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The composition process

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The following diagram provides an overview of the structure of the process of developing the Major Work and the Reflection Statement.

Composition process diagram showing an overview of the structure of the process of developing the Major Work and the Reflection Statement.

The creative process is dynamic, fluid and iterative. The following stages are not necessarily sequential because the craft of composing requires students to revise, reinterpret and reimagine throughout the composition process.

The investigating stage

Students will:

  • investigate literature that stems from an area of personal interest and passion to develop a research base for the Major Work. The investigation will extend the skills, knowledge and understanding being developed in the Stage 6 courses
  • develop an inquiry question to refine the scope of the investigation. This question will evolve as the work develops focus and intent
  • use a range of strategies to generate ideas for concept development, for example concept mapping
  • research the craft of their chosen form, representations of their concept and content in a range of texts, for example academic databases, peer-reviewed journals, interviews, print and digital sources
  • write a proposal for their Major Work demonstrating the scope and purpose of the initial investigation and developing understanding of the relationship between audience, purpose and context for their chosen form
  • create an action plan with milestones for each stage of the composition process.

The drafting stage

Students will:

  • further investigate a wide range of texts that are examples of how their chosen form and concept have been represented in different contexts
  • experiment with language conventions of their chosen form to draft and re-draft their composition in response to ongoing research and critical feedback
  • research and evaluate critical readings to develop theoretical understandings and explore ways of reading texts to inform the composition’s concept and process
  • establish a learning community by collaborating with peers and teachers to reflect on their own and others’ work. This may be through video conferencing, social media or networking
  • reinterpret and reimagine the emerging composition during this critical drafting process.

The revising stage

Students will:

  • evaluate the effectiveness of their composition through the processes of peer and teacher conferencing and critical feedback that may include questions or comments about style, cohesion, clarity and originality
  • refine knowledge, understanding and skills of concept, language and form through increasingly focused research of relevant literature and texts
  • develop a reference list for the works cited and examined in the Reflection Statement.

Editing for publication

Students will:

  • develop skills in editing language and structure to ensure conceptual and stylistic coherence. This includes proofreading for appropriate use of grammar, spelling, syntax and vocabulary
  • edit the Major Work with a focus on audience, purpose and context of publication.
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