A writerly trajectory: reflections on published classroom resources for learners of English and students of academic writing

The works submitted for this PhD by Public Works include three books, six book chapters and eight articles from peer-reviewed academic journals. Arising from my practice as a teacher and university lecturer in teaching English as a second/foreign language and academic literacies, the key theme is the production of classroom resources or approaches for promoting language development through the use of literary texts and metaphor, or for enhancing academic literacy in Higher Education.
The works place students of English or academic writing, with diverse linguistic needs and cultural backgrounds, at the centre of the learning process. They embody research practices which apply theoretical insights from linguistics, education and literary studies; draw on pertinent data, such as corpora; or utilise action learning to investigate classroom problems and suggest solutions to them in the form of classroom resources or strategies. The works make a significant contribution to knowledge and practice by bringing together insights from different disciplinary paradigms, by focusing on neglected groups of learners or neglected linguistic skills, and by engaging with disciplinary and technological developments in order to devise original teaching resources and procedures. The impact of the works in the public domain is noted through book sales, citations and reviews.
Drawing on a wide range of theoretical perspectives, the context statement accompanying the works provides both an account of their origin, writing and reception, and a critique of their limitations. It delineates my trajectory as the writer of the works, exploring the personal, disciplinary and social factors influencing my writing. It identifies the writing practices I have employed, conceptualises how I have developed a sense of audience, and investigates the values informing the works. Through the lens of a classroom practitioner, its key contribution is making more visible the complex, and often conflictual, process of writing classroom resources.