Browsing by Subject "Teaching writing"
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Item English language learning in Mexico : a case study of implementing problem based learning into a technology enhanced writing curriculum(2006-08) Graham, Leah Sharice; Schwarzer, DavidEnglish for Academic Purposes literature is often criticized for its very functional interpretation of language (e.g. Benesch, 2001) which ignores the intellectual, cultural, and social side of learning in an attempt to appear “neutral.” Furthermore, writing is the EAP skill area which seems to provide students with the most difficulty. Many EAP students express high levels of frustration toward their writing despite years and years of ESOL writing courses (e.g. Johannson, 2001). Thus, the purpose of this study was to invent and describe a curriculum which would approach the teaching and learning of EAP writing in a way that addressed student frustrations toward L2 writing, shifted the idea of EAP writing back toward the more authentic purpose of communication and, described students’ reaction to the curriculum. The resultant PBL2 curriculum evolved into a method, under the umbrellas of Communicative Language Teaching and the Process Approach, that “fleshed out” EAP curricula with regard to second language writing by recognizing students as intellectual, cultural, and social beings, promoting life-long learning, emphasizing the importance of discourse communities, and by shifting the focus of writing to communication. This dissertation is a teacher research-evaluative case study that took place in an exit-level EFL course at a small bilingual university in Mexico City. The students were all Mexican nationals, of an average age of 21, whose majors included psychology, business administration, international studies, and computer information systems. All were enrolled in the class in order to complete the mandatory English requirements of the university. The data collected included observations via a teacher-researcher journal/lesson report per Richards & Lockhart (1994), three audio taped semi-structured student interviews per Seidman (1998), and various course related documents such as student assignments and instructor evaluations. Three types of analyses were used: (1) emergent theme-constant comparative analysis, (2) cross case analysis, and (3) document analysis. During analysis, issues concerning the impact of the learners’ feelings toward the L2 emerged along with issues of culture, hegemony and power; moreover, classroom management and learning communities were highlighted in addition to the invaluable role of technology in facilitating the PBL2 inquiry process.Item The teacher's role in helping students learn about and employ the craft of writing: A case study of two elementary school writing teachers(2006-08) Griffith, Robin R.; Button, Kathryn A.; Johnson, Margaret; Lesley, MellineeWriting is a complex process that requires the divided attention of the writer who must pay attention to the message, the conventions of writing, and the craft of writing. The craft of writing refers to all the subtleties of writing that allow the writing to flow and entice the reader to continue reading. Teaching the craft of writing is difficult and many teachers claim they are uncomfortable teaching the writer’s craft. Some writing experts claim that teachers can help their students learn about the craft of writing by reading and studying the works of other authors. Authors and their pieces of writing can serve as mentors for developing writers. Several studies have documented cases of young writers successfully borrowing from mentor texts, yet very little research exists on the role of the teacher in helping the students learn to borrow from these texts. The purpose of this study was to examine the seemingly critical role of the teacher in helping students learn about and employ the writer’s craft. This study's data set included detailed field notes from seventeen writing workshop lessons from two elementary teachers, one transcribed writing workshop lesson from each teacher, transcripts of the initial and final interviews with each teacher, transcribed interviews of twelve case study students, and various documents. The findings from this research study indicated that teaching the craft of writing is as idiosyncratic as the art of writing itself. The two teachers from this study employed the common tool of children's literature but approached the task of teaching students about the craft of writing in very personal and unique ways. Their personal experiences as writers, their knowledge of writing and their knowledge of children's literature influenced the way in which they taught writing. The approaches were different but it can be argued that both were effective.