and to marginalized writers. Her charge was to help writers both find and share their voice.

The origin of this initiative began with a group of girls, ages 12–22 in a maximum state prison. The girls became the Center’s muse and because of their words, the Center was compelled to build, create, and nurture even more youth writers. The backstory of the IWC work with the girls will be featured in this chapter.

The product of that early work has now evolved into Building a Rainbow, an eight-week long summer writing program designed to teach creative narrative nonfiction writing program to youth using a curriculum that helps them identify meaningful moments, see them in their mind’s eyes, and bring them alive on the page in vivid, compelling scenes.

Currently funded by the Summer Youth Program Fund (SYPF) in Indianapolis, the Building a Rainbow writing program is free to youth participants and held in various locations that serve a diverse student population. This chapter will highlight our work with four different community partners: our first group of youth, girls at a maximum state prison, and our current work with an all African-American youth development summer camp for students ages 6–18 run by the Indianapolis Fire Department, a Latino leadership institute that works with Latino students ages 11–16, and a south side, historic community center that works primarily with Caucasian students living in poverty.

By forging new collaborative relationships with arts organizations, schools and universities, community organizations and social service providers, IWC has worked successfully to

  • Create community with our writers and with partnering sites

  • Identify, sort, and prioritize program objectives (Caffarella, 2002, p. 21) in designing and delivering curriculum that meets the diverse needs of each site’s student group and meets our mission

  • Solicit and train instructors, university student interns, and community volunteers (Caffarella, 2002, p. 21)

  • Present, publish, and perform our work for the greater writing community.

Create community with our writers and with partnering sites

Identify, sort, and prioritize program objectives (Caffarella, 2002, p. 21) in designing and delivering curriculum that meets the diverse needs of each site’s student group and meets our mission

Solicit and train instructors, university student interns, and community volunteers (Caffarella, 2002, p. 21)

Present, publish, and perform our work for the greater writing community.

Besides learning about the programming above, readers can also read and hear the words and voices of students at the sites as they share their memoirs of people, places, and events that have shaped them.

Details

Living the Work: Promoting Social Justice and Equity Work in Schools around the World
Type: Book
ISBN: 978-1-78441-127-5

Keywords

Book part
Publication date: 19 August 2020

Peggy Johnson and Jason Spartz

This chapter argues that promising opportunities for digital education in the humanist tradition can be found in college co-curricular programs that connect critical thinking…

Abstract

This chapter argues that promising opportunities for digital education in the humanist tradition can be found in college co-curricular programs that connect critical thinking, creativity, digital technology, and global writing to public service and community citizenry. In this chapter, digital literacy co-curricular programs, which in simple terms merge digital technology and public writing, are titled “digital activism” because they give students opportunities to bring their academic learning to real-world experiences in ways that are meaningful to students and that benefit the college community. This chapter presents an ethnographic case study of one co-curricular digital activism program at a small private Midwestern university. Information was collected from description of interactions with the program’s team as well as from scholarly literature on digital technology, digital literacy, and technology’s impact on young adults. This information provided valuable background and context to the study. The case study highlights the stages of the program’s development and the outcomes of the program after its one-year pilot initiation. Case study findings show that co-curricular digital activism programs can positively impact students by offering them the freedom to develop rich collaborations, the responsibility to make conscious, ethical choices about how they share knowledge, and a platform to teach their peers, as well as other internal stakeholders, about issues that matter to them. This chapter supports the notion that co-curricular digital activism programs can empower students to use teaching and learning to shape their college communities into vibrant places of respect and mutuality.

Details

Integrating Community Service into Curriculum: International Perspectives on Humanizing Education
Type: Book
ISBN: 978-1-83909-434-7

Keywords

Book part
Publication date: 27 June 2008

Susan A. Lynn and Thomas E. Vermeer

Over the last twenty years, many studies have examined the impact of structured writing programs on improving accounting students’ writing skills. In this chapter, we extend this…

Abstract

Over the last twenty years, many studies have examined the impact of structured writing programs on improving accounting students’ writing skills. In this chapter, we extend this research by using writing assignments that are representative of the workplace writing experiences that students encounter in their professional careers, by developing an evaluation instrument to assess the effectiveness of structured writing programs, and by using business advisory board members to evaluate improvement in students’ writing. Our results suggest that our new approach to designing writing assignments representative of workplace writing helps students improve their writing skills. Our business advisory board members’ ratings indicate that the overall quality of the students’ writing improved over two semesters of completing a series of workplace writing assignments. Specifically, our structured writing program improved students’ business writing skills in the areas of organization (paragraph unity, layout, and conclusion) and style and tone (conciseness and word choice). Students also improved in their ability to explain technical aspects of accounting work and in certain aspects of spelling, punctuation, and grammar. The results and tools provided in this study should assist other programs in either implementing or improving a structured writing program.

Details

Advances in Accounting Education
Type: Book
ISBN: 978-1-84950-519-2

Article
Publication date: 17 August 2021

Julia Hagge

The purpose of this paper is to examine the ways in which early adolescent programmers embed meaning in their digital media created within an online programming community called…

Abstract

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to examine the ways in which early adolescent programmers embed meaning in their digital media created within an online programming community called Scratch.

Design/methodology/approach

The author completed an 18-month descriptive case study with 5 early adolescent participants. The research design included a multimodal analytic analysis of participant artifacts and inductive analysis of semi-structured interviews and transcription frames.

Findings

Participants embedded meaning to achieve four primary purposes, namely, to guide visitors through exhibits, to story, to engage in conversation and to game. To achieve each goal, the participants embedded unique semantic cues within specific Scratch structures.

Research limitations/implications

Questions for how researchers in literacy and learning can further explore meaning-making within programming-as-writing are suggested.

Practical implications

Connections to the supportive structures within Scratch are discussed in the context of programming-as-writing. Considerations regarding the use of Scratch to promote programming-as-writing are provided for educators.

Originality/value

The findings in this study provide an introductory step toward an enhanced understanding of the ways in which youth embed meaning into digital media as they engage in programming-as-writing. Although coding has been researched within the context of computer science, the use of coding in multimodal composition should be explored as it relates to literacy practices.

Details

English Teaching: Practice & Critique, vol. 20 no. 3
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 1175-8708

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Article
Publication date: 4 September 2017

Rachel Williamson and Rebecca Jesson

This paper aims to investigate the viability of blogging over the summer holidays as an intervention to ameliorate the Summer Learning Effect (SLE) in writing. The SLE is the…

Abstract

Purpose

This paper aims to investigate the viability of blogging over the summer holidays as an intervention to ameliorate the Summer Learning Effect (SLE) in writing. The SLE is the impact on achievement of taking a break from school over summer, and has been documented to affect differentially those students who come from low socioeconomic status (SES) communities compared with their more affluent peers. However, previous studies within similar communities suggest that the effect is not inevitable, and is amenable to intervention.

Design/methodology/approach

The present study is set in a group of low SES schools where students already have individual learning blogs. The Summer Learning Journey was designed by the research team in consultation with students and teachers from the schools and trialled in January 2015. The design of the programme drew on previous research that suggested that students would be motivated by interest, rather than achievement, and that literacy activity over summer should be leisure-based.

Findings

Initial evidence suggests that students who participated made measurable improvements compared with their own progress over the previous summer and also compared with a matched control group of students, and that the observed difference continued over the 2016 school year.

Research limitations/implications

The study provides initial evidence of quite substantial differences in achievement for those students who were active bloggers.

Originality/value

The study provides an alternative direction from current summer learning programmes and indicates the potential for designing digital opportunities for learning at times when the school is not in session.

Details

English Teaching: Practice & Critique, vol. 16 no. 2
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 1175-8708

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Article
Publication date: 1 March 2003

James K. Elmborg

Points out the similarities and differences between library instruction and writing instruction in the higher education curriculum. Notes that information literacy librarians can…

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Abstract

Points out the similarities and differences between library instruction and writing instruction in the higher education curriculum. Notes that information literacy librarians can learn from the experiences of composition instructors regarding curricular revision and reform. Suggests that one of the keys to information literacy reaching its potential is to find common ground with programs like Writing across the Curriculum.

Details

Reference Services Review, vol. 31 no. 1
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 0090-7324

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 9 April 2018

Nicholas Alexander Hayes, Steffanie Triller Fry and Kamilah Cummings

The purpose of this paper is to describe, reflect on, and problematize the curricula and student support created by the Writing Program at DePaul University’s School for New…

Abstract

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to describe, reflect on, and problematize the curricula and student support created by the Writing Program at DePaul University’s School for New Learning. This case study discusses the challenges and considerations that the authors have used to develop writing classes and support for non-traditional adult students.

Design/methodology/approach

This qualitative case study emerges from the practical experience and theoretical knowledge of the three authors. The experience includes development, implementation, and revision of curricula and support services to fit the changing needs of the non-traditional student population.

Findings

The growing majority of students demonstrate at least one non-traditional characteristic: delayed postsecondary education enrollment, lack of high school diploma, part-time enrollment, full-time employment, multiple dependents besides a spouse, etc. In the face of institutional indifference, these populations frequently fail to receive the support that meets their particular needs.

Practical implications

Using their own experience of creating a Writing Program that meets the needs of adult non-traditional students, the authors discuss practical strategies for and possible pitfalls of providing writing support that can be adapted for similarly underserved student populations.

Originality/value

The paper does present interesting approaches for educating adult students. It covers the unique challenges in this population, and the the approaches that are specifically tailored toward meeting their needs.

Details

Journal of Applied Research in Higher Education, vol. 10 no. 2
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 2050-7003

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 24 October 2008

Fiona Bradley

The purpose of this article is to explore barriers and motivators for new professionals who write and present for the professional literature.

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Abstract

Purpose

The purpose of this article is to explore barriers and motivators for new professionals who write and present for the professional literature.

Design/methodology/approach

Authors from the ALIA New Librarians' Symposium held in December 2006 in Sydney, Australia were surveyed about their experiences of writing and presenting early in their career. The author of this paper was the symposium's programme coordinator.

Findings

The majority of authors were working in Australia, and few were required to write or present as part of their work role. In the absence of this requirement, factors that motivate new professionals to write can be difficult to define. Barriers to writing include time, skills, and responsibilities outside work.

Originality/value

The paper discusses a publishing opportunity aimed at new professionals and other strategies to reduce barriers to writing and presenting.

Details

Library Management, vol. 29 no. 8/9
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 0143-5124

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Article
Publication date: 13 November 2017

Latisha Reynolds, Amber Willenborg, Samantha McClellan, Rosalinda Hernandez Linares and Elizabeth Alison Sterner

This paper aims to present recently published resources on information literacy and library instruction providing an introductory overview and a selected annotated bibliography of…

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Abstract

Purpose

This paper aims to present recently published resources on information literacy and library instruction providing an introductory overview and a selected annotated bibliography of publications covering all library types.

Design/methodology/approach

This paper introduces and annotates English-language periodical articles, monographs, dissertations and other materials on library instruction and information literacy published in 2016.

Findings

The paper provides information about each source, describes the characteristics of current scholarship and highlights sources that contain unique or significant scholarly contributions.

Originality/value

The information may be used by librarians and interested parties as a quick reference to literature on library instruction and information literacy.

Details

Reference Services Review, vol. 45 no. 4
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 0090-7324

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 3 June 2014

Jamie White-Farnham and Carolyn Caffrey

The purpose of this article is to describe the rationale, process and results of an integrated curricular intervention for information literacy instruction in a first-year writing

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Abstract

Purpose

The purpose of this article is to describe the rationale, process and results of an integrated curricular intervention for information literacy instruction in a first-year writing program.

Design/methodology/approach

The information literacy coordinator collaborated with writing instructors and the Writing Program Administrator on the initial design of information literacy outcomes. The librarian and instructors created a modular curriculum with multiple lessons and activities aligned to each outcome. The curriculum was housed in the course management system for easy updating and distribution. Finally, instructors taught the embedded information literacy activities for two semesters and measured student improvement through a pre-/post-survey and a rubric-based assessment of students’ citation and documentation.

Findings

Students saw significant gains over the course of the semester in their ability to use Boolean operators, identify the purpose of sources and understand citation styles. As a related and valuable measure, writing program assessment results showed an improvement in students’ performance in citation and documentation in researched writing assignments after a one-year implementation of the intervention. Writing instructors reported an increased awareness of information literacy pedagogy and intentionality in their teaching. Finally, the librarian was able to leverage this collaboration to highlight the teaching roles of librarians beyond the one-shot.

Originality/value

Well-known temporal and logistical limits exist in regard to embedded, one-shot and multi-shot approaches to information literacy. The latter two are especially unsustainable when implemented at scale, such as within a first-year writing program that serves hundreds or thousands of students each semester. This study documents a faculty development approach in which writing instructors integrate information literacy (IL) into their own instruction. This offers a model that makes explicit IL processes and skills to writing instructors, results in high student performance and allows especially the small college librarian to manage his/her other strategic information literacy partnerships.

Details

Reference Services Review, vol. 42 no. 2
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 0090-7324

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