1 / 11

ESL Students in the writing center

ESL Students in the writing center. Patty Hazle College of LSA University of Michigan Class of 2015. Examining the Peer Relationship & Tutoring Practices. Esl At University of Michigan. Fall semester, 2012: Total of 8,491 international students scholars faculty staff

danton
Download Presentation

ESL Students in the writing center

An Image/Link below is provided (as is) to download presentation Download Policy: Content on the Website is provided to you AS IS for your information and personal use and may not be sold / licensed / shared on other websites without getting consent from its author. Content is provided to you AS IS for your information and personal use only. Download presentation by click this link. While downloading, if for some reason you are not able to download a presentation, the publisher may have deleted the file from their server. During download, if you can't get a presentation, the file might be deleted by the publisher.

E N D

Presentation Transcript

  1. ESL Students in the writing center Patty Hazle College of LSA University of Michigan Class of 2015 Examining the Peer Relationship & Tutoring Practices

  2. Esl At University of Michigan • Fall semester, 2012: Total of 8,491 international • students • scholars • faculty • staff • 13.5% international students

  3. ESL Background • Complex Relationships • 1. Tutor and writer • 2. Writer and the English language • Different social cues, learning process & standards, culture • Each ESL student is an individual encounter • Tutor must adapt from student to student • Excellent tutors are equipped with techniques to overcome impasses with ESL students in the writing center • Tutor Relationship: Expert vs. Peer

  4. Setting up expectations • Nancy Hayward compares culture to an iceberg • We see the top 10% (clothing, food, customs, social customs) • The rest is submerged • There is no “right” or “wrong” culture • Therefore, we must consider that an ESL student will approach a session differently than a NS • Sweetland tutor: non-directive approach • ESL student might not consider it an appropriate approach

  5. Understanding tutor relationshipOftentimes, ESL students struggle with understanding the relationship of a peer tutor, and come in with expectations to work with an expert • 1. Expect that tutor directly dictates course of the session • 2. Think that tutor should be older, have extensive writing/tutoring experience, be a native English speaker • 3. Students do not question authority • 4. Interpret politeness and formality differently • 5. Anxiety because of power relationships

  6. Issues in relationship • When the tutor is seen as EXPERT instead of PEER: - Contributes to misconceptions about “fix-it-center” - Sometimes do not accept tutor as reliable source • - Students do not take ownership of papers • - Hard to engage in collaborative process • - Feel disrespectful asserting opinions • - Do not respond to non-directive approach

  7. Techniques to Employ • Set up proper expectations • Explain goals of the writing center before beginning work • Establish peer relationship (not expert) • Employ earnest rapport and ice breakers where appropriate • Explain own difficulties with the writing process • Give an example of how to utilize a reference book • Find ways to communicate that provide a less formal environment for the student • Use student’s body language to judge what level of politeness and formality they are comfortable with (big introduction vs. quietly entering the session)

  8. Techniques to employ • Help the student take ownership • Ask them to read the paper out loud • Ask leading questions about content • If it does not work for them to read the paper out loud tutor can read it & have student recognize their own errors • Accommodates students who are uncomfortable by the spotlight because their culture identifies more with group than individual • Ascertain whether the student is making a mistake vs. an error in their paper • Devise a strategy to help teach them, allows them to take away skills for future writing process • Recognize patterns of error • Enables tutor to diagram problem & fully articulate to student

  9. Establishing peer relationship: why it is important • Encourages ESL students to continue with tackling writing process • Sends message that the writing process is difficult and ongoing • No one correct way to write, or an easy solution to paper writing • Writing cannot be fixed quickly • Eliminates the tendency for editing • Encourages multiple drafts • Paves way for extended discourse about a particular piece of writing or overall writing process • Improves the individual’s skill set • Be sure to adjust techniques from student to student to cater to their needs and cultural backgrounds

  10. Food for Thought • Do you have a relationship with an international or ESL peer(s) that you can recall? • Based on cues indicating their specific culture, in what way would you present the writing center to them that would prompt them to utilize it? • In what instances might this attention to cultural difference and particular sensitivity to relationship be applicable outside of the writing center?

  11. Works Cited • Brice, Colleen Marie. ESL Writers’ Reactions to Teacher Feedback: A Multiple Case Study. 1998. • Gitzen, Mary. Face to Face: Conferencing As ESL Writing Instruction. 2002. • Jordan, Cecil Terrell, III. ESL, “comp,” And Composition: Terms, Assumptions, Implications, And New Practices for Native and Nonnative English-speaking Students. 2006. • Shanti, Bruce. ESL Writers: A Guide for Writing Center Tutors. Portsmouth, NH: Boynton/Cook. • University of Michigan International Center 2012 Statistical Report

More Related