(Left to right) Professor Debra Myhill, Helen Lines and Dr Susan Jones.

Research into the Teaching of Writing wins Exeter Impact Award

Academics from the Centre for Research in Writing - Professor Debra Myhill,  Dr Susan Jones, Helen Lines and Dr Annabel Watson - were announced as the joint winners of the 'Policy and Education' Category of the Exeter Impact Awards 2013, at the award ceremony in the Great Hall on 10 December.

Our researchers won the 'Outstanding Impact in Policy and Education' category for their work on 'Rewriting education for teachers: improving professional understanding and practice', which has developed a new understanding of how to teach writing, particularly the role of grammar in writing pedagogy.

Learning to write is one of the most important skills a young person learns – it is a gatekeeper to future economic wellbeing. Yet achievement in writing has remained stubbornly resistant to policy initiatives and professional intervention.

The Centre for Research in Writing has provided the first evidence that embedding grammar within the teaching of writing significantly increases writing improvement rates. Their work has formed the basis for national and international Continuing Professional Development for teachers, and has been adopted by Pearson Education as the foundation for all their secondary writing materials, thereby changing the professional understanding of the teaching of writing, and altering classroom practice.

About the Exeter Impact Awards

The 'Exeter Impact Awards' ceremony is a biennial event which draws together University of Exeter researchers, along with national and international research project partners. The Awards recognise, highlight, promote and celebrate research which is having an impact on society world-wide, both now and in the future.

They also carry this message to a diverse audience, enabling the University to bring together and thank those outside the institution who have worked with us, and whose contribution is invaluable in creating our research outcomes, as well as helping to demonstrate past success to potential funders of future research.

What is 'research impact'?

Research is said to have 'impact' if it successfully delivers a benefit or contribution to society. Impact is evidenced through changes to:

  • Public policy (e.g. influencing Government policy)
  • Public services (e.g. informing the general public)
  • Commercial activity
  • Industrial activity
  • Quality of life
  • Cultural outputs

The reach (the number of people affected) and significance (to what extent they were affected) is also taken into account when ascertaining the degree of impact.

The 2013 Ceremony

The winners of the 2013 Awards were announced during a ceremony in the evening of 10 December in the Great Hall on Streatham Campus. The event was hosted by Professor Nick Talbot, Deputy Vice-Chancellor for Research and Knowledge Transfer. It was attended by the Vice-Chancellor and Chief Executive Professor Sir Steve Smith, and more than 300 guests including the guest of honour - entrepreneur and philanthropist, Dame Stephanie Shirley.

Further Details

Centre for Research in Writing

Full list of Exeter Impact Award Winners 2013

For more information about the Exeter Impact Awards please contact:
Pete Hodges, Research and Knowledge Transfer
Email: research-events@exeter.ac.uk
Phone: +44 (0)1392 722321

Date: 11 December 2013

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