The acquisition of norms underlying academic writing does not start at the University, it emerges gradually from argumentative and factual writing in school. This, combined with the introduction of the five basic skills through the new National Curriculum in Norway (Kunnskapsløftet, LK06), makes it worthwhile to investigate writing cultures especially in secondary school. What are students' writing experiences when they enter higher education? To what degree are they prepared to meet the demands of different academic cultures, and how well are they trained in argumentative writing?

The FAGER project (FAgskriving i GRunnopplæringen) is an umbrella over several projects focusing on non-fictional writing in Norwegian secondary school. The aim is to describe the writing culture of selected school subjects, including vocational programs. It is anchored at Department of Teacher Education and School Research (ILS) at the University of Oslo, but it also involves researchers from two university colleges:

• Frøydis Hertzberg (project leader, professor, University of Oslo)
• Kristin Helstad (ph.d. student, University of Oslo)
• Karl Henrik Flyum (writing teacher, University of Oslo)

• Ellen Beate Halvorsen (ph.d. student, Akershus University College)

• Anne Kristine Øgreid (ph.d. student, Oslo University College)

Frøydis Hertzberg

A: The Fagerbakken Project: Investigating teacher cooperation about writing in and across disciplines - A case study from an upper secondary school

At “Fagerbakken” upper secondary school a group of teachers from a wide range of subject areas has cooperated about students’ writing for four years. The driving force has been to develop themselves as writing instructors and to arrive at some common standards across disciplines. The researcher following the project has two additional aims: First, to explore diverging norms and the way they are being expressed in text discussions, second, to investigate the role of the school leader.
 

Kristin Helstad
Collective knowledge building among teachers in upper secondary school: writing across the disciplines (PhD project)

Helstad sees the Fagerbakken project as an example of teachers’ professional learning. It focuses on two aspects: the interaction between the teachers and the cooperating writing researchers during text discussions, and the role played by the head of the school. In what way does she support the project, and what initiatives are taken to make it a concern of the school as a whole? The data are transcripts from meetings, interviews with teachers and Head of School, and students’ texts.

Karl Henrik Flyum
(see skrivekurs.uio.no/nettlogg)
Having specialized in the teaching of academic writing, Flyum’s contribution to the project has been along these two lines:

Rhetoric and the Literature of Science
Adaption of subject-specific genre knowledge from international rhetoric of science studies for use in the teaching of subject-specific writing in basic training as well as higher education.

Rhetorical Writing Training
Development of rhetorical exercises and exercise methods for teaching writing within different subject areas.

B: Writing Skills in Vocational Education and Training

Ellen Beate Halvorsen

How do teachers and instructors implement the development of students’ writing skills in selected vocational subjects? How do teachers of Norwegian in the same programmes direct their written assignment to make them meaningful?
     The study includes both systematic studies of public documents, and also empirical studies of the school context and its extension; the training establishment, based on observation of the teaching and interviews with the teachers. The data are transcripts from meetings, interview with teachers and students, and samples of student texts.

Anne Kristine Øgreid

The project aims at describing and analyzing students’ writing in three subject areas in lower secondary school: Natural Science, Social Science and Religion. In addition the project also aims at describing the challenges the teachers facing when collaborating on teaching students writing.

• Øgreid, A. K.  & Hertzberg, F. 2009: Argumentation in and Across Disciplines: Two Norwegian Cases. Argumentation 4/2009, no. 23:451-468. 

• Two midway reports from FAGERBAKKEN upper secondary: Skriving i alle fag (2008), Skriving i alle fag II (2009).

• Three master theses about writing in Physical Education (Bjørg Valan 2008), Natural Science (Ådne Obrestad 2009) and Social Science (Siri Østern 2008).

• Book with contributions from teachers, researchers and head of the school (forthcoming, at Universitetsforlaget).