week 12 - Williams

Williams proposed that output may be helpful in developing input and further pointed out that “it may also help them to notice ‘holes’ in their own competence; that is, in the act of production, learners may notice that they do not have the knowledge to say or write what they want to convey” (p. 14). I found her statement really interesting because I just read an article not too long ago about the similar suggestion. Huang (2009) pointed out that difficult words in textbooks might not be as practical for students because they do not know how to use them in the written assignment. However, through the process of writing stories, student writers can be flexible using their own words to express themselves, but at the same time expand their vocabulary. Through expressive writing, students can gradually understand what they need in order to make their expressions meaningful.

The author also mentioned about using conversations to enhance the quality of writing. I am curious about how this activity can be done. Does this activity work for any language levels? Do teachers need to give brief explanations about what students should do (we can’t assume that students know where to start or what to look for in their peer’s writing)? I was thinking if it is okay for students to use their first language(s) to discuss their writing (in EFL context). I thinking that talking to our classmates can add more perspectives toward our writing and their questions toward our writing can give us a chance to think deeper. It is just like that we always get more information when we interview people than give out questionnaires.

Huang, Y.-C. (2009). Writing wordless picture books to facilitate English
writing. Asian EFL Journal Professional Teaching Articles, 38, 20-34.

week 11 - ch. 3

When I was reading chapter 3, there were a few questions came up to my mind. On page 75, the author mentioned about if writers write down their questions, reflections or ideas, it creates a space for writers to discover and think about their interpretations and understandings toward a text they read. I was wondering if it matters that students write in their own languages or English. Since they are just finding their reflections toward the text, they should use the languages which they feel comfortable with. In Danling Fu and Marylou Matoush’s article, they mentioned about how writing teachers let ELL students write in the language they feel comfortable with and then they gradually learn how to write in English. I never thought about how I take notes until I read this article. When I was in college, I used both Chinese and English to take notes. Now I mainly use English. What language(s) does everybody use to take note?

The author also mentioned about different ways to write reading reflections, such as summary, synthesis, pre-reading writing, response statements, response essays and journals. I was just thinking that if teachers are going to check students’ reflections, what would be the top elements to look for? Should grammar be checked? Are there any other writing styles that we can use for students to write their reflections or understandings toward texts? Can story writing be used (the author mentioned about writing across curriculum and I was just thinking that students can use their understandings toward science and then write a science fiction?)?

My last question was about writing in group. The author mentioned about the benefits of writing in group that students are able to discuss. What if students hate writing in groups? How do teachers grade the paper produced by groups? Do students need to write together or they write separately and then put their papers together? If they write together, wouldn’t it take a lot of time to finish a paper? I am just curious about how collaborate writing may work.

week 10 - Bloome

When I was reading this article, it reminded me of post method in teaching ESL students. The author mentioned that “when students are allowed to read and write about things that are congruent with their home culture, they may read and write more and with more sophistication” (p. 132). I wonder if this kind of teaching approach applies to both ESL and EFL contexts. When I was learning English, the textbooks we used in cram schools were printed in the U.S. and most of the contents were about American cultures. Even in junior and senior high schools, the textbooks rarely incorporated Taiwanese cultures into the contents. Since the education system in Taiwan is exam-based, I am thinking about how this kind of teaching method that Bloome mentioned in his article may fit into the Taiwanese context. How do we use this teaching method to assist students to compose within a short amount of exam time?

Also, I was looking for some Taiwanese stories translated in English for a friend of mine who wants her daughter to understand different cultures. I had trouble finding them and most of the stories I saw in the bookstores were about stories from the U.S. and other English speaking countries. I am not sure if this similar situation happens in other countries as well. But in the Taiwanese context, it seems to me that foreign cultures create better business and education markets. Sometimes I think some of the teaching methods are very interesting and useful for teaching ESL students, but the environment may not allow certain kind of teaching methods. It is really frustrating when I can’t use whatever I learned from classes.