ABSTRACT
In the last several decades, the educational field at large has grown much more aware of the social aspects of learning, of literacy, and of assessment (see for example, the work of Broadfoot, 1996; Cope & Kalantzis, 1993; Gipps, 1999; Street, 1995). While learning was once viewed as the acquisition of knowledge and skills, it is now viewed as socially derived and situated, constructed and developed in interactions with others (Vygotsky, 1978, 1986). Learners, in turn, are seen as motivationally, behaviourally, and metacognitively active constructors of knowledge (American Psychological Association, 1993; National Research Council, 2000). Social perspectives have also transformed the way we think about literacy, and in particular, writing. Writing was once viewed as if it were a set of discrete skills, but contemporary theories characterize it as a socially mediated process that varies in important ways across different cultures and across different contexts and purposes for writing.
