Catering for learner diversity

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Catering for learner diversity using variation
theory to enhance students understanding of
argumentative writing

Pat Heung Central Primary School To Kwok Kuen
2009.2.19
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Background and Aim

• New English Language Curriculum Guide (different
  text types - 6 categories)
• Individual differences (reading comprehension)
• Students learning problems (lack the experience)
  
• Narrative texts, Information texts, Exchanges,
  Procedural texts, Explanatory texts, Persuasive
  texts, (CDC, 2004 - p.17)

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Background and Aim

• Aim
• To use variation theory to improve students
  understanding of argumentative writing

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Flowchart
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About the lesson preparation

• Students had problems in understanding the
  structure of argumentative writing
• Students had great individual differences
• A pre-test was conducted in order
• to better understand their ways of understanding
  or seeing argumentative writing

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Students different ways of seeing (Pre-test)
Case 1 Teacher What is argumentative writing?
Student A Oh, argumentative writing is to
argue about write
something to tell someone that this is good and
this is bad and argue about
it.
Case 2 Teacher What is argumentative writing?
Student B There is no who, where, what and
when and no background
information in argumentative writing.
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Students different ways of seeing (Pre-test)
Case 3 Teacher What is argumentative
writing? Student C Oh, argumentative writing is
to argue about write something to tell
someone that this is good and this is
bad and argue about it.
Case 4 Teacher What is argumentative
writing? Student D Argumentative writing has
many paragraphs but fewer
words.
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Students different ways of seeing (Pre-test)
Case 5 Teacher What is argumentative
writing? Student E Argumentative writing is
something about gossip.
Case 6 Teacher What is argumentative
writing? Student F I dont know.
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About the lesson preparation

• Dr Pangs suggestions
• 3 experienced English teachers prepared and
  designed the lessons together
• - We focused on
• Students learning problems
• Students learning diversity

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About the lesson preparation

• The 2 critical aspects identified are
• 1. different ways of reading texts resulting in
  different understandings
• 2. different genres having different structures

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Lesson plan (1)
Pattern of variation/ invariance Outcome
Text Act Learner i v i Makes act visible
Text Meaning Learner i v v Makes meaning visible
Text Act Learner v i i Generalizes act across texts
Text Meaning Genre v i v Brings out genre related differences between texts
Text Type Characteristics v i v Brings out differences between texts within same genre
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Lesson plan (1)
Stage 1 Teacher uses the variation theory to
make the act visible (Same text A but different
in act) Students should discern that there are
different ways of reading Stage 2 Teacher
uses the variation theory to make the meaning
visible (Same text A but different in meaning
from their summaries) Up to here, students should
discern if they use different ways of reading to
read a text, they may have different
understandings on the same text.
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Lesson plan (1)
Stage 3 Teacher generalizes act across
texts (Read text A and B and generalize the way
of understanding and reading the
texts) Students should discern the relationship
between the way of reading and the understanding
of the text -Text A and B are narrative
texts
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Lesson plan (1)
Stage 4 Teacher points out genre-related
differences between texts (narrative and
argumentative) Read text C (similar
topic/meaning to text B but different in genre,
that is argumentative)
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Lesson plan (1)
Stage 5 Teacher guides students to discuss the
differences between text C and text D (both of
them are argumentative texts but they have
different themes) Teacher brings out differences
between texts within same genre
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Reflection
The 3 teachers discussed the performance of
students in the 4 lessons after the
instruction. The teachers reviewed the students
work and interviewed some students. They found
that after the two critical aspects of the object
of learning were introduced, students had no
significant improvement after the instruction.
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Reflection
The teachers decided to start another cycle to
deal with the students problem. After
discussion, it was concluded that some critical
aspects of the object of learning might be missed
and the texts that students have read might be
too difficult for them at this level.
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Reflection
The three additional critical aspects 3. the
difference between the meaning of descriptive
sentence and writers opinion 4. the words used
in argumentative and narrative writing (support,
agree, should.) 5. the structures of
argumentative and narrative writing.
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Reflection
Two extra lessons were spent on helping students
achieve the object of learning. At the same time,
all the texts used in the lessons were tailored
and shortened.
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Lesson plan (2)
Example 1 Ask students to read the 5 sentences
on the left-handed column (writers
opinion) Guide them to find out the similarities
of the 5 sentences Variant wordings Invariant
function of the sentences Separation and
generalization 
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Lesson plan (2)
Example 2 Let students read text C (Theme - Lies
and Honesty, argumentative) Text C has a similar
topic to text B (Theme - An Honest Boy,
narrative) Variant structure of the text
(genre) Invariant theme Students may discern the
differences of the text structure. Contrast
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Results

• Introducing variations in the second
  instructional design did help improve students
  understanding of the features of argumentative
  writing.
• Students made significant improvement in
  discerning the features of argumentative writing.
• More than half of them were able to either state
  the features of argumentative writing or
  categorize the given texts correctly.

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Suggestions

• Appropriate and sufficient variations be
  introduced in teaching to enhance students
  learning.
• Teachers reflection is important to the use of
  variation theory in teaching and learning.

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Thank you !