Teaching Academic Writing

Crimean Engineering Pedagogical University

Simferopol, December 17, 2011

Carol Haddaway, Sr. English Language Fellow, U.S. Department of State

“Rewriting is the essence of writing.” (Zinsser, 1998)

WHAT MAKES GOOD WRITING?

WHAT MAKES WRITING GOOD?

Outline

•Writing as a process of discovery•Composing and generating ideas •Organization•Feedback and revision•Good writing

Think about your question individually (1)Pair with a partner and discuss (2)Share with another pair (4) Choose a spokesperson to share your question with the whole group/class

Warm up discussion questions• Writing is usually thought to be the most difficult skill

to acquire and should only be taught after students have learned the other skills. Do you agree? Explain 

• Writing is a matter of putting together strings of grammatically correct sentences. Do you agree with this statement? 

• Reflect on your experience as a second/foreign language learner. Did you have problems in generating/expressing your ideas in writing? What were those problems? How did you deal with those problems?

• What approach do your use in teaching writing skills? How successful have you been in teaching writing?

• How do you respond and give feedback to students’ writing? What criteria do you use? 

• How is writing like swimming?

How is writing like swimming?

•Psycholinguist Eric Lennenberg (1996) noted that human beings universally learn to walk and to talk but that swimming and writing are culturally specific, learned behaviors. We learn to swim if there is a body of water available and usually only if someone teachers us. We learn to write if we are members of a literate society, and usually only if someone teaches us. (Brown, 2007, p. 390)

Writing as a Process of Discovery

•Meaning created through the process of writing recognizes the importance of▫Generating ideas▫Formulating and organizing ideas▫Refining or revising one’s ideas

•Revision and feedback then become the main focus of instruction

(Zamel, 1987)

Composing versus writing•The act of writing itself, pre-writing

and rewriting are all interdependent, interact together and repeatedly in order to discover meaning.

•Writing and rewriting is a continuing attempt to discover one’s intended meaning (Zamel, 1987).

•The process of writing gives students a chance to think as they write.

•Writing is indeed a thinking process.

The Composing Process•Written products are often the result of

thinking, drafting, and revising procedures

•Generate ideas•Coherence (flow of ideas)/cohesion – use

of subordination, coordination, transition signals, discourse markers, references “wave theory” (handout)

•Revise text for clearer meaning•Edit text for appropriate grammar

(Brown, 2007).

Revised version (coherence)

•I am taking an engineering course in Advanced Dynamics, an ESL course, a seminar, and research. Although it is 12 units in total, it is a light load for me. I only pay attention to dynamics and English, but because this is my first semester, it is most important for me to improve my English.

Topics (authenticity)•Consider how writers feel about the

topics they are asked to write about•Will they engage the students’

interest?• Is the content relevant and engaging?• – writers write both quantitatively

more and qualitatively better when they are composing papers about topics that engage them, subjects they are involved in including academic topics.

(Perl in Zamel, 1987)

Generating ideas Generating ideas is a ‘messy and

chaotic process’ (Raimes, 2002) Students need to be taught how to

explore ideas and topics to write about, develop ideas, and discover relationships

Methods for generating ideas classroom discussion brainstorming, clustering free writing, listing, outlining Wh- questions

Brainstorming Bubbl.us Tutorial

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Clustering

Ask primary Wh-questions

•What?•Who?•Where?•When?•How?•Why

Writing Prompt •Essay topic: Second language writers have

the dual task of learning English and learning to write in English. What are the biggest challenges you face in teaching writing in your class? Why is it important to teach writing and what strategies would be most helpful to nurture good writing? Wherever possible, connect your main points to your own teaching situation and give examples to support your point of view

Brainstorm Writing prompts

Answer the questions/follow directionsMake sure you read the essay prompt carefully.• Make sure to address each point from the prompt.• Observe the word/page limits.

Organization

• Be Organized! • Open your essay with an

introductory paragraph that draws in the reader, and close it with a concluding paragraph that leaves the reader with a lasting thought or image about you.

The Paragraph• Build your essay with cohesive

paragraphs• Each paragraph covers one main idea.• Paragraphs should begin with a topic

sentence or main idea that will interest the reader and give an idea of what the paragraph is about. • Support the topic sentence with logical

points, details, evidence, examples, a quote.• End the paragraph with a concluding

sentence.• Remember to use transitions and

connectors to help your ideas flow smoothly.

(Analyze: different stages of friendship)

Essay Organization• Introduction paragraph (general)

▫Thesis statement• Body paragraphs (more specific)

▫Topic sentence▫Ideas, opinions▫Examples▫Quotations

• Conclusion paragraph (summary)• Effective use of transition words and

phrases, logical connectorsReview essay

Types of feedback

• Evaluate with a grade• Locate and correct student’s errors• Make suggestions for change• Reflect and subtly correct • Rewrite passages• Comment on strategies - define• Ask questions• Emote, criticize, describe• Praise (less frequently)

(Raimes in Richards and Renandya 2002)

Teachers can help students re-vise• By becoming the audience

▫“I have a question about X here.”• By becoming a reader

▫“When I read this paragraph, I felt….• By acting as a writing consultant

▫“This paragraph needs more detail; try a pre-writing strategy to collect more information.”

• By becoming a describer▫“Your thesis statement indicates that you will

discuss X, but in the second paragraph you talk about Y…why?

Revising text•Based on self/peer/teacher

feedback •To improve global content and the

organization of ideas so that the writer’s intent is made clearer to the reader.

•For a coherent, logical essay, deleting, adding, and moving paragraphs, sentences, words are part of the revision process

Example•Draft: The onset of alcoholism

has been classified into four stages. There is the Pre-alcoholic stage, the Early alcoholic stage, the Crucial stage, and the Final stage.

•Revision: Alcoholism progresses in four stages: Pre-alcoholic, Early Alcoholic, Crucial, and Final.

Editing

•Editing and proofreading should focus on syntax, grammar, language forms, vocabulary, mechanics, format, etc. and are means by which to better express one’s meaning

•Grammar-based approaches to teaching writing may have little to do with composing

TRIP Criteria for Readable WritingT - What is the topic, thesis, main idea,

focus?R - How is one idea related to others?I - What is most important?P - What is the precise meaning?

(Walvoord, 2009)

Review essay again – holistic

t

Intellectual Integrity

• Be honest. • Do not plagiarize. • Do not misrepresent your language ability.

What is good writing?•Arabic

▫it’s all adjectives… decorative, ornate, full of courtesy & deference, intentionally pleasing

▫It’s all proverbs… “What you are seeking is also seeking you.”

•Spanish▫long sentences and melodious long

nouns that express a general idea, rich in feeling but no action.

•Russian/Ukranian?

Academic Writing Style in English•Clear and concise•Direct – writer gets to the main

point as quickly as possible•“Linear” in development – writer

makes a point and immediately supports that point with evidence

•Formal in its use of vocabulary and sentence structure

Lane and Lang (1999)

Good writing

•Is one of the hardest things people do

•May not be taught, but can be learned.

(Six Traits of Good Writing)(http://educationnorthwest.org/resource/514)

“Because writing is individual and personal, it is difficult to teach. I am often asked what makes a good writer. The better question to ask is what makes good writing?”

Online Writing Applications

Brainstorming/Organizing: Bubbl.us◦http://www.bubbl.us/edit.php

Composing/Collaborative Writing: Writeboard◦www.writeboard.com

Peer-/Self-Editing: Rubistar◦http://rubistar.4teachers.org/index.php

◦ eWriting: ESL Writing Success◦ http://flang1.kendall.mdc.edu/curric.htm

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References• Brown, H.D. (2007). Teaching by Principles.

Pearson Longman.• Farrell, T. (2006). Succeeding with English

Language Learners. CA: Corwin Press.• Lane, J. & Lange, E. (1999) Writing Clearly An

Editing Guide Second Edition. Heinle & Heinle.

• Raimes, A. (2002). Ten Steps in Planning a Writing Course and Training Teachers of Writing. In J.C. Richards and W. A. Renandya (eds), Methodology in Language Teaching. Cambridge University Press. (p. 306-314)

• Smalzer, W.R. (2005). Write to be Read. Cambridge

• Walvoord, B.E., (2009). Establishing Criteria for Student Writing in all Disciplines (workshop handout)

References• White, R.V. (1987). Approaches to Writing.

In M.J., Long and J.C. Richards (eds.), Methodology in TESOL. Heinle & Heinle. (p. 259-266).

• Yakhontova, T.V. (2002). English Academic Writing.

• Zamel, V. (1987). Writing: The Process of Discovering Meaning. In M.J., Long and J.C. Richards (eds.), Methodology in TESOL. Heinle & Heinle. (p.267-278).

• Zinsser, W. (2009, August 11). Writing English as a Second Language. Retrieved from http://www/theamericanscholar.org/writing-english-as-a-second-language