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ESOL Students and Pedagogy

Designing activities, facilitating learning, promoting feedback on learning, and assessing work are essential for the success of any writing class, whether it involves ESOL students or students whose first language is English. For students placed in basic writing classes for whom English is not a native spoken or written language (ESOL students), however, it is especially important to consider what practices are best in teaching basic writing.

Being sensitive to linguistic norms of students, creating activities and providing readings that will allow students to bring their language into the university, as well as giving them a way in which to express themselves in new ways are worthwhile goals to attain in an ESOL basic writing classroom. For more information about classroom atmosphere, see the Classroom Atmosphere page.

Paul Kei Matsuda looks at a historical overview of ESOL pedagogy in his article, Second-Language Writing in the Twentieth Century. He notes the shift in how ESOL best practices eventually become a model for basic writing pedagogy. He also notes that there has been a shift in the ways that ESOL writing courses are positioned in the academy. Matsuda comments that while ESOL used to be thought of as a remedial step towards academic work it started being viewed as preparation – losing some negative stigma that was previously attached. He writes, “[…] ESL writing courses at many institutions were reconceived as preparation for writing in academic discourse communities rather than as remediation for required composition courses […]” (20) – this is a relief from deficit-model view of teaching. Silva echoes this, “Teachers also need to recognize that ESL writers’ rhetorical differences may be manifestations of their cultural backgrounds and not cognitive or educational deficiencies” (157).

For further reading, see Valdés work, Bilingual Minorities and Language Issues in Writing.

What are the advantages of using portfolio assessment for ESOL students in Basic Writing classrooms?

Portfolio assessment is regarded as a helpful method of getting students to revise their work in a structured setting (e.g., Matsuda, Silva). Having students turn in multiple drafts not only gives them time grow as writers during the semester but can help ESOL students feel less pressured in their writing as they turn in their drafts. Knowing there will be time to revise can make the process of writing and rewriting less intimidating. Matsuda writes that, “In composition studies, the interest [has] begun to shift from textual features to the process of writing itself […] (19).

Turning in multiples drafts of a paper can also give the students time in which to receive feedback from their classmates through peer editing, which is when students share their work with one another in directed ways in order to grow as writers. (See Zhu for more information about peer editing and revision.) Silva writes, “[…] those who deal with ESL writers must evaluate their writing fairly, in both mass and classroom testing contexts. They need to understand that second-language acquisition is a slow and gradual process and that expecting ESL students’ writing to be indistinguishable in terms of grammar from that of the NES counterparts is naïve and unrealistic” (157). Allowing students to improve on their work as the semester progresses can help them see their own improvement and in doing so, can help build confidence in their writing abilities. Matsuda writes, “Invention strategies, multiple drafts, and formative feedback – both by the teacher and by peers – also became important parts of writing instruction in many L2 writing classrooms” (20).

For more reading on this topic, see: Ferris and Robert, Error Feedback in L2 Writing Classes: How Explicit Does It Need to Be?

What are the best forms of feedback on student writing?

Some of the best ways to give feedback are by using marginal and end comments symbiotically and in a systematic manner. Feedback and assessment are important components in an ESOL teacher’s pedagogy. Determining how feedback can be most useful to students is a topic that is addressed by Reid, Matsuda, Zhu and Morgan. Joy Reid writes, “With structured practice, teacher intervention, and revision, student fluency and rhetorical frameworks develop accordingly” (Reid, et al. 76).

Providing consistent marking of constructive feedback (both in praise and in helpful ideas for improvement) on students’ papers is important. Understanding that the content of the writing is more important than surface errors can relieve pressure on both the teacher and student, “[Matsuda, et al] caution[s] composition instructors to avoid grading solely on the number of surface errors, and stress the importance of providing written commentary on the strengths of a text, not just its weaknesses” (322).

Marginal comments on paper can help students see exactly what the instructor is commenting on, especially when coupled with and comments in order to give extended constructive feedback on student work. When commenting student work, it is important not to overwhelm the student by addressing every issue in a single paper or draft. It is important to address feedback in a systematic way and not haphazardly mark on their pages (See Morgan).

Which types of assignments are most helpful to ESOL students?

Giving students choices in writing and in their assignments helps them take ownership of their work. Silva writes, “It seems to me most reasonable and motivating to have students (individually or as a group) choose their own topics, those in which they have a sincere interest and some intellectual and emotional investments. […] asking ESL writers to write on topics of their own choice often results in texts that are well informed, skillfully crafted, very persuasive, and incredibly moving […]” (156).

Other types of assignments, such as incorporating multi-cultural readings and reading responses can be useful in having ESOL students work on writing sentences, paragraphs, and responding to printed texts as well as and classroom discussions. (For more on different learning styles, see Reid.)

How can allowing ESOL students to use their native languages aid in English fluency?

Understanding that writing is more than words on a page is essential to effectively teaching ESOL students. Realizing that there is “[…] a considerable delay not only the comfort and fluency of language but also in richness and complexity of thinking (232)” can make teachers more aware of ways help their students gain confidence in writing. One method of doing this is by bringing the students’ native language into the classroom as a valid part of who they are, and finding creative ways in which to have them express themselves.

Allowing students to engage in activities where students navigate between their first language and English have been useful. Exercises (see Soliday) like this are helpful in helping students understand in what ways English is different than their native language and how to best navigate between the two.

Letting students put their own language knowledge to work in helping each other can be beneficial as well. (See Zhu, Wei. Interaction and Feedback in Mixed Peer Response Groups.). Because writing occurs in a particular social context students feel positioned inside that context. Giving them ways to feel as confident as possible in using language is a key goal – and they can feel more confident when their home language is valued, which can cause students to write from a confident and strong position (Bean, et all, 226).

For more classroom ideas, see Reid and Kroll. Designing and Assessing Effective Classroom Writing Assignments for NES and ESL Students.

References:

This book looks at various to respond to ESL compositions. Different forms of responding that are covered are the following: Responding to Content, Responding to Sentence-Level Errors, Combining Response to Content and Response to Sentence in an End Comment. Sample papers are also given as well as suggestions for an instructor to help students learn and do error analysis. Different approaches and possible outcomes are given to the following situations of learning: instructor lead, student lead, or a combination of both. Though dated, after suggestions are giving in this book, a boxed section is included that gives research background to back up the suggestion made.

This article begins with questions regarding how to validate non-native English speakers native language, how to best help them draft their assignments and how to get them to get their ideas on paper. The authors met together in order to answer the many questions they had regarding this topic. They approached it by agreeing that they see writing taking place in a context and that they want students to feel confident in that context. They pose ten variables and address each of them, claiming that there are no easy answers to be had. A teacher’s personal beliefs/convictions about using home languages in classroom is the most influential variable in the classroom.

Essays are complied on different aspects of learner-directed assessment including topics such as: the effectiveness of self-assessments, portfolio grading, and test-taking strategies. Glayol Ekbatani, Brian North, Diane Strong-Krause, Erna van Hest, Margo Gottlieb, Alan Hirvela, Herbert Pierson and Andrew D. Cohen are contributors.

This gives background information about the research done on responding to student writing since the 1980’s until now. Methodological issues with giving feedback on student writing, the history of responding to error, research on peer responses, and the views of students on these issues are also addressed. The second part of this book presents how to prepare teachers to respond to student writing, suggestions for error corrections, and methods of implementing peer response.

This is based on the theory that tests are “embedded in a social and ideological context” (5). It looks at the pragmatic and autonomous model of literacy, TEFLO testing, and looks at other countries readers and test takers in regards to tests and the assessment of them. A section on policy looks at a pragmatic approach to assessment and also at alternative forms of measurement.

The purpose of this book is to give assignment ideas by using prescribed assignments that contain an open-ended feel. The rationale behind using a formulaic approach is to free the student to explore the language itself and not have to worry about how it is set up. Assignment ideas and sample assignments are given. Some of the types of poems that are covered are the following: acrostic, catalog, haiku, hero, phrase, and simile poems.

Matsuda looks at the history of Second-Language writing and its progression throughout the twentieth century. It gives a thorough overview and hits the highlights – he dicusses how it has become an issue in writing instruction, how writing instruction for non-native speakers has come to be seen as a process and as language use in context. He also addressed the limits of pedagogy and explores second language writing instruction as it became an interdisciplinary field, becoming both composition and a second-language study.

Morgan looks at the connection between students who read their work aloud and the quality of the drafts produced. She connects this with the idea that the students reading ability comes into play when writing. There is a description of her testing this theory in a classroom setting. She asserts that having students reading essay drafts aloud does help those students who are competent readers but not beneficial to students who are uncomfortable reading aloud. http://bedfordstmartins.com/basicbib/

Reid emphasizes that students learn differently, some are visual and others aural. She explores the typical strengths and weakness of each of these types of learners. She suggests and provides an example of how teachers can determine whether or not their students are U.S. residents or an international student in an effort to best meet their needs. She claims that a student who is fluent and literate in their native language has greater success in learning English. She looks at other students and their generalized success rates, such as those who have an interrupted education, who are older, and those who ware only orally fluent.

Compilation readings from Native Americans, Early Immigrants, Chinese Americans, African Americans, Puerto Ricans, Japanese Americans, Chicanos and New Immigrants are provided along with reading about culture before each section and biographical information about each author.

Based on the issues of respecting ESL students in four areas: to be understood, to be placed in suitable learning contexts, to be provided with appropriate instruction and be evaluated fairly. He uses his knowledge of the field and his personal experience to situate his research.

This gives a description of project entitled Enrichment Approach to Language and Literacy that took place at the City College of New York, where an extremely diverse (up to sixteen different languages spoken in one classroom) student body was challenged to become researchers of their own language. Soliday believes this is a beneficial way for students become comfortable with language and its use. http://bedfordstmartins.com/basicbib/

Valdés looks at the terms diversity and multiculturism and claims they are being used only because they are fashionable and acceptable terms. She looks at what it really takes to work well with a diverse student body – it is not by using catch phrases but by having an understanding of having more than one language and by examining different views of writing. She explores how ESL students are situated differently than basic writers or speakers of non-standard dialects of English.

Zhu describes a study done to examine the following: how groups function, how students perform peer response and comment on peer writing, what characterizes successful peer response groups, and what factors may affect peer interaction (188). The results of the study showed that there are both similarities and differences between native and non-native English speakers, but that successful peer response groups are possible. Suggestions like allowing non-native speakers the opportunity to respond to a peer author in writing proved effective. See Also:

• Working with ESOL Students
  • Classroom Atmosphere
  • Pedagogy
  • Using Technology
  • ESOL Bibliography