What are we doing?

[Ross Graham]

The project we are working on is a 3 year project called 'Action Research as a tool for the improvement of first year academic writing programmes in Ethiopian universities'

Our focus in this discussion group will be on actually doing the research and making and maintaning links with others in the group. Membership is limited to people in our project.

As the project leader, I'd like to welcome everyone.  The Coventry group has been working for about six weeks and we are gradually getting to grips with the tasks associated with doing action research. Over the next few months, I hope that there will be a fruitful dialogue between TRs (teacher-researchers) in Coventry, Addis Ababa and Hawassa. This will certainly be a major theme in the induction workshop to be held in Addis Ababa on 19-20 Dec 2011.

This forum is for everyone in the team. There is no leader. To make it work as a tool, everyone should use it to exchange ideas about the practical aspects of doing action research in the writing classroom. It is the way that people can keep in touch with others who may have the same interests. Of course, postings are visible to the whole group.

There is another resource, a website which is designed for blogs. The addres is http://cuba.coventry.ac.uk/cesaw/wp-admin/

This site has only just been set up. I would like the blogging site to be the place where we exchange our bigger ideas. Initially, I will set up certain topics which correspond with what the TRs in Coventry have been looking at. Anyone is invited to express their views or share useful resources. The blogging site is open to the outside, so we will get participation from others with an interest in academic writing - I hope that many of these will be from Africa.

So once again, welcome to the relaunched CESAW. 
By the way, this stands for Coventry-Ethiopia-Student-Academic-Writing

Ciao and selamta

Ross