Books by Deirdre Pratt

"Scenarios for learning" is a retrospective account of an original integrated approach to learning developed by the author for use in secondary and tertiary education as well as for teacher induction. The approach fosters the development of competences in small group interaction, communication and problem solving, which are the types of higher order competences necessary for effective life role functioning. The method is primarily scenario-based, and has elements of problem-based learning and peer- teaching. Evidence can be found in the literature to support such an approach, but the results of research into the systemic modelling of communication have suggested that the core of the approach is in fact an interactive principle. This book will show how this principle was applied in a variety of different contexts, including high school English courses, tertiary Business Communication courses, blended learning courses, research capacity building and staff induction workshops.

This book offers an alternative view to current postmodern approaches to composition. It takes a critical realist stance to arrive at the essence of written communication with the aim to inform a practical application: a computerized writing tutor.