A3 Book section, Chapters in research books
Writing, learning and the development of expertise in higher education (2001)

Tynjälä, P. (2001). Writing, learning and the development of expertise in higher education. In P. Tynjälä, K. Lonka, & L. Mason (Eds.), Writing as a Learning Tool. Integrating Theory and Practice (pp. 37-56). Kluwer Academic Publishers. Studies in Writing, 7. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-94-010-0740-5_4

JYU authors or editors

Publication details

All authors or editors: Tynjälä, Päivi

Parent publication: Writing as a Learning Tool. Integrating Theory and Practice

Parent publication editors: Tynjälä, Päivi; Lonka, Kirsti; Mason, Lucia

ISBN: 0-7923-6877-0

Journal or series: Studies in Writing

Publication year: 2001

Number in series: 7

Pages range: 37-56

Publisher: Kluwer Academic Publishers

Place of Publication: Dordrecth, the Netherlands

Publication country: Netherlands

Publication language: English

DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-94-010-0740-5_4

Publication open access: Not open

Publication channel open access: 

Abstract

This chapter combines the issue of writing to learn with recent views of the development of prerequisites of professional expertise during higher education. The knowledge-intensive or symbolicanalytic work characteristic of today's professional jobs challenges educationalists to develop instructional methods that integrate domain-content learning with practising the general skills needed in today’s working life. It is argued here that constructivist and social constructivist views of learning offer promising starting points for developing instruction of this kind. Different traditional and novel fonns of writing are discussed from the viewpoint of these constructivist approaches and expertise development. It is concluded that each form of student writing has different benefits. Different fonns of writing and writing assignments entail different kinds of activities and thinking processes that, in turn, lead to different kinds of learning. From the perspectives of constructivism and studies of expertise, the general direction in developing writing-to-leam tasks would be moving from reproductive learning towards various reflective, metacognitive, and knowledge-building activities and integrating writing with other fonns of learning and studying such as reading and group discussions.

Keywords: writing; learning; higher education (teaching)

Contributing organizations

Ministry reporting: Yes

Preliminary JUFO rating: Not rated