V.11.2.E – EDITORIAL – EVOLVING BEYOND BORDERS: THE ONTARIO ACTION RESEARCHER'S LAST ISSUE
Kurt Clausen, Editor

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V. 11.2.1 UNDERSTANDING AND IMPROVING THE USE OF WRITING PORTFOLIOS IN ONE FRENCH IMMERSION CLASSROOM
Christine L. Armstrong

Abstract
This study investigates the use of writing portfolios in improving the accuracy of French immersion students’ written French. It emerged from regularly observed notable and repeated errors in many of the author’s students’ writing (entitled fossilized errors due their resistance to correction). This study reaffirms that students of French immersion habitually make errors in accuracy of language production; that later stage correction of fossilized errors may be possible; that writing portfolios are a suitable second language classroom practice to support improvement in writing; that using questionnaires to guide students towards increased self-awareness and control of their writing is an effective practice, particularly when students are prepared for the task prior to its implementation.

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V. 11.2.2 UNDERGRADUATE LEARNING OUTCOMES FOR THE 21ST CENTURY AND ASSOCIATED PRACTICES: THE CASE OF THE COLLEGE OF EDUCATION AT KING FAISAL UNIVERSITY
Maher M. Al-arfaj

Abstract
The study focuses on higher education practices associated with learning outcomes for the 21st century, and the degree of their applications in the College of Education at King Faisal University, Saudi Arabia. The findings show that most of these practices are not implemented or are being administered at a low level. Accordingly, the study calls for a coherent action plan to address strategic goals and determine critical areas for improvement in the future.

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11.2.3 THE NARRATIVE PROCESS OF IMPROVING VOCATIONAL CLASSROOM PRACTICE
Kathleen Y. Sharman

Abstact
This research inquires into the use of stories by vocational teachers. These stories are of interest because they are a fundamental feature of both the subject content and the social structures of vocational classrooms. The trade experiences of vocational teachers are brought to the classroom through stories. These stories have a secondary effect of shaping the identity, social and cultural connections. An awareness of the secondary influences of narrative can improve reflective practice particularly for vocational teachers who rely on narrative. Ten vocational teachers were interviewed about the purposes and functions of narrative, in order to confirm the central role of stories, and the teacher’s awareness of its implications on both subject content and classroom structures. The results indicate that there is a need to further understand the role of narrative in vocational classrooms. This understanding would benefit both the literature on narrative and education, and the theoretical understandings within vocational classrooms.

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Goswami, D., Lewis, C., Rutherford, M. and Waff, D. (2009). On teacher inquiry: Approaches to language and literacy research. By Zuochen Zhang

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None this issue