Workshop of writers

As a diachronic case study, the benefits of the development of a workshop of writers became clear, as expressed in the data-sets. The reflexive opportunities through the domain-mapping exercises, as well as group activities, were built into class sessions. As members of the class, the participants were used to discussing their work at different stages of the writing process, from sharing ideas before writing through peer support of early drafts. As Table 4.4 above shows, for most of the participants, this had been beneficial. In particular, as Lien said, discussion ‘allows ideas to be mixed … others help me fill in the gaps’, and Samuel’s comment that ‘it gives you a different perspective you may not have considered previously’. These comments support the concept of a workshop of writers, similar to Lave and Wenger's (1991) community of practice. There is the academic domain of the A Level English Language

of study; and there are the literacy practices of writing for the coursework element. The class meets the requirements of a community of practice as it operates over a period of time and also engages in problem-solving, as supported by Sean’s comment that he seeks the help of others. Participants also merge ideas from each other, and provide support.

To illustrate further the concepts of domain, community and shared practices, it is useful to revisit the recording of the discussion, following the domain-mapping exercise. The class were working in small groups within the domain of the A Level English class room, but sharing their comments with other groups. It was a noisy recording, filled with laughter and the sound of the rustling of the paper drawings. But there was a clear supportive role enacted by class members of the workshop of writers within the lively atmosphere.

Further support for the workshop of writers is evident when Lien commented on Emma’s creative voice (see 4.4.1 above). Her comment showed that not only had she read Emma’s piece carefully, but had also thought about how it had been created. Here, the shared

examples of positive feedback promote the workshop of writers. There were also examples of exchange of ideas and modification of writing styles to suit audience, during the recording. For the community of practice to work, Lave and Wenger (1991, p.116)state that shared experiences build up an informal development of knowledge, however this can be problematic if members are not given equal voice and autonomy. Here, Lien is explaining how the

experiences of others within the class have helped her develop her writing. The use of ‘spark’ as a verb is descriptive of the creative atmosphere created by the workshop of writers.

Lien:

I think discussion worked quite well cos maybe even if you are not even if you are doing something different … various ideas across from people always tend to spark a different idea inside you

Sebastian and Samuel contributed to Lien’s comments. Sebastian commented on the importance of the community, as defined by the year group, and excluded the authoritative role of the teacher. This suggests that the community of practice, certainly by the second year, is established to the extent that the expertise of the community members is recognised and valued. A possible reason for excluding the teacher from this community is that the class members have similar traits that allow them to be on the same level but at the same time to extend each other through dialogue. Samuel acknowledged that different ‘perspectives’ from others could ‘widen the scope’ of his creative writing.

Sebastian:

definitely agree that when you get someone else’s opinion in the class on it is very helpful because it is often different from the teacher and um yeah it helps you with your ideas

Samuel:

I would agree with that to add to that I think when you sort of gain other peoples’ perspective on sort of your piece your ideas in a way you sort of find out ways to make it more accessible to others rather than just have your narrow view of it that might be the case originally after you have discussed it with others it might sort of make it a little bit wider sort of like widen the scope with regard to the style you might go for

The concept of a workshop of writers is linked to what Loi and Dillon (2006, p. 364) call

‘[C]ollaborative workspaces’, which are ‘shaped by the experiences, presences and practices of people through their everyday activities’. Loi and Dillon go on to refer to ‘designed

interference’ that helps to redefine the creative space. They (ibid, p. 373) discuss the use of ‘playful triggers’ as a way of making the collaborative aspect more visible in a workshop where participants are not familiar with each other. In the A Level English Language classroom, ‘playful triggers’ are used in a variety of multimodal forms to enhance the creative space.