This summary analyzes a sample of low-scoring reflective writing according to LCT concepts. The writing demonstrates weak semantic gravity through its vague and disconnected discussion of teamwork theory and personal experience. Semantic density is also low, as few meanings are condensed into the writing. The sample would benefit from strengthening semantic relations by more explicitly linking theory to specific experience through concepts like shared goals and leadership roles. Overall, the writing shows limited understanding of reflective practice.

1. An arena of struggle
Embedding LCT in English for
Academic Purposes (EAP) courses
Daniel O’Sullivan
Language Specialist
Monash College Diplomas

2. • What is EAP?
• My arena of struggle
• Embedding LCT in:
– Diplomas: Education
– Diplomas: Sociology
– MUELC: Reflective writing
• Ongoing challenges in developing a translation
device
• More to do…

3. 3
English for Academic Purposes (EAP)
 Prepare (mainly) international students for vocational or
tertiary-level studies - Direct entry to TAFE, UG or PG
courses
 Develop student awareness, knowledge and skills in the
use of English as the language of teaching and learning
 Focus on writing, reading and listening, grammar and
vocab development, oral presentation skills and research
skills
 Emphasis on development of critical literacy and critical
thinking skills
 Extra support for students

4. 4
“Our vision is to deliver student-centred, quality-led growth”
 Avg. 30-35% annual increase in student numbers in the
last 4-5 years
 Currently 7000-9000 students
 Over 1000 staff across the divisions
 Students mainly from China, South East Asia + Middle
East

5. 5

6. 6
Monash College Diplomas

7. Monash College Diplomas: Curricula
• Part 1: MCD has some control over curriculum
(written by teachers)
• Part 2: MCD has no control - curriculum &
assessments from faculty
• Challenges:
– Students with lower levels of language proficiency
– Crowded curricula
– English for Specific Academic Purposes
– Teachers/tutors are content specialists not always
trained teachers/curriculum designers

8. 8
Monash College English Language Centre

9. MUELC: Curricula
• MUELC has control over curriculum (written
by teachers)
• Challenges:
– Students with lower levels of language proficiency
– Crowded curricula: topics, skills, assessments etc.
– English for General Academic Purposes
– Teachers not always content specialists or trained
curriculum designers

10. 10
My arena of struggle
2014 – MUELC – 2016 2017 – MCD – ???
MEB Uni teacher Language Specialist
Curriculum development projects
E-learning projects (reflective writing)
Sessional Annualised 1-yr contract ???

11. 11
My arena of struggle
Facing competition for status and resources
e.g. ongoing work/contracts, agency, power, control etc.
No control over curriculum, assessment
Attempts to enact change v. challenging

12. 12
MCD: Organisation chart

13. 13
MCD: Learning, Teaching & Innovation Team
Teaching and learning support
Learning Consultant team:
Student support
ALLM & Language Specialist:
Teacher support

14. 15
Content and Language Integrated Learning Project
 2014-2017
 Academic Language and Literacy Manager (ALLM) +
Language Specialist
 Collaborative projects: Arts, Business, Engineering,
Science etc.
 Supporting content teachers with scaffolding literacy skills
& in developing teaching and learning
– project management/collaboration, identifying needs, material
design, teacher/classroom observations
 Projects generated from teacher experience and growing
reputation (bottom-up)

15. 16
Content and Language Integrated Learning Project
Stages of projects:
 Invitation/request
 Needs and content analysis
 Identification of issues
 Recommendation of initiatives and justification
 Negotiation and design of materials (Tri 1)
 Refinement of materials (Tri 2)
Challenges
 Establishing legitimacy
 Negotiating space in curriculum
 Teacher time
 Knowledge equated with contents

16. 17
Supporting materials
Design of lessons and activities embedded in curriculum:
 student-facing materials
 designed to be taught by others with minimum prep time
 recontextualisation must simplify

17. 18
How has LCT helped?
 Seeing fields of practice as “arenas of struggle”
 Epistemic-pedagogic device: the 3 fields of practice,
over-arching logics (e.g. K&K ch 3)
 Legitimation codes: organising principles of practices
– Dimension of Semantics - identifying context-dependence
& complexity, impact on cumulative learning, developing
academic writing skills (e.g. Szenes et al 2014/2015, McNaught
et al 2013, Kirk 2017, Brooke 2017, Clarence 2017 etc.)
– Dimension of Specialisation - understanding the basis of
achievement (e.g. Maton & Chen 2016, 2017 etc.)

18. 19
Reflective writing at Monash College
 Calls from the university to develop International
students’ writing skills and help them engage in reflective
practices
 Emphasis placed on ‘critical thinking’ skills and personal
understanding/experiences of theories/concepts
 Inclusion of reflective writing in curricula across courses
and disciplines

19. 20
Reflective writing - Problems
 Confusion and misconceptions about reflective writing
 Little/no scaffolding of genre, structure and language
features of reflective writing
 Students accustomed to narratives/5-paragraph essays
 Lack of model answers no deconstruction of models

20. 21
Theoretical framework:
Legitimation Code Theory
Principle Referent relations Concepts
Autonomy external Positional autonomy, relational
autonomy
Density internal Material density, moral density
Specialisation Social-symbolic Epistemic relations, social
relations
Semantics meaning Semantic gravity, semantic density
Temporality Temporal Temporal positioning, temporal
orientation
Maton 2014

21. 22
Semantic gravity
 degree to which meaning relates
to its context (whether social or
symbolic)
 may be stronger (+) or weaker (-)
along a continuum of strengths
– weaker = less context-dependent
– stronger = more context-dependent
weaker SG
stronger SG
www.legitimationcodetheory.com

22. 23
Semantic gravity
 weakening semantic gravity
– e.g. drawing generalising principles
from the minute particulars of a
specific context or case
 strengthening semantic gravity
– e.g. moving down from an
abstracted concept to specifying
delimited examples
www.legitimationcodetheory.com

23. 24
Semantic density
 degree of condensation of
meaning
 may be stronger (+) or weaker (-)
along a continuum of strengths
– weaker = fewer meanings are
condensed
– stronger = more meanings are
condensed
stronger SD
weaker SD
www.legitimationcodetheory.com

24. 25
Semantic density
 strengthening semantic density
– e.g. condensing a large range of
meanings into a symbol or
technical term / adding meanings in
 weakening semantic density
– e.g. ‘unpacking’ various meanings
of a symbol or concept / reducing
range of possible meanings
www.legitimationcodetheory.com

25. 26
Semantic profiles
Time
SG+, SD-
semantic
ranges
SG-, SD+
A1
A2
BB
A1
A2
Maton (2013) ‘Making semantic waves’, Linguistics and Education, 24(1): 13.

26. 27
Praxis
 Tacit or explicit?
 Possible resistance to
LCT concepts
 Implications?

27. 28
Reflective writing: video
 Recontextualises lesser context-dependence as ‘theory’
and greater context-dependence as ‘specific’
 ‘waving’ brings together the different forms of knowledge
and makes the connections between the two more
explicit
 Materials designed to support, exemplify and apply

28. 29
Reflective writing: video
Recontextualising Semantics for reflective writing
Edited version – 3 mins
Full version: https://vimeo.com/207029935
Google search: Vimeo – Reflective writing

29. 30
Monash College Diplomas

30. 31
Monash College Diplomas: Arts

31. 32
Content and Language Integrated Learning Project 1
Reflective writing in Diploma Arts: Sociology

32. 33
Reflective writing in Diplomas: Sociology

33. 34
Teacher feedback
“…a sound model for the reflective writing…
…students exceeded expectations – mostly D and HDs…
…drew on the excellent model, and despite some
language problems, students demonstrated the ability to
think ‘sociologically’…”

34. 35
Student feedback

35. 36
Student feedback

36. 37
Student feedback

37. 38
Content and Language Integrated Learning Project 2 & 3:
Diplomas: Education
Part 2 subjects (curriculum and assessments from faculty)
 MCD 8010: Understanding Learning and Learners
 MCD 8020: Teaching for Learning
 Emphasis on applying theory to specific teaching and
learning scenarios
CLIL Project aims
 Possibility to design materials for cumulative knowledge-
building across the units
 Focus on assessments: Reflective writing

38. 39
Diplomas: Education – MCD 8010

39. 40
MCD 8010: Assessment 1
Support (Wk 2):
 Watch video (Wk 1) + purpose of reflective writing
 Analyse the question
 Provide model text
 Analyse model using Semantics (SG tacit; wave explicit)

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MCD 8010: Assessment 1

41. 42
MCD 8010: Assessment 1

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MCD 8010: Assessment 1

43. 44
MCD 8010: Assessment 1

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MCD 8010: Assessment 1

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MCD 8010: Assessment 1

46. 47
MCD 8010: Assessment 2
Support (Week 11):
 Analyse the question
 Discussion about task words
 Planning and note-taking
 Using Semantics to select and organise knowledge
(wave explicit)

47. 48
MCD 8010: Assessment 2

48. 49
MCD 8010: Assessment 2

49. 50
MCD 8010: Assessment 2

50. 51
MCD 8010: Assessment 2

51. 52
MCD 8010: Student feedback

52. 53
MCD 8010: Student quotes
“I am more confident saying I know why certain learning practices take place and
how to better improve it by grounding on the knowledge I have gotten from the
theories”
“I’m still not master as finding the correct education theory as well as connect the
theory with my own experiences”
“…provides a rough guide and outline as to what is required in a piece of writing so I
can plan out what to write. It is also a good check to reference back to when I am
stuck. But for me, I find it more challenging to have a sample to follow than to have
an plan and craft it in my own style”
“…introduced me to one way of writing a clear academic paragraph…”
“…helped me think and reflect and also dropped "hints" as to how to tackle the
writing. As I pen my answers, it actually created opportunity to expand my thoughts
and allowed me to link concepts, theories and ideas etc together.”

53. 54
Diplomas: Education – MCD 8020

54. 55
Education – Teacher feedback
“…the use of semantic wave proves to be effective…”
“…students had a clearer idea about key elements and
structure of a good reflective writing via the use of guiding
questions and a proper combination learning experiences
and theories. The reflective writing video became seen as a
powerful tool to assist students in connecting the theories
with their relevant personal learning experiences…”
“…MCD 8020 students outperformed in their final research
essay and exceeded my expectation…”

55. 56
Education – External moderator feedback
“…students have demonstrated understanding of key
theories and were able to synthesise these against
examples from both practice and case studies. Clear that
excellent teaching scaffolded these skills.”

56. 57
Impact on teacher practice
“…was unaware of it (semantic waves) previously. Having
successfully applied them in MCD 8010 and MCD 8020, I
decided to borrow this semantic wave and TEEL model to teach
EDF 4610, Interacting with Research in Educational Contexts.
They have been well received and have assisted my
postgraduate students a great deal in Annotated Bibliography
assessment and Oral Presentation.”
“Honestly, my past experiences indicated I struggled to teach
students how to write reflective essay and had a blurred idea
about using semantic model in my field…I’ve come to realize that
the sooner I start engaging students with the notion of reflective
writing, with the use of flipped classroom, the more successful
their learning intellectual growth, (and) self-awareness…”

57. 58
MUELC: University Bridging Courses
Reflective Writing Videos
 Proposed videos during MEB Uni curriculum
enhancement project meeting, drawing on
– previous research on semantic waves (e.g. Martin, Maton et al.
2013, Szenes & Tilakratna 2014, etc.)
– analysis of a (the only!) model answer using Semantics (tacitly)
 Central e-learning team liked the wave metaphor
 So, onto writing a script and storyboards

58. 59
Reflective Writing Videos
 Video 1: Introduction to reflective writing (OER)
 Introduction to reflection and the semantic wave (tacit)
 Being used in MEB Uni and Diploma courses
 https://vimeo.com/207029935
 Video 2: Detailed analysis of model answer using SFL
and LCT (restricted to MEB Uni course)

59. 60
MEB Uni: Writing tasks
Write a report (1,500 words) or an essay (1,000 words),
annotated bibliographies of 250 words, and reflective pieces
of 300-350 words on personal experiences and personal
understanding/s of theories/concepts. Flexibility in writing is
encouraged by exposure to a range of genres.

60. 61
Applying theory to real-world contexts
Task 1 Task 2 Task 3
Theory: Hall’s
classification of
cultures
Theory: Packard’s
theory of advertising
– 5 hidden needs
Theory: Environmental
Assessment and
Management (EAM) Risk
Management Framework
Personal experience Describe ads Assess Beaumaris Motor
Yacht Squadron project
Theory
Real-world
contexts

61. 62
Reflective writing: task 1

62. 63
Supporting materials
Lessons and activities embedded in curriculum:
 Introduction to reflective writing video
 Activities: three model texts
– Discussion about text comprehension
– Connecting theory to experience
– Identification of theory and specific experiences
– Matching texts to wave diagrams
 In-class discussions and follow-up

63. 64

64. 65

65. 66

66. 67

67. 68

68. 69
Student feedback
“it helps improve my skills of structure the writing better”
“it indeed help us to organise how to write better paper”
“…help us know the importance of reflecting writing in the
university”
“I can get some fresh ideas about writing, and I can clearly
(know) how to do”
“sometime I felt that I cannot connect theory with practice”

69. 70
Developing a translation device
Collected 12 samples of final assessment task

70. 71
Reflective writing test marking rubric
Each area marked out of 5 – total out of 20
– Exceeds requirements (ER) = >17
– Meets requirements (MR) = 13-16
– Does not meet requirements (DR) = <12

71. 72
Data-set: Inter-rater reliability
Each area marked out of 5 – total out of 20
Exceeds requirements (ER) – 5
Meets requirements (MR) – 4
Does not meet requirements (DR) – 3

72. 73
Developing a translation device
Current analysis to identify translation device between SG,
SD and data to gain:
– Greater insight
– Greater explanatory power
– Legitimacy

73. 74
Inspiration for translation devices – SG
Kirk 2017
Maton 2009
Gregoriou et al
2014

74. 75
Inspiration for translation devices – SD
??? Seen at LCTC2 2017
Maton & Doran 2017

75. 76
Sample 5 – Low scoring
According to the theory of successful teamwork, it is important to students to require different requirements
to behave well performance. There was influenced in different attributes which was commitment to team
success and shared goals; interdependence; interpersonal skills; apporiate [sic] team composition and
commitment to team processes; open communication and positive feedback; leadership and accountability
respectively. After analysis, the students motivied, creat friendly environment, respect and support each
other. Moreover, the attributes more achieved, the teamwork more effective.
In my experience, I joined a teamwork which a roleplay when I was senior high school. All of our classmates
are divided into four groups and each group show to the class. In my group, there were seven students. We
dicide to allocate job to different students. Because of I am good at communication with others, I became
leader in this group. The two students worked for script. Three were perparing [sic] to decided the consume
and other two students was in charge of stage. All of us wanted to display well performance, this is why we
created harmounes [sic] phononoms [sic] and helped each other. Finally, we did a good job. I realised the
importance and benefits about the effective teamwork.
It is underniable to essential the important to the teamwork. If we could not well cooprate [sic] in that role
play, we can not got good result, it plays to interdependence and shared goals. Because all the members
are trusted me and believed I can be a leader to guide us. Therefore, I was surprised every steps about role
play and focus on the details make sure the best performance which are achieved. In fact, the significant
aspect not the same goals, it is the every participator’s effort in the team. As for a leader, which apply this
attributes, they need to make sure each participator are enjoyed the processes and allocate member to do
the work which they are good at. As a result, not only for students, but also for tutors, both need to apply
these key attributes into the effective teamwork. In addition, each member of the group need to realized the
positive inpact [sic] of the attributes.

76. 77
Sample 9 – High scoring
According to Tarricone and Luca (2002), the effective teamwork helps to promot [sic] the deep learning and
affects the implementation of the learning design. The successful teamwork theory consists six attributes,
which are used to evaluate and improve teams by a variety of users, such as educators, business
managers, and even sports coaches. These six elements include commitment, to team success and shared
goals; interdependence; interpersonal skills; open community and positive feedback; appropriate team
composition as well as commitment to team processes, leadership and accountabilites [sic]. Commitment to
team success and shared goals is an essential elements for the effective teamwork, which requires group
participants to share a common goal and [be] motivated to achieve the goal at a superior level.
Interdependence refers to work together, since a successful teamwork relies upon each team members’
contribution.
My experience of group presentation is an example which can be related to the successful teamwork theory.
We were given a [sic] assignment of group poster presentation several weeks ago, and I had to accomplish
this project with two of my classmates. Before the project commenced, our group had a meeting, and we all
strongly motivated to out-perform other teams. Thus we set a common goal of getting a high mark and
conducting an excellent poster presentation. This action meets the criterion of commitment to team success
and shared goals. Therfore [sic] we created a relaxed and comfortable team environment that each
members was engaged in and satisfied with the work. Then we focused on our topic of asylum seekers and
immigration detention, which was a difficult topic for us to understand. We collected informations together
and shared our ideas to each other. Due to the cooperation, we understood the topic exactely [sic] and
accomplished the task efficently [sic]. The element of interdependence made a significant contribution to our
team project. We achieved our goal by offering assistance to others who were in a difficult time. In addition,
we did an excellent poster and performed successfully at the presentation day. It were the successful
teamwork criterion that contributed to this positive outcome.
In summary, these key attributes of successful teamwork are beneficial to team performance. Thus, in order
to creat a collaborative atmosphere and enhance team cohesion, these attributes should be carefully
considered.

77. 78
Towards a translation device for ESD
Realistically, given the level of students and the nature of the task, not expecting SD++
Consider:
 Relationality: the more relations that a constituent enjoys with other relations , the
stronger the ESD
 Differentiation: the more relations a meaning has with other meanings, the more specific,
fine-tuned and precise the referents of that meaning
 Resonance: the more relations with other meanings, the more resonance outwards along
those relations to meanings that are not specified
 These attributes are perhaps what is meant by wordings such as “profound, sophisticated,
and deep” - they identify how the wording choices of actors and implicating complex
constellations of meaning. They may also offer a sufficiently general starting point for
developing further translation devices into other kinds of practice.
(Maton & Doran, 2017: 57)

78. 79
Towards a translation device for ESD:
High scoring text
SD+
Technical
Everyday: consolidated
Everyday: common: nuanced
Everyday: common: plain
SD-

79. 80
Towards a translation device for ESD:
Low scoring text
SD+
Technical
Everyday: consolidated
Everyday: common: nuanced
Everyday: common: plain
SD-

80. 81
ESD – Working on translation devices

81. • The same word may be used as both a technical and everyday word, depending on
the whether they have been incorporated into a specialised epistemological
constellation - so how to differentiate?
• Does theory (as a term) represent technical? (think Yes) if so, is it compact-
elements?
◦ In this task, what appears everyday may in fact be technical for these writers
▪ E.g. in the introduction, can it be assumed that wordings related to the theory are
technical? And when looking later, if used correctly (whatever makes it so?),
does it also represent a technical?
• Do elements of the theory also count as compact-properties or compact-elements?
• Do these elements of the theory (in this task) ALWAYS include ESD?
• E.g. is there a difference between when they are given and copied from the task?
Does this differ as they are used in relation to the specific examples in the text?
• Difference between everyday-consolidated and everyday-common is relatively clear
• However, is the difference between everyday-consolidated-specialist and everyday-
consolidated-generalist significant? If yes, why?
• And how to differentiate between everyday-common-nuanced and everyday-
common-plain?
ESD – Working on translation devices

82. 83
References
 Humphrey, S. & Robinson, S. (2012). Resourcing teachers to tide the semantic wave to whole school literacy
development. AARE Conference proceedings. Retrieved from http://www.aare.edu.au/publications-
database.php/6671/Resourcing-teachers-to-tide-the-semantic-wave-to-whole-school-literacy-development.
 Georgiou, H., Maton, K. & Sharma, M. (2014). Recovering knowledge for science education research: Exploring the
"Icarus effect" in student work. Canadian Journal of Science, Mathematics and Technology Education, 14 (3), 252-
268.
 Ingold, R. & O’Sullivan. (2017). Riding the waves to academic success. Modern English Teacher, 26 (2): 39-43.
 Kirk, S. (2017) Waves of reflection: Seeing knowledge(s) in academic writing, in Kemp, J. (ed.) EAP in a rapidly
changing landscape: issues, challenges and solutions. Proceedings of the 2015 BALEAP Conference. Reading:
Garnet.
 Macnaught, L., Maton, K., Martin, J.R. & Matruglio, E. (2013). Jointly constructing semantic waves: Implications for
teacher training, Linguistics and Education, 24(1): 50-63.
 Martin, J.R. & Maton, K. (2013) (eds). Cumulative Knowledge-Building in Secondary Schooling, Linguistics and
Education, Linguistics and Education 24(1): 1-74.
 Maton, K. (2009) Cumulative and segmented learning: Exploring the role of curriculum structures in knowledge-
building, British Journal of Sociology of Education 30(1): 43-57. See Chapter 6 of Knowledge and Knowers for a
much revised version.
 Maton, K. (2013). Making Semantic Waves: A Key to Cumulative Knowledge-building. Linguistics and Education
24 (1), 8-22.
 Maton, K. (2014). Knowledge and Knowers: Towards a Realist Sociology of Education. London: Routledge.
 Maton, K. & Doran, Y.J. (2017) Semantic density: A translation device for revealing complexity
of knowledge practices in discourse, part 1 - wording, Onomázein, March: 46–76.
 Szenes, E. & Tilakaratna, N. (2014). Critical thinking and employment readiness: The role of semantic waves in
preparing students for life after university. 11th Biennial Conference of the Association for Academic Language and
Learning, RMIT University, Melbourne, Nov.
 Szenes, E. & Tilakaratna, N. & Maton, K. (2015). The knowledge practices of critical thinking, in Davies, M. &
Barnett, R. (eds) The Palgrave Handbook of Critical Thinking in Higher Education, London: Palgrave MacMillan.