WEEKLY
REPORTS IN TEACHING WRITING
Definition
of Report
Chintan (2009) defines report may
be defined as
a formal document
based on collection
of facts, events and opinion and usually expresses a
summarized and interpretative value of information. It can be defined as communication in which a
person, who is assigned the work of report making, gives information to some
individual or organization because it is his or her responsibility to do so.
The word ‘report’ is derived from the Latin word – ‘reportare’ – means to bring
back.
Based on Platt (1975) report is a
presentation of facts and findings, usually as a basis fore commendations;
written for a specific readership, and probably intended to be kept as a record
Court (2003) Report is a combination of
three kinds of information Data or information on how to obtain the data
(queries) as well as the structure of the data. Layout or formatting
information that describes how the data is presented. Properties that the
report such as author, parameters, images within the report, etc
A report is a statement of the results
of an investigation or of any matter on which definite information is
required.(Oxford English Dictionary) Reports are a highly structured form of
writing often following conventions that have been laid down to produce a
common format. Structure and convention in written reports stress the process
by which the information was gathered as much as the information itself.
Kinds
of Report
Chintan (2009) defines type of report as
Formal and Informal Repots, Routine and special Reports, Oral and written
reports, Informational and Analytical Reports
a. Formal
reports A formal report
is prepared in a
prescribed form. It is
lengthy reports with
length of hundred pages. Annual
Reports, reports of
companies, project reports and thesis are examples of formal reports
b. An informal report
is generally in the
form of
a person to
person communication. It is brief report of a specific business.
Laboratory reports, daily
production reports, trip reports
are informal reports.
c. Routine reports
are prepared and presented at regular intervals. They may
be submitted annually,
semi-annually, quarterly, monthly,
weekly and daily. Sales and production report, cost report are examples.
d. Special reports
is prepared and presented
to convey special information related
to an individual, occasion or problem. Enquiry report, research reports, thesis,
dissertation are special reports
e. Oral
reports is presentation
of data in
the form of face to face to communication Reports of
accidents, sales production, joining are example of oral
reports
f. Written
report is presentation of data/information in written form. They can be kept as permanent record / can
be edited, reviewed and stored.
g. Information
report is presentation of
data/information without any analysis
or interpretation or
recommendations. Conference report,
seminar report and trip report are example.
h. Analytical
report is presentation of data/information with analysis or interpretation or
recommendations. Project reports, Feasibility reports, market research report
are examples.
Weekly
report
Weekly
report is record of work which can encourage learners to report whether they
study in self-access learning center, in laboratory , or in computer using
internet, and how many times they have studied there (Husain, 2003: 102).
According
to Etkina (1999), a weekly report is a paper that students write analyzing and
reflecting on what they have learned.
Weekly
reports provide rapid feedback about what students think they are learning and
what conceptual difficulties they are experiencing. By writing the reports,
students have an opportunity to reflect on their own knowledge and ask
questions about unclear ideas. In addition, Etkina stated that by reading the
report, a teacher may:
·
Learn about students’
conceptual difficulties and “misconceptions.”
·
Obtain useful feedback
for reorganizing course content.
·
Gain insight into how
students think about their own learning (“metacognitive processes”).
·
Explore students’
understanding of knowledge and knowledge creation (“epistemology”)
