2. Writing – introduction Dr. ZsuzsaAbrams The importance of writing Is itjust a support skill? Is it a skill to practice grammar? It meritsitsown place in our curricula: why?
3. The nature of L2 writing Characteristics of writing Visual Conventional Productive Process
4. The nature of L2 writing Writing as a process« L2 writers spend less time planning and organizing ideas and have more difficulties with these steps (Silva, 1993). To counter this, L2 instruction should include time for planning both content and form, for generating ideas as well as for improving accuracy.«
5. Whywewrite What are some common, everyday uses of writing? How do we treat writing in the L2 classroom? When planning L2 writing, consider: Language activities should reflect plausible, real-life communication. L2 writing can have the same wide range of purposes as L1 writing. L2 writing should be taught systematically, not as a random thing used here and there only as a support task.
6. Classroomconsiderations How can we deal with these challenges of incorporating writing tasks in class? Uneven proficiency in groups Off task during groups Issues of plagiarism
7. A note on CMC Research has shown that CMC: can help increase students' motivation to learn the foreign language, lower their anxiety, increase their fluency in the target language, lead to improved intercultural competence and democratize classroom communication.
8. Design considerations and questions Make sure that your assignment is appropriate for the learners' language level. Select level-appropriate writing purpose. Decide on writing as a support skill or as a main skill. Identify sub-skills students need in order to complete the main task. Design activity set that prepares sub-skills. Guide students through pre-, during-, and post-writing activities.
9. Activity Sets Define the following components: Pre-writing activities During-writing activities Post-writing activities
12. Post-WritingActivities Elements of post-writing Re-read your story, make sure sentences make sense. Add phrases to make the story flow smoothly (cohesion markers, pronouns, conjunctions). Eliminate "fluff" (unnecessary or redundant details). Proofread for spelling, vocabulary, grammar (checklist). Edit your paper (peer-editing, post-teacher editing). Share with audience (website, print, etc.). Examples Sharing? Publishing? Performing? Etc.?
13. Arguments for creativewriting Discuss the pros and cons of including creative writing assignments in the language curriculum. Some ideas: Poetry (acrostic, name, cinquain) Prose (alternate endings, short story, etc.) Performance (screenplay, drama, other media)
Part of CMC, texting, etcTime to reflect, practice, express in more complex wayMay raise cognitive awareness of language: sound symbol, relationships, etc.Can be creative outlet, affective connection with language
Questions to consider for setting up CMC tasks:What is the learners' language level? Are they able to participate in openendeddiscussions or do they need more guidance?• How many messages to students have to post ‐‐ how many of these inresponse to someone else's posting? Will they have to write a certainnumber of words? Use a certain group of phrases?• What is the timeline for their contributions? When, by whom, and how is theCMC session terminated?• Is the CMC activity well integrated with the rest of the curriculum? Studentswill not be able to participate effectively if they are not prepared for the topic(e.g., vocabulary) or the content.
After generating student input, go to next slide to confirm
(During slide show image will appear only on click – show after students have offered their own definitions)
PROS: experiment and play; take ownership; motivate and engage; authentic communication toolCONS: not everyone feels creative; hard to design; hard to assess;
PROS: experiment and play; take ownership; motivate and engage; authentic communication toolCONS: not everyone feels creative; hard to design; hard to assess;