Texto y contexto socialAprendiendo a planificar en un taller de escritura

Abstract

The objective of this study is to analyse classroom discourse when children are learning to plan essays in a group situation. The socio-cognitive processes of a group of six eighth-grade children and their teacher are examined in classroom situations. The question raised are, first, what characteristics are seen in classroom conversational discourse when children plan essays and, second, what relationships can be established between these conversation and the quality of the essays produced? The subjects� conversation were analysed according to a category system of different planning levels that represent group transitions from more abstract levels to decisions on specific aspects of production and social practice. The essays were analysed according to the Scinto model (1986), which provides a group of indexes to quantitatively evaluate the structural and functional dimensions of the texts. The study results show, first of all, that goals present at the time of the interaction influence group levels of planning. Higher levels of planning are seen when all the children in a group collaborate in drawing up a group outline, with or without the presence of the teacher, than when they work together while writing individual outlines. Second, children who make contributions of a higher level of abstraction produce better essays regardless of their work situation.