ABSTRACT
In previous chapters I have focused on areas of theoretical and practical concern, outlining what we know about writing and how we have used this knowledge for teaching. I have tried to show that theory, research and pedagogy interact in important ways and that knowledge invariably informs action. I have said little, however, about how teachers, students and researchers go about actually studying writing. Teachers, in fact, often see teaching and research as entirely separate things, one practical and the other rather esoteric, so that research is regarded as an activity unrelated to their everyday lives and they may even feel apprehensive at the prospect of it. Research, however, is a practical activity which, by revealing how effective texts are constructed and work, is central to what we do as teachers.
