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Taking the National Writing
Project to Singapore: A
Feasibility Study
Varalackshmi Hariharan
Singapore
Distinguished Fulbright Award for
Teachers 2012
Capst
one P
roje
ct
Guid
elin
es
Projects should encourage cross-cultural
dialogue demonstrate relevance and
applicability to education in
the grantee’s host and home
country directly reflect and incorporate
activities undertaken as part
of the Fulbright program
designed to benefit the
students and colleagues in the
grantee's home school and
community.
My
Capst
one
Proje
ct
A feasibility study to
explore setting up an
Associated International Site of the National Writing Project in Singapore by
2015
What
is t
he N
ati
onal
Wri
ting P
roje
ct?
www.nwp.org
What
is t
he
NW
P?
38 year old PD activity
began with 1 man – John Gray in Berkeley
> 200 sites in every
state of the US hosted at US universities Federally funded program & matched by university funds
The 5
-week
Invi
tati
onal S
um
mer
Inst
itute
The 5
-week
Invi
tati
onal S
um
mer
Inst
itute
By invitation & interview
Submit writing sample
Share a teaching strategy Negotiated curriculum
Write every day Peer critique & peer-led
learning Research question Work-plan to transfer
learning
What
is a
Fe
asi
bili
ty
Stu
dy?
A feasibility study looks
at the viability of an
idea with an emphasis
on identifying potential problems
and attempts to answer
one main question: Will
the idea work and
should you proceed
with it?
What
is M
y Pr
oposa
l?
The Singapore Writing
Project – an Associated
International Site of the NWP in 2015
Hosted at the English
Language Institute of
Singapore (ELIS) Area of focus – digital
writing
Is it viable?
Cri
teri
a t
o A
ssess
V
iabili
ty o
f a P
roje
ct
Stability of project Data-supported Sponsorship of project
Infrastructure Benefit to stakeholders VOC analysis Realistic Timeline Budget
✔ R
eputa
tion &
Succ
ess
es
of
NW
P
Success in transforming teacher
beliefs and impacting
student work Success in transfer of
learning Success in fostering teacher leadership
✔A
ssure
d
Support
of
NW
P
✔Po
litic
al W
ill
Connection with NWP
made in Nov 2011 Precedence of
Associated International NWP Site
in HK Commitment to effective communication as 21st
Century Competency
✔Suit
abili
ty o
f ELI
S
as
Host
Org
aniz
ati
on
Training arm of Ministry
of Education Connected to policy makers Connected to principals
and heads of department
Connected to teachers
Connected to National
Institute of Education Alignment of ELIS & NWP
goals
Comparison of Student Writing:Classes of NWP teachers (red)& non-NWP teachers (black)
✔Im
pro
ved
Perf
orm
ance
of
Stu
dents
My ‘aha’ moment was
when I realized how much
English teachers had in
common with math teachers! It is difficult to
literally use the same
activities, but it is more
the thinking of how I could
(use that activity) that I
have taken with me. It
changed how I think about
teaching!”- Ms Megan Purcell, Math
teacher at ERHS
✔ Infr
ast
ruct
ure
Timeline has been drawn up Proposed budget done
Infrastructure needed
for IT in place Contingency Funding The Coyote Fund
Biggest Stakeholder BenefitsTEACHERS
Sin
gapore
te
ach
ers
assign rather than teach writing align writing tasks to
exam needs emphasise conventions & correctness consider teaching
writing the job of the
EL teacher alone trust the external
expert
✔ B
enefits
to
Sin
gapore
Teach
ers
Encourage teacher-leadership “most teachers who attended the Invitational Summer
Institutes took on leadership roles in their
school, district or state”
(Fanscali & Nelsestuen,
2001)
✔ B
enefits
to
Sin
gapore
Teach
ers
Create professional collegiality “Every new teacher brings new skills and
ideas – every returning
teacher brings wisdom
(and also learns a lot!)”
- Megan Purcell,
ERHS
✔ B
enefits
to
Sin
gapore
Teach
ers
Impact teaching “I think educators often
forget what it is like to be
a student – afraid of not
having the right answer,
afraid of being called
stupid, or, in my case,
when I participated in the
summer institute, afraid
of not having “good enough” writing to share.”
(‘Mary’ quoted in Lieberman &Wood, p68, 2003)
✔ B
enefits
to
Sin
gapore
Teach
ers
give teachers an opportunity to get back to or get into reading educational research literature “NWP taught me to
really reflect and question more than any
class or experience”
- Megan Purcel, ERHS
BU
T…
.. no successful practice can be exported from one context to another in its entirety
Challenges & Constraints
Challe
nges
&
Const
rain
ts
Time Cultural differences Teacher Practices Scepticism Selection Process
Discomfort with Lack
of ‘Sameness’
Tim
e
Teachers likely to be
reluctant to be away
from their classes or
to give up holidays to
attend a Writing Institute Could modify the ISI?
Could explore blended
learning approach?
Cult
ura
l D
iffere
nce
s
Singapore teachers are, generally reticent
… strategies that call for
personal sharing could
meet with resistance have to be discerning in
the selection of teachers to participate
in the Institute, ensuring that they would have the ‘stamina’ for the intense work… (Alberts)
Teach
er
Pract
ices
‘humility’ and ‘shyness’ when it comes to sharing practices - tend to think that what they
do in their classes is
very ‘normal’ and not
‘worthy’ of sharing TCs will need to coach &
encourage the teachers
Teach
er
Sce
pti
cism
Will want clearly defined outcomes and
a road map The idea of learning from a peer rather than
an external ‘expert’ is
also likely to be met with scepticism.
No exam focus = “wishy-washy”, “idealistic”
Sele
ctio
n P
roce
ss
by invitation and recommendation + writing sample disquiet among
Singapore teachers as
it hints at exclusivity It will be a challenge to
get Singapore teachers
to see the ISI as an invitation to the able
Dis
com
fort
wit
h
Lack
of
‘Sam
eness
’
School leaders - used
to expecting each PD
course to deliver same
practice, same materials, same outcomes Need to explain to school leaders the reality of different needs of teachers
Quest
ions
Rem
ain
…
How will ELIS get buy-
in and publicise the SWP among teachers
in schools? How can ELIS build a
different culture and
approach to writing that is not exam-focused?
Will the idea work and should you proceed with
it?
Final A
ssess
ment
Yes…✔Political will✔Professional benefits to
teachers✔Potential for improved
performance for students
✔Suitability of host organisation ELIS
✔Assured support of NWP
✔Infrastructure & resources
To D
os
Present to ELIS Table for discussion at
Steering Committee? –
Feb 2013 Approval for Timeline &
Budget Participation in Summer
Institute – Jul 2013 Meet NWP Directors – Jul
2013 Study trip to Malta or HK?
To D
os
Decide focus of Associated International Site of
NWP in Singapore – The Singapore Writing
Project (SWP) Decide Site Leaders Decide which US Site
to partner
Meeti
ng C
apst
one
Proje
ct
Requir
em
ents
to provide Singapore teachers
with a
professional
development program that
would enable them to become
better teachers of writing.
create opportunities
for
Singapore to learn from an
excellent US professional
development program
create a platform for
conversations on writing
between US and Singapore
educators made possible through UMD
being an NWP Site & the
Fulbright experience
My T
hanks to
…
My T
hanks to
…
Dr Joseph McCaleb,University of Maryland
Mrs Wai Yin Pryke,Principal/ELIS
My T
hanks to
…
Dr Elyse Eidman-AadahNWP Director
Dr Joye Alberts,NWP Director
The teachers of Eleanor RooseveltHigh School
Mr James Miller
Mr Troy BradburyMs Michelle McGee
Ms Megan Purcell
The EndThanks be to God
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