August 17-21 : August 17-21 Teaching ESL Content and Writing Skills in the Same Moodle Course
Low Academic Writing and Language Processing Abilities in Graduate Students
The Situation : The Situation Graduate students’ English writing abilities are often not well-developed
This is particularly concerning if such graduate students are trained to teach English to ESL students in grades Kindergarten to 12 in public schools
Teachers with bad English skills will continue the cycle of low English skills in generations to come
Background of Graduate Students : Background of Graduate Students Any person who:
Is a certified teacher in any grade from Kindergarten to 12
Is a teacher of any discipline from physical education, art, elementary, science….
Is a teacher who is in general employed as a teacher and working full time
Cares about immigrant populations
Meets requirements of a graduate program
What is an Endorsement? : What is an Endorsement? A Teaching Endorsement is a certification added on to an already existing certificate of another discipline
An endorsement is a “mini version” of an initial certificate
Requirements are different in each US state (may range from taking two courses to taking many courses and passing a professional, national exam)
What an Endorsement is NOT : What an Endorsement is NOT An endorsement can not create equal training outcomes for all participants
An endorsement cannot teach reading and writing in depth
An endorsement cannot teach writing; it will build on the assumption that academic writing skills are mastered
Slide 6 : Endorsement candidates
take out of the program
what they put in
and what they bring to it
Before they begin
Problem Statement : Problem Statement Graduate Students in the ESL Endorsement Program (native English speakers) have trouble writing academic papers with areas of shortcomings in:
Grammar
Spelling
Punctuation
Style
Voice
Expression
APA style format (required in education in the USA)
Basic organization of an academic paper
…and Another Problem… : …and Another Problem… The Endorsement program
is taught online
and all course work
and communication
are conducted in writing
Shifting the Paradigm : Shifting the Paradigm Making
a problem
a solution
Using Online Delivery : Using Online Delivery Online courses:
Deliver content online
Require students do express themselves in writing (usually…)
All communication is done in writing among all participants
Making Writing Relevant in Content Courses : Making Writing Relevant in Content Courses The content course needs to interface and scaffold writing tasks with content in a way that students:
Pay attention to writing
Submit regular/weekly drafts
Receive immediate feedback for improvement
Receive a grade for writing
Write for mastery and honor the process instead of focusing on the product alone
Student Role : Student Role Consider writing part of content and work on improvement along with acquisition of course content
Instructor Role : Instructor Role Carefully scaffold writing and content tasks so not to overburden the students with tasks and leg work
Making writing relevant to students so they care
Be able to provide valid feedback for writing development
Be willing to grade drafts each week
Possible Pitfalls : Possible Pitfalls Course instructors are prepared for teaching their content but they may lack in the ability of academic writing themselves
Instructors may be unprepared for teaching writing or how to grade it
They may not know how to guide a student to mastery in a sequential process
Important for Process : Important for Process Online course needs to be built carefully to scaffold content and writing throughout the course
Students need to have resources to find answers for writing issues and following their instructor’s suggestions
Students need to know how to use resources independently for skill development
Students need to have a clear rubric for their writing task
Some Things that Work : Some Things that Work Peer editing
Models of papers that are excellent
Personal communication between instructor and graduate student
Possible physical place for a “hopeless case” to receive more in-depth attention if needed (writing lab)
How to Do It : How to Do It As an instructor, become well-trained and knowledgeable in writing matters and all related issues
Know where to find resources
Know how writing can and should be taught
Read literature on the topic
Interview a colleague/specialist
Collect resources
Continued… : Continued… Instructor needs to prepare students for the writing tasks before or when class starts
Each week needs to present a new draft challenge for writers that move their projects forward
Clear instructions, rubrics, and patterns need to be provided from day one
Each week, feedback and grades need to be provided in a timely manner
Continued… : Continued… Instructors need to make themselves available via SKYPE or other means to have one on one conferences with students facing special challenges
Instructors need to anticipate and address affective and adverse responses
They need to redirect such students to not to get sidetracked from course content over writing frustrations
Continued… : Continued… Instructors need to be able to find good resources for students on individual case basis if needed
Instructors need to be willing to identify a physical place or organization for the students that can help with writing in a personal way
If needed, a writing action plan should be developed for the student for the next semesters to be completed before students exit the program
Slide 21 : Pitfalls and Hiccups
Students Get Angry and Perceive Feedback as Invalid Criticism : Students Get Angry and Perceive Feedback as Invalid Criticism When the student’s perception cannot be turned around it is almost impossible to work with a student on the writing process because every feedback is seen as an attack. The anger and resentment builds and will be a filter between the student and the content of the class on top of the writing problems…
This is a loose/loose situation for all involved
Students are Eager to Improve But Cannot “Comprehend” Instructions : Students are Eager to Improve But Cannot “Comprehend” Instructions In many cases, students are unable to “hear” what the teacher wants. They are often not willing to research the issues and use quick fixes which make the issues worse. This problem is often hard to crack and can only be solved with lots of personal attention…
This situation has a chance to be resolved but often remains unresolved.
Students Have no Time : Students Have no Time Students who enroll in too many courses or face life challenges are often not pleased to have to deal with writing development on top of learning to mastering content.
This situation can often be resolved by good communication at the time of enrollment and advising. Students need to know that there will be an expectation of mastery of academic writing and expect to show evidence of it.
Students are Unable to Use Online Resources : Students are Unable to Use Online Resources Interestingly, many students taking online courses still do not know how to capitalize on the many resources the WWW offers. In addition, they do not know what to look for when receiving instructor comments. In other words, instructor comments may be wasted…
This can be fixed by instructor feedback that includes specific weblinks and even youtube videos of “how to…” topics. The more precise, the better for student success.
Students Do not Know How to Use Microsoft Word Tools : Students Do not Know How to Use Microsoft Word Tools The graduate program requires all work to be submitted in Microsoft Word. Many students, however, have never learned the many tools available to writers using this software. They do not know that they can set up a template for APA formatting or such.
This situation can be fixed by supplying students with excellent youtube video links of how to use these tools.
In Summary: The Downside : In Summary: The Downside Teaching writing to graduate students embedded in content courses poses many challenges for instructors and students. In essence, two courses are taught for the price and in the time of one course. There is much work, much more grading, and more conflicts with students. In some cases, course evaluations are also less desirable because of hurt feelings or workloads.
In Summary: The Upside : In Summary: The Upside ESL teachers teach English to English learners. Hence, they need to master it.
All teachers should be able to express themselves in highly professional ways to their communities, always!
Teachers should partake in research and writing to create a professional learning community and this can only done by writing.
Course instructors who teach writing become better writers themselves
They will model good habits and leadership to their students as their students, in-service teachers, will model it to the kids in their classes
Dare to Challenge Your Studentsand Make an Impact on the Profession : Dare to Challenge Your Studentsand Make an Impact on the Profession
Afterthought and Personal Bias: : Afterthought and Personal Bias: I know about the challenges of writing since I learned English writing after the age of 30 and academic writing has been one of the most scary endeavors of my life. I learned the skills and believe that I am very empowered by this ability. I am an advocate for sharing this empowerment with all English learners. And this can only be done with well-trained teachers…
Slide 31 : Afterthought and Personal Bias:
I know about the challenges of writing since I learned English writing at age 30 and academic writing has been one of the most scary endaevors of my life. I learned the skills and believe that I am very empowered by this skill. I am an advocate for sharing this empowerment with all English learners. And this can only be done with well-trained teachers…
Some Resources: : Some Resources: http://owl.english.purdue.edu/
http://apastyle.org/
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SvJCixljnXs
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d45FYQgPbNE
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0X6ds9B9ipM
http://www.youtube.com/watch?gl=US&hl=iw&v=-mdE6yIj64k
http://www.fileguru.com/apps/free_apa_template_download
Any Questions? : Any Questions? Christel Broady, Ph.D., http://broadyesl.wordpress.com/
Director ESL Teacher Endorsement Program
Associate Professor, Georgetown College Graduate Education, http://wordpress.georgetowncollege.edu/education/
Chair TESOL, Elementary Education IS, http://tesol.org/
Board Member Kentucky TESOL, http://kytesol.org/
Mahatma Gandhi said, "I do not want my house to be walled in on all sides and my windows to be stuffed. I want the culture of all lands to be blown about my house as freely as possible. But I refuse to be blown off my feet by any."