Transition from journal writing to academic writing: How to guide students through materials Neslihan Demirdirek Sabanci University, Turkey Presentation Outline Sabanc University in Istanbul and the context of teaching Importance of writing Writing Materials The importance of Feedback Learner Voices SABANCI UNIVERSITY,ISTANBUL The Context of Teaching Pre-faculty course Content-based instruction 4 main levels Route 1:elementary Route 2:Pre-intermediate Route 3:Intermediate Route 4:Upper intermediate Coursebooks ROUTE 1 Elementary level 8 weeks: Language Leader 8 weeks: BtheB Basic Level Writing objectives Learning Portfolio Journal writing Short Answer Writing What to write? How to write? Language Leader Coursebook Descriptions of 6 different cities Reading comprehension exercises Analysis work (Grammar + Vocabulary + organisation) Guided Writing Practice Reading texts: Describing people Guided writing Describe your best friend: 1.What is his/her name? 2.How old is he/she? 3.What is his/her job? 4.Describe his/her personality (Use adjectives in TLP) 5.What does he/she like doing? 6.What do you do together? Free writing: Describing people Describe the girl in the picture: Give her a name. How old is she? Give some information about her family. What is her job? Describe her personality. Add any other details. Writing a short biography Extra materials to support writing biographies 1.Important Women in History2. Ordering sentences Main Principles Raising awareness about different types of writing Analysing sentences for grammar and vocabulary Analysing texts for organisation Providing model answers Providing more practice opportunities Giving feedback in different forms How do students feel? Short Answer Rhetorical Patterns Defining and explaining terms (C-C-C pattern) Giving a description of objects, people, places and situations Making comparisons and contrasts between objects, people and places Describing a historical process Comparison Task Writing Short Answers Recognition Practice How useful is teacher feedback? Production Practice & Feedback Short Answer writing tips Individual written feedback Collated written feedback Strengths: Starting with the positive Production Practice & Feedback One-to-one Tutorials Feedback using technology (JING) Feedback from Learners: Difficulties at the beginning I couldnt write because I didnt have any ideas. I couldnt write because I didnt know how to make sentences. When I write sentences, they were all separate sentences. I didnt know how to link them. I made a lot of grammar mistakes. I didnt know which word to use. Feedback from Learners: Difficulties in the second half I cant add my own ideas, everything should come from the book. I write long introductions but there is a word limit. I cant use TLP words. I add many irrelevant ideas. I cant use I we, etc. I sometimes misunderstand the question and I cant understand the reading text well. Feedback from Learners: What I found useful I found comparing journal and short answer writing useful. I found Jing feedback useful. I found getting feedback from my teacher useful because it helped me get ready for the exam. I found collated feedback useful because I learned a lot from my friends mistakes. Feedback from Learners: What I found useful I found taking notes and making a plan helpful. I found guided writing exercises useful because I didnt know how to start or continue to write. I found working on linkers and reference words useful. Neslihan Demirdirek