Module: English and Communication: Writing Skills for Social Work potx

European Master in Social Work

C1 English Communication: Writing skills for social work Student manual
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Module: English and Communication:
Writing Skills for Social Work

Hanze University Groningen : Applied Sciences
Drs. Marion Troia,
European Master in Social Work

C1 English Communication: Writing skills for social work Student manual
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Introduction
English & Communication is a foundational module that helps students to strengthen their study
skills since the Masters programme is entirely in English. Students have an opportunity to improve
skills needed to be able to carry out the assignments of other modules and courses, such as research
papers or the final thesis. Social Workers at a senior level need to be able to write not only
descriptive texts, such as case / client reports, they also need to write analytically. Analytical writing

is not the same as narrative or descriptive writing in terms of both structure and language. It is
important to note that English & Communication is not a remedial English language course. Students
are expected to have a Common European Framework for Languages, (CEFL) level of higher B2 or low
C1, that is, upper intermediate to advanced. The IELTS score expected is 6.5.

Module aims
Students will be prepared for the study of Social Work at a graduate level in English in this module.
Writing tasks are similar to those that students will carry out for other modules and professional
products. Students will practice APA Style for both in-text citations and end- of - text reference lists.
The skills of English practiced in relation to these intercultural aspects of the module are both oral
and written. Students will write and improve a report of an authentic case to bridge the messy reality
of practice in the field with scientific and academic presentation of problems and solutions.

On completion of the module students are able to ……….
 Design texts according to the commonly agreed features of academic / professional writing in
Social Work
 Apply the appropriate forms of layout and APA Style for in-text citation and the final reference list
 Apply editing tools to revise student texts
 Appraise and analyse intercultural interactions in welfare work using incidents from their own
work experience

Competencies
Although this course will build skills needed for all professional roles, the main one is Practitioner-
Researcher. This module is particularly relevant for two generic competencies of the EMSW:

Competency 7. Professionalize
This module will provide students with chances to build up ‘professionalization competencies’ for
producing both academic and professional products such as Advisory Reports, Project Plans, Project
Evaluation studies etc. Students will practice writing analytical reports to learn these skills.

Competency 8. Cooperate Internationally
A major element in international cooperation is competent communication. Students will use role
plays and discussions to explore intercultural issues and values in working with migrants and to
improve the capacity to bridge (inter) communication barriers sensitively.

It is also highly relevant for two Dublin competencies:

Communication
Students will have opportunities to critically analyse with the intercultural communication skills and
concepts central to transnational / multicultural welfare work. These will focus specifically on
potential misunderstandings commonly experienced by social work practitioners in situations with
clients from different cultural backgrounds.

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Learning Skills
By discussion of the principles and practice of academic writing for assignments, such as essays and/
or project reports and by carrying out peer editing, students will learn to improve their writing in
English dialogically. Students use a case study approach to provide input for writing, and small group
discussion to provide opportunities to express ideas in English before and after writing. They will
learn to identify patterns in their own errors and to plan how to improve accuracy and rhetorical
power.

Professional Role - Practitioner Research
By the end of this module students will use individual assignments, peer- feedback and participation
in collaborative activities that will strengthen them in being practitioner researchers. They will have
become familiar with the structural and linguistic requirements of research reports according to

mainstream international standards. Students will also focus on the writing process connecting
theories, concepts and models to practice. There will be a webpage in the EMSW home site with
these and other links for academic and professional English.

Organisation of the module
Before Meeting Week Assignments The following assignments are expected to take the student
approximately 9 hours.
Task 1 is a short self assessment of each student’s proficiency as a writer. The assessment form is on
page 7of this Module Guide. The student must fill in the assessment form and send it digitally to the
teacher one week before the meeting week.
Task 2 is completion of an online diagnostic test of English (Dialang) with and an online diagnosis of
their general level of English with an indicator of strengths and weaknesses and identification of an
individual learning goal. The student should go to the website www.dialang.org, find the section on
writing and take the writing test for English. They must save the results and feedback on the test
digitally and send it to the teacher one week before the meeting week.
Task 3 is the preparation of a professional text, that is a short analytical report that requires the use
of primary (that is unpublished, internal documents) and secondary (that is published texts such as
research articles by experts) sources. The report will describe a critical incident with intercultural
aspects that they have experienced at their work. It will also attempt to carry out an analysis of this
incident in terms of intercultural communication. The guidelines for writing the report on are page
10 of this Guide.
Meeting Week Activitie
In the meeting week a total of 16 hours will be used. This includes homework after day one.
Day 1 (Monday of the Meeting week) During the e-learning session, 2 hours will be spent in a
computer lab. This time will be shared with the blended learning instructor. Students will be
introduced to the online learning sites and procedures of the module. They will focus on interactive
sites for APA. Students will form smaller groups and pairs that will continue in the online
environment.
Day 2 (Thursday of the Meeting week)
There will be a 5 hour face – to – face session on one day. This session will cover the content

elements of English and give a small amount of exposure to intercultural communication concepts.
English aspects include ‘workshopping’ the reports written in advance with peer feedback. Included
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C1 English Communication: Writing skills for social work Student manual
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in the exercises will be some practice in in-text citation. Homework will include finishing an online
tutorial for APA and rewriting their texts.
After Meeting Week Assignments
Students will use the remaining 40 to carry out tasks in the EMSW virtual learning environment (VLE).
The main task is to take an essay or report written for another module and rewrite it using what the
student has learnt about professional English. Several sub-tasks are carried out to help the student
complete this main task. One of these is to exchange texts with a partner student. The tasks are set
out on the following page but to be clear they are also given here:
A revised / rewritten essay or report accompanied by:
- the original essay or report submitted in another module
- a completed Improvement Plan (page 8)
- copies of 6 exercises from the site UEfAP www.uefap.com : 2 functional, 2 grammar, 2 vocabulary
- a completed Peer Feedback Form from a fellow student (page 11)
Study load
2 ECTS which represents a total of 56 hour work load for the student.
Assessment: (weighting and compulsory information) The assessment consists of a completed
Portfolio including: (nos. 1,2, & 3 are prepared in advance)
1. Self-assessment: What kind of writer are you? (page 9)
2. Intercultural incident report (page 10 for guidelines)
3. Dialang writing test score
4. Outcome APA tutorial (score or reflection)
5. Revised / rewritten essay or report accompanied by:
6. Original essay or report submitted in another module

7. Completed Improvement Plan (page 8)
8. Copies of 6 exercises from the site UEfAP www.uefap.com : 2 functional, 2 grammar, 2 vocabulary
9. Completed Peer Feedback Form from a fellow student (page 11)

Requirements
All assignments must be submitted in order for the mark to be awarded. Any missing assignments
will result in a fail. For the essay or report a 10 point rating scale is used. See page 7 for criteria. The
minimum pass mark is for the re-written essay or report text is 5.5. Students awarded between a 4.9
and 5.5 can improve their tasks within a month. Students who have failed through incompletion of
the portfolio (or who had a mark of 4.8 or lower) will not be allowed to improve their texts. They will
have to attend some sessions again in year two and /or choose a new text to re-write.











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Assignment & Procedures
type of mark &
teacher support

Deadlines
3 Pre-meeting tasks:
a)Self assessment
b)Report based on a critical case with
intercultural aspects
c) results of Dialang writing test (only)


Selected exercises on writing:
at least two functions- exercises from –

at least two vocabulary exercises
at least two grammar exercises

Peer text exchange and feedback online:
Send an original text of an essay or report to
another student and
Edit / give feedback on one essay or report of
another student in terms of Quality of
Structure and Quality of Language (see form
page 11)


Pass/ fail mark
Pass = completed
task

Teacher can be
asked to help with
feedback giving and
will give a general
evaluation of
feedback task of the
group
One week
before
Meeting Week




Week 10
semester


Week 14 of
semester to
send own text
to partner

Week 16 to
send feedback
form to

partner
Receive and use feedback from another
student to rewrite an essay or report etc.
required for another module + analysis of
patterns of error and plan for improvements
(See Improvement Plan in this Guide)
100 %Graded :see
criteria page 7
Teacher will look at
drafts if requested

Week 20 for
submission of:
1.original text
with feedback
2.rewritten
essay/ report
3.improvement
plan

Rewritten Essay or Report / Assessment Sheet


Introduction
 lead-in ( background, etc.)
 statement of purpose, going from general to specific
 includes problem statement or main issue and main points or research questions
(if applicable)
 preview of the contents of the paper

/15
Body paragraphs
 clear sections with introduction/link in each section
 sufficient support (examples, statistics, expert opinions, etc.)
 ideas from outside sources are relevant, sufficiently elaborated, and synthesised
 all point develop the topic (no irrelevancies)



/25


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Correct APA Referencing Evidence of PLAGIARISM = 0 marks for the whole assignment
= a high level of mistakes = an automatic rewrite
 in-text citation
 paraphrasing (clearly in student’s own words)
 direct quotations (no more than 10% of final copy)
 technique : citations fit into the text appropriately & grammatically
 effectively implements APA workshop material



/10
Reference list/ Works Cited list is correct according to APA

/5
Style
Formality (appropriate style of language for the assignment)
 written in an audience orientated way
 balance between formal and informal
/
/5
Variety and accuracy of vocabulary
 correct choice of words
 vocabulary has variety and interest (avoids using simplistic expressions &or
repetition)
/5
Conciseness
 direct and to the point (avoids using wordy phrases)
/5
Coherence
 flow of sentences is smooth (avoids using awkward, ambiguous, confusing
sentences)
/5
Grammar
 complete sentences (lack of fragments, run-on sentences)
 use of transitional words and phrases (linking or connectors)
 correct word order
 correct use of tenses, verb/noun and singular/ plural agreement
 correct prepositions, correct word form (i.e. endings)

/20
Mechanics
 correct use of capitals, commas,
avoid overuse of bold font, !, semi-colon

 spelling
/5

Improvement Plan

First, evaluate for yourself. What did you do well? Where did you go wrong? How does this compare
with your self - assessment of your writing proficiency?

Second, read and absorb the feedback from your partner. Make a list of your structural and language
errors, see if you can find any patterns of error. Check the in-text referencing using the websites and
your set book (Swales & Feak) correct the citations in text and the reference list as required.

Third, make a new plan for the essay/report; how are you going to solve the language problems, how
are you going to make the content better and present your points with convincing support?

Please submit the pattern of error list and the answer to the third question with your rewritten
essay/report and the original essay/report.


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Pre – meeting week task no. 1: What kind of writer are you?

Complete the questionnaire by ticking (√) the appropriate column.
Never| Often | Sometimes |Always

1 2 3 4

I am confident that my texts are convincing and
will be evaluated the way I want them to be.

I do much of the research needed
before I start to write.

I make an outline before drafting.

I know how to adapt my style to the intended audience.

I write a draft first and review it.

I proof-read and revise my work before
handing it in.

I know how to link ideas effectively.

I am sure the reader understands my points.

I understand the differences between
academic English and non-academic English.

I know how to make a reference list in APA.

I understand what constitutes plagiarism.

I know how to paraphrase complex ideas in my own words.

I have an idea of my own patterns of error.

I support my points with accepted forms of evidence.

My writing is clear.

My writing is concise.

I know how to proofread and edit academic writing.

I am confident that my grammar, punctuation and spelling are correct.

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Pre – meeting week task no. 2 Guidelines: Critical incident report

I. INTRODUCTION

Background information on the organisational where the incident took place

II. DESCRIPTION OF THE INCIDENT in DETAIL

Choose a problem, confusing or tense situation or puzzle involving client (s) or colleague(s) who have
some kind of cultural differences

It can be a single incident or event but it can (also) be the result of a series of interactions that built
up during a project or module

Do not use general or vague descriptions - Be concrete; recount ‘who, what, when, where,’ in
sufficient detail

A misunderstanding between people from the same country is possible too

Identify as many context factors / elements as needed

Give a chronology

III. ANALYSIS

Use concepts of intercultural (or intracultural) sensitivity/ communication to analyse what happened


IV. CONCLUSION & RECOMMENDATIONS

Go from specific to general; summarise the main points; consider what a practitioner could do to
improve intercultural interaction in similar incidents/ situations in future


LIST OF REFERENCES

At least two academic sources must be used in the analysis

Length : 2 to 3 pages
Arial font 11 : 1.5 spacing

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Peer Feedback Form

Name of feedback giver ……………………………………………………………

Name of writer…………………………………………………………………………

I Quality of Structure – the feedback giver should write out the answers on a separate page in
Microsoft word.

1. Were all of the elements of an essay included, i.e., is there an introduction from general to
specific, with a main topic or thesis sentence included? Are there body paragraphs and a
conclusion from specific to general? Give examples.

2. Is there a clear pattern of logic in the structure? If not give examples of confusing parts.

3. Are the points consistent and convincing? Are there irrelevant points? If so identify them.

4. Are the paragraphs well developed, i.e. is there a topic sentence that expresses the controlling
idea? Are the topics then explained or qualified? Is there sufficient support in order to prove the
points through the use of examples, statistics, anecdotes, expert opinions? Give at least one
example where support is insufficient.

II Quality of Language -The feedback giver can use the editing tools of Microsoft for this section if
desired and thus use red font, symbols in the text and comments in the margins of the text ,
renaming it “revised version”

1.What is the level of grammatical error? How many of the same type of errors are made? How
serious are the errors, what type are they? Identify with examples from the writer’s text.
1a. fragments or run on sentences
1b. problems with tenses
1c. problems with prepositions
1d. problems with word order
1
e
problems with the form of words (i.e. confusion of Sing/plural or adj/adv)
1
f
. problems with understanding due to the use of a completely wrong word

2. Are sentences linked coherently using linking words for referring back and phrases for signposting?
Show where links are missing.

3. Is there sufficient richness and variety in the vocabulary or is there a lot of repetition? What level
of interest does the vocabulary have, are similes or metaphors used? Is the appropriate level of
formality used or is the language too personal/ informal etc?Sow examples of repetition or language
that is too informal.

4.Is the referencing correct according to APA rules? Where are the errors?


5.What is the level of mechanical error? How are commas used? How many mistakes are there in
spelling? Are there formatting problems, etc.? Mask errors in yellow font.

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References
Set books and materials required for the module

Mullavey-O’Bryrne, C. (1994). Intercultural interactions in welfare work, in R.W. Brislin & T. Yoshida,
(Eds.) Improving intercultural interactions: Modules for cross-cultural training programs. (Chapter 11
pp. 197 – 220). Multicultural Aspects of Counselling Series 3, Thousand Oaks: Sage. (will be provided
in e-Reader).

Swales, J.M., & Feak, C. (2004). Academic writing for graduate students: essential tasks & skills
(Second Edition). Michigan Series in English for Academic & Professional Purposes, Ann Arbor:
University of Michigan Press. (set book)

Required for study support for the entire study
Cambridge Advanced Learner's Dictionary - 3rd Edition paperback (ISBN-13: 9780521674683) or CD
ROM (ISBN-13: 9780521712675)

Required for selected tasks during the module or study support throughout the entire study

American Psychological Association (APA) Documentation (2010). The Writing Center, University of
Wisconsin-Madison, Retrieved from

APA Tutorial (n.d.). University Libraries, the University of Southern Mississippi, Retrieved from,
APA Tutorial Test :

Dialang English Tests (2010). Retrieved from
Gillett, A. (2009). Speaking in academic contexts: Rhetorical Functions in Academic Speaking: in Using
English for academic purposes Retrieved, 12 October, 2009, from,
and

Optional

Cottrell, S. (2005). Critical thinking skills. London: Palgrave.

Gillett, A., Hammond, A., & Martala, M. (2009). Inside track to successful academic writing. London:
Pearson Longman.

McCarthy, M. & O’Dell, F. (2008). Academic Vocabulary in Use. Cambridge: Cambridge University
Press.

Sanders, M. Tinglooo, A., & Verhulst, H. (second edition 1998). Advanced writing in English: a guide
for Dutch authors. Leuven-Apeldoorn: Garant.

Whittaker, A. (2009). Research skills for social work. Exeter, Learning Matters
www.learningmatters.co.uk



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Recommended websites

Capital Community College Guide to Grammar & Writing, (n.d.) Retrieved from,


Gardner, D. (n.d.) Online Research Programme, 1. Research Process, Proposals & Reports 2. The Hour
glass Model for The Investigative Report and the Mirror Image, Chinese Hong Kong University English
Language Centre, Retrieved 10/15/04, from,


Gillett, A. (2010). Using English for Academic Purposes.(n.d.). Retrieved from,