Post 2/13. Emi



1.     As I read through the different populations, I found the suggestions for “the writer with writing anxiety” especially helpful. I feel these suggestions can be applied to L2 writing courses, and I would say we often try to integrate some of these strategies in our writing assignments. For instance, in the L2 writing course I teach, students are provided not only with the prompt of the assignments, but I also try to give (1) a very detailed explanation of the overall writing plan, (2) the step-by-step procedure that will help them build their response, and (3) a self-reflection activity about their own writing that may encourage them to make revisions and reflect on how appropriately they responded to the prompt. Then, before the final submission, I have students (4) complete a peer-review session, and I also encourage them to (5) attend to the writing center.
I feel this procedure goes along the suggestions being offered for the anxious writers, as we try to help students understand the “writing process” (p.57), “break[ing] the assignment into a sequence of specific, manageable tasks” (p.58), and work with the students through their “rough draft[s]” and their various “degrees of success” (p.58).  
That being said, not all the courses follow this structure. Especially in more advanced courses, when it is assumed that students already know “how to write”, the WC can be of great help to students who still need some extra help.


2.     As for the chapter in Talk about Writing, the authors mention that tutors should guide learners trough a path of “meta-analysis task relating to self-regulation” (p.157). However, I think this applies not only to the students coming the WC, but also to tutors. In this regard, I would say that practices such as reflecting on different sessions, analyzing the strategies we use (instruction, cognitive, motivation), critically reconsidering how a specific session could have gone better, and discussing our issues with other fellows can help improve our tutoring.

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