Strategies for ESOL Writers

WRITING ACROSS THE CURRICULUM (WAC) PROGRAM

MELANIE LOREKJUSTINA OLIVEIRA

Roadmap

Challenges ESOL students faceStrategies to help ESOL students

1. Create a positive learning environment

2. Create assignments that help (ESOL) students succeed

3. Use effective teaching strategies and approaches

4. Reduce the language load

5. Potentially allow use of native language in some contexts

Issues You May Have Encountered:• Limited lecture comprehension

• Limited class participation

• Reluctance to use office hours

• Saying they understand something when it’s clear they don’t

• Writing that doesn’t meet expectations (strangely organized, lacking expected elements, etc.)

• Odd vocabulary usage

• Grammatical errors (either minor or serious)

• Potential plagiarism

• Poor test performance

Exercise

Write a paragraph or two explaining what your profession does(e.g., Architecture, Law) following these three rules: All adjectives have to be followed by a verb. All prepositions must be placed at the beginning of

the sentence. All pronouns must be placed at the end of the

sentence.

Traditional Writing Assignments Ask Students to:

“Do the Discipline”

Write in finished prose

Develop and demonstrate critical

thinking skills

Comprehend an academic text and concepts

Challenges Students are Faced with When Entering College

Stuck between 2 differing teaching philosophies (Moussu, 2013)1. Instructor feedback often focuses on

grammar (lower order concerns)

Told to go to Writing Center to “fix” this2. Writing Centers often have philosophy to

focus on global understanding and critical thinking of texts

Strategies to Help ESOL Students:

1. Create a positive learning environment

2. Create assignments that help (ESOL) students succeed

3. Use effective teaching strategies and approaches

4. Reduce the language load

5. Potentially allow use of native language in some contexts

Strategy#1: Create a positive learning environment

Express interest in their homes and communities, their primary languages and cultures

Pronounce students’ names correctlyGather information about your students that

aids in understanding their point of view/experiences

Strategy#1: Create a positive learning environment

Provide support outside of classroom Discussion about cultural norms in

learning, teaching environments, etc.Acknowledge students are experts in

their own language

Strategy #2: Creating assignments that help (ESOL) students succeed Provide detailed assignments - clear

expectations Provide examples (models of good student

work) Allow for discussion of students’ ideas (one-

on-one or with students) Scaffold & require a draft

Strategy #2: Creating assignments that help (ESOL) students succeed Respond thoughtfully and respectfully

Activities/assignments that allow students to draw on their prior knowledge & life experience Microthemes, Exploratory Essays, Reflection Papers

Expect and accept written accents Correct serious patterns of errors, but not all

errors Teach citation very carefully

Strategy#3: Use effective teaching strategies/approaches

Communicate with students individually Avoid limiting student efforts solely to

verbal performance Allow students to record lectures Provide an outline of your lecture Post lecture notes

Strategy#3: Use effective teaching strategies/approaches

Consider varying teaching styles: Implement self- (journal writing), peer, &

teacher assessment regarding feedback to writing (Birjandi & Tamjid, 2012)

Reciprocal teaching: summarizing, questioning, clarifying, and predicting strategies during reading improve students’ writing (Ghorbani, Gangeraj, & Alavi, 2013)

Strategy#4: Reduce the language load

Break up complex sentences into smaller sentences

Point out difficult words and define themOffer various sources on one topic with

varying levels of linguistic difficultyConsider using visuals along with your

lecture or readings

Strategy#5: Allowing use of native language

Using native language during idea generation, initial phases of assignments, critical thinking stages (Huh, Lee, & Lee, 2013) These stages are cognitively demanding &

stressful Unrealistic to ask ESL students to solely use &

think in English (Cohen, 1998) Allow students to use readings in their native

language for initial stages of brainstorming

Activity 2 – last section of handout

References Birjandi, P., & Tamjid, N.H. (2012). The role of self-, peer and teacher

assessment in promoting Iranian EFL learners’ writing performance. Assessment and Evaluation in Higher Education, 37, 513-533.

Cohen, A.D. (1998). Strategies in learning and using a second language. New York: Longman.

Ghorbani, M.R., Gangeraj, A.A., & Alavi, S.Z. (2013). Reciprocal teaching of comprehension strategies improves EFL learners’ writing ability. Current Issues in Education, 16, 1-12.

Huh, M-H., Lee, Y-S., Lee, N. (2013). Mediation through the first language during the second language writing: A sociocultural approach. English Teaching, 68, 69-84.

Moussu, L. (2013). Let’s talk! ESL students’ needs and writing centre philosophy. TESL Canada Journal, 30, 55-68.

https://writingcenter.unc.edu/faculty-resources/tips-on-teaching-esl-students/tips-on-teaching-esl-students/

http://faculty.weber.edu/mtungmala/Hybrid4270/Articles/MeetNeeds.pdf