Real-world tasks for authentic learning: Academic writing and teacher trainees

COLOMBO, LAURA; TORRE, TERESA ELIZABETH; SARTOR, MARIA VICTORIA

I Jornadas Nacionales del Profesorado de Inglés: Actas de congreso

Universidad Nacional de Mar del Plata

Lugar: Mar del Plata; Año: 2016; p. 30 - 37

Writing skills are paramount in the professional journey towards becoming a teacher. As students are asked to produce papers for their courses, they become familiar with academic writing. Nevertheless, very few or none of these projects transcend the classroom walls and are intended for publication. Departing from a sociocultural view of learning, we first discuss the importance of acquiring academic literacy practices through genuine participation in professional communities. Then, based on the idea that teacher trainees can benefit from working on real-world tasks, we share an experience where teacher and students worked collaboratively not only discussing but also enacting the literacy practices that surround writing for publication. We conclude that working with authentic writing projects can enhance not only teacher trainees´ academic writing but also their professional development as they, in fact, become practice-based knowledge producers and participate in their disciplinary communities.