Here are the questions for this weeks discussion,
a) Reading chapters 1 & 2, there have been a few disagreements between the book and what we are learning in composition class.
What are some disparities in ideas on teaching between our Composition classroom and the book we are reading, how do these differences have a different impact on EFL/ESL students and NES (Native English Speakers) in a composition classroom?
b) All too often teachers allow their political or social motivations interfere with their teaching, resulting in "skewed" teaching, or teaching that has an agenda, such as feminism, or liberation rights.
From all the ESL knowledge of teaching we have aquired over time, how can we react to a situation in which the school or company requires us to teach in an traditional style? Would your ideas of what is teaching and what isn't interfere with the classroom as they want it taught?
a) As I read those chapters, I can see many similarities between what we have been so far doing and what the book recommend. For example, "writing crucially depends on measuring and nurturing students' reading skills" (62), and we have students get extensive exposure to reading also extensive writing practice.
ReplyDeleteThere is one disparity here is Ferris and Hedgcock suggest "reading and writing tasks developed to prepare learners for the demands of their individual disciplines, vocations and professions". In our program, we focus on writing and first year composition, we introduce to students conceptions in writing and the topic of both reading and writing practice are reading and writing. We introduce them peer revision, PQP, rhetorical reading and so on.
Ferris and Hedgcock say that writing instructor do not mention students' language proficiency, cognitive development. Actually, we care those criteria (through the test), also we care their ethnic, culture, L1 language. Specific, we have them read Moll & Gonzalez' article in which there are many characters that are familiar to their status.
In question b, can you elaborate "traditional style"? what is traditional style?
ReplyDeleteI think that in our 6325 we have covered so many different approaches to teaching composition that one could say that there are both similarities and disparities between Ferris and Hedgcock and what we have covered in 6325. In chapter two of the book the authors discuss the importance of reading and put emphasis on the reading-writing relationship. Authors that we have covered throughout 6325 like Elbow would be opposed to some of the ideas presented in chapter two. However, chapter two also a lines with other articles we have read such as the Downs and Wardle article which involves a lot of reading about writing to teach composition. I think an important question to ask especially when it comes to teaching composition at the university level, is how we generate a composition course that is applicable to all types of students, including ESL students? Out of the articles we have read in class so far, I would say that thus far into my reading, the Downs and Wardle article a line closest to the book we are reading. Therefore, would an approach similar to the one Downs and Wardle present be something that would be applicable and effective with ESL students as well as NES students as well?
ReplyDeleteAccording to Ferris and Hedgcock, there are some similarities between the composing processes of NES and ESL students in terms of writing processes. However the authors state that ESL students has unique need influenced by linguistic and cultural factors and teachers need to address the unique features of ESL students when teaching writing. One of the unique features mentioned in chapter 1 was a rhetorical pattern of writing. Kaplan’s study on the difference of ESL students’ rhetorical patterns in writing claims that students from different cultures would display different rhetorical patterns in writing. Therefore, she advocates for the need of ESL teachers to teach an expected rhetorical pattern in English which would not be necessary for composition class for NES. Because of some of the differences in what ESL students bring and What NES students bring to classroom, ESL writing teachers need to be aware of those differences and addresses these unique needs in the class.
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