Generative AI Writing Tools and the Australian Curriculum: English

Nathan Lowien and Damon Thomas

A
pproaching the end of the first quarter of reach our goals, goals oriented because we feel
the 21st century, the world is abuzz with the frustrated if we don’t accomplish the final steps …
possibilities of Generative Artificial Intelligence social because writers shape their texts for readers of
(GenAI) writing tools such as ChatGPT. This paper particular kinds. (Martin & Rose, 2008, p. 8)
argues writing prompts for GenAI tools can be
Ultimately, genre is concerned with communicating
designed using understandings of genre, register
meaning to audiences to achieve persuasive,
and grammar meaning resources from the Language
informative, instructive and entertaining social
strand of the Australian Curriculum: English (ACE).
purposes (Humphrey et al., 2012).
This paper aims to explore how educators can draw
Register concerns the situational context in which
on knowledge about genre and contextual register
language conveys meaning (Derewianka & Jones, 2016).
variables to investigate the contextual information
The contextual register variables of field, tenor and
provided to GenAI writing tools to generate written
mode simultaneously occur in any situation. These
texts. Specifically, the paper asks how functional
register variables can be used to consider the language
grammar descriptions of context can inform the writing
choices utilised to communicate meaning (Martin &
of prompts used by GenAI writing tools to generate
Rose, 2008). The contextual register variables of field,
texts. First, functional grammar understandings of
tenor and mode have been represented in Figure 1.
genre and the register variables of field, tenor and mode
Field addresses the subject matter, the participants
and their connection to the ACE Language strand are
and their actions within a social situation (Martin &
explained. Next, how the genre and contextual variables
Rose, 2008). Field is concerned with how participants
can be used to create a writing prompt for the GenAI
utilise knowledge in everyday common sense
writing tool is described. After this, the GenAI writing
situations through to more technical academic contexts
tool ChatGPT is introduced, and a generated writing
(Humphrey et al., 2012). For example, the language
sample using the developed genre and register prompt
choices students make when socialising with their
is presented. Finally, implications for teaching grammar
friends would be different from those made by students
in an age of GenAI writing tools are canvased.
to explain their knowledge of scientific concepts. Part of
the role of primary schooling is to help children move
Genre and Register: Field, Tenor and Mode
from using knowledge in the common sense situations
A functional model of language describes how
of the home and community to more specialised
meaning is realised in social contexts. This model
and technical contexts that will prepare them for the
describes social context as consisting of genre and
demands of secondary schooling (for example, moving
register (Derewianka & Jones, 2016). Genre is concerned
from communicating about their specific pet dog in
with how particular cultural communities use language
early primary to the features of breeds of dogs in upper
to achieve a social purpose and is defined as:
primary) (Rose & Martin, 2012). The social occurrences
20 2 3

a staged and goal oriented social process. Staged, described by the field correspond with the grammar
because it usually takes us more than one step to resources of the Language for expressing and developing
O C TOBE R
3
N U M BE R
2 8
VOLU M E

Figure 1. Contextual Register Variables – Field, Tenor and Mode. Note. Adapted from Humphrey et al.

26
ideas sub-strand of the Language strand in the ACE
(Australian Curriculum, Assessment and Reporting
Authority [ACARA], 2022), as represented in Figure 2.
Tenor addresses the roles and relationships between
the participants in a situation (Derewianka & Jones,
2016). Tenor is concerned with the balance of power,
the frequency of contact and solidarity between
participants in a social situation (Martin & Rose,
2008). For example, two friends who frequently talk to
each other at school can be considered as having an
equal power relationship and share a close solidarity.
However, the social relationships would change if the
students talked to the school’s new principal. In this
situation, the students would have an unequal power
relationship with the principal, with whom they have
had infrequent contact and share limited solidarity
due to their new relationship. The enacted roles and
relationships described by tenor correspond with the
grammar resources of the Language for interacting with
others sub-strand of the Language strand in the ACE
(ACARA, 2022), as represented again in Figure 2.
Mode concerns the channel of communication used
in a situation. The channel of communication can be
charted on a continuum, starting with communication
being interactive and spontaneously exchanged in
two directions, such as a conversation between two
friends, through to communication being reflective and
travelling in one direction from the page to a reader. An
example of reflective communication would involve a
student reading the language represented in a science
textbook. The interactive or reflective arrangement
of the mode variable corresponds with the grammar
resources of the Text structure and organisation sub-
strand of the Language strand of the ACE (ACARA,
2022). Teachers can use the understanding of genre
and the contextual register variable to consider the
audience, social purpose and the situational variables
that influence the language choices of a social context.
Consideration of genre and contextual register variables
can be used by teachers to draft prompts for GenAI
writing tools to generate texts.
Figure 2. Correspondence of the Contextual Register
Variables with the ACE-Language Strand
GenAI Writing Tools and Multimodality
ChatGPT is a Generative Artificial Intelligence
writing tool that can generate a piece of writing for a set
word count and topic by entering a prompt. Entering a
prompt requires users to consider the social context of
the writing they would like the GenAI tool to produce.
Therefore, an understanding of genre and the register
variables of field, tenor and mode can be used by
teachers to write a prompt that describes the audience,
social purpose and situation variables required to
generate a writing sample. Using functional grammar
understandings of genre and register, the following
prompt was developed and entered into the AI writing
tool. The resulting generated narrative is shown in
Figure 3.
100 words. The audience is from Year 1 to Year 6
students. The genre is a mystery narrative about two
primary school friends searching a jungle for a treasure
chest full of gold. The dialogue between the friends
sounds like spoken language. The friends have an
artificial intelligence map that talks and instructs them
to find the treasure. The AI map’s dialogue sounds
like formal, written language. However, after finding
the treasure chest, it is stolen from the friends by a
powerful pirate that the friends have never met. The
pirate escapes but leaves a clue for the friends to begin
to track the pirate.
PR AC T IC AL
L I T E R AC Y
Figure 3. ChatGPT Generated Writing Sample
27
 Discussion
From the generated writing sample, it can be
concluded that the writing follows the traditional
narrative stages of orientation, complication and
resolution. The narrative structure supports the text
to achieve its social purpose of entertainment. The
word choice and sentence structure indicate the story
was designed for primary school audiences. The field
variable is realised by the characters Lily and Tom
and their actions throughout the narrative. The tenor
variable is realised through the dialogue of the AI map,
which talks in a formal manner, such as “Hello, young
explorers” and “I am here to help you…”. The pirate’s
powerful abilities and the friends’ intelligence realise
the unequal power relationship between the characters.
The mode variable is realised by the reflective
communication in which readers engage with the
story by comprehending the words on the page. From
this brief discussion of the generated text, it is evident
that understanding genre and register supported the
development of the prompt used by the AI tool to
compose the language resources for the generated text.
Conclusion
The second quarter of the 21st century will see the
growing ubiquity of GenAI writing tools. These tools
can generate texts but still require contextual prompts
to write. Teachers can draw on functional grammar
understandings of genre and the register variables of
field, tenor and mode to describe contextual prompts
that can be used to generate written texts from GenAI
writing tools. Despite the evolution of GenAI writing
tools, functional grammar knowledge of how language
realises meaning in social contexts will still be essential
in the 21st century.
20 2 3
O C TOBE R
3
N U M BE R
2 8
VOLU M E
28
References
Australian Curriculum Assessment and Reporting
Authority (ACARA). (2022). Australian Curriculum: English
[Online] v9.0. https://australiancurriculum.edu.au/f-10-
curriculum/english/
Derewianka, B., & Jones, P. (2016). Teaching language in
context (2nd ed.). Oxford University Press.
Humphrey, S., Droga, L., & Feez, S. (2012). Grammar and
meaning. Primary English Teaching Association Australia
(PETAA).
Martin, J. R., & Rose, D. (2008). Genre relations: Mapping
culture. Equinox Publishing.
Rose, D., & Martin, J. R. (2012). Learning to write, reading to
learn genre, knowledge and pedagogy in the Sydney school.
Equinox Publishing.
Nathan Lowien is a lecturer in
English Curriculum and pedagogy at the
University of Southern Queensland. He
is the President of the ALEA Meanjin
(Brisbane+) Local Council, which was
recognised as an ALEA Honour Council
(2023-2024) for its contribution to literacy
and language education in the South East
Queensland region. In 2023, Nathan was
awarded an ALEA Associate Fellow.
nathan.lowien@usq.edu.au
Damon Thomas is a senior lecturer
in literacy education at the University of
Queensland. His current research interests
include writing development, pedagogy,
and assessment; systemic functional
linguistics; argumentation; and dialogic
pedagogies. Before starting his academic
career in 2014, Damon taught as a
primary school teacher in Tasmania after
completing a Bachelor of Education degree
with First Class Honours.
damon.thomas@uq.edu.au
Copyright of Practical Literacy: The Early & Primary Years is the property of Australian
Literacy Educators' Association and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites
or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However,
users may print, download, or email articles for individual use.