Supporting ESL Graduate Students’ Reading & Writing
In 2015‌ 974,926 international students in the U.S. Roughly 350,000 are graduate students 31% are from China 1 out of 3 studies in CA, TX or NY (Institute of International Education (IIE), 2015)
International Graduate Students at Parsons‌ 42% of student body
--Suk Mei Man, English Language Studies, NSPE
Icebreaker/Discussion Reflections from the Graduate ESL Classroom Strategies for Supporting Students’ Reading & Writing Practice Campus Resources Q&A
Please take a moment to write about your experience with international students: Which aspects of reading and writing do you think your students struggle with the most?
What challenges do you face related to international students’ reading and writing skills?
“Some classes have more readings that I can fully digest in a week (quantity > quality)” “Some readings are too conceptual for me to understand” “The western culture background” “Not always having the time to keep up with all the reading, so it makes me not have all the material completely ready for a class discussion.” “TOO MANY RESPONSE PAPERS TO WRITE...” “Not enough knowledge about a certain topic.” “Time - to read and fully understand some of the text that's required in graduate classes takes time - and often there is limited time to do that and fully participate in class discussion”
Key reading challenges‌ Advanced vocabulary is barrier to understanding. Understanding more theoretical works. Amount of background information needed. Need more reading strategies (e.g., annotating readings, looking up references).
Key writing challenges… Accuracy & clarity Genre awareness Misunderstanding assignments Unaware of the amount of time involved “Patchwriting” and/or plagiarism Motivation
How can I help students understand readings and assignments? How can I tweak my teaching practice to help students turn in better first drafts?
“Not enough knowledge about a certain topic.” Framing for understanding: Say why the text is important in the field (e.g., “This text provides a deeper understanding of X.” or This is the best text I’ve read on X. X is a difficult concept, but this text…”). Explain connection between key readings and larger themes of the course (e.g., “This text directly relates to the text you just read on Y.”). Explain importance of a reading in the relevant literature. Offer further resources for background information.
“Some readings are too conceptual for me to understand” Pre-reading strategies: Discuss title & predict how it connects to central ideas. Offer a summary of main ideas in key readings. Discuss the thesis prior to reading. Offer explanations of key ideas/theories (e.g., This reading is on technological determinism. Technological determinism is…).
“Not always having the time to keep up with all the reading, so it makes me not have all the material completely ready for a class discussion.�
Providing advance notice for difficult readings. Prioritizing readings on the course calendar (e.g., longer and/or more theoretical works could be highlighted)
Post-reading strategies: Collaborative reading groups Jigsaw groups (homogenous groups → heterogeneous groups)
Reading moderation groups Offering time for discussion of unclear sections. (e.g., Can I help with any unclear sections?)
Take a moment to read the introduction of the article “Do Artifacts Have Politics?� by Langdon Winner. In pairs, share strategies for helping students navigate the text (e.g., framing and pre-reading strategies, collaborative reading groups, etc.).
Suggestions for Getting Better First Drafts: Staging the writing process Backward Design approach Emphasizing purpose Detailed assignment instructions/genre awareness First round peer review
Reflects the reality of the writing process & discourages plagiarism Some possible stages for submission without grading: Initial ideas/brainstorming notes Thesis statements Outlines with research notes A mini literature review with summaries of sources
Focuses on what the learner needs to achieve your learning goals. Typically, involves three stages for curriculum/lesson development: 1. Identifying learning goals (e.g., examining ideas/ works and writing a response paper). 2. Determining assessments to measure goals (e.g., rubric). 3. Developing lessons that include all necessary elements to achieve learning goals.
Learning outcome: response paper Some of what may be needed before writing a response paper: Examining a model response paper Discussion of an article/work Staging the writing process Background knowledge for the topic
Helps students understand why they are wri1ng. Gives students a reason to write. “Seeing genres as things, with elements that have purposes rather than rules, opens students to see genres as created by people to achieve aims, not just as pre-exis1ng and irrevocable constructs into which they must fit.” (DeviD, 2009)
State what you hope students will gain from the wri1ng assignment (e.g., A primary goal of this synthesis essay is to develop a deeper understanding of the contemporary arguments for X.) Say the aims for wri1ng in a speciďŹ c genre (e.g., wri1ng a summary-response allows the writer to take part in a dialogue on a par1cular topic).
Helps students understand assignments. Can include model essay examples. Can include genre specific information (e.g., synthesis essays)
Overview: In a formal analysis paper, the writer analyzes the formal elements --color, line, texture, size, etc.--of a work. Doing this leads the writer to a deeper understanding of the work and how it affects the viewer‌.. Resources: Color, Line, Form by Jesse Day Visual Analysis at Duke University Writing Studio studiohttps://twp.duke.edu/uploads/assets/visual_analysis.pdf
Can help students see gaps in clarity & strong sections. Teachers do not receive rough drafts. Can be done in pairs in class or outside the classroom (via email).
Which strategies just discussed have you used or think you may use? Are there any other strategies you have used with success?
The New School’s University Learning Center: http://www.newschool.edu/university-learning-center/
Parsons Language Support Resource site: http://portfolio.newschool.edu/lsintegrativessupport/
The Provost’s Office Teaching and Learning Workshops https://sites.google.com/a/newschool.edu/faculty-professional-development-network/home/calendar Jamie Kruse’s Open Resource site http://portfolio.newschool.edu/krusej/2015/04/25/open-source-ls-materials/
Scott Thornbury’s “The Second Language Acquisition (SLA) Hall of Fame” https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j31Bj-XIFSk
Certificate in TESOL (Upcoming Info Session, Nov. 10) http://www.newschool.edu/public-engagement/teaching-english-second-language-certificate/
Jeanne Lambert’s New School talk “Helping Students Develop an Academic Voice in Writing” https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z8Aavp9MOAk Cambridge Conversations (Cambridge University Press) http://www.cambridge.org/elt/blog/ Book: Academic Writing for Graduate Students (Swales & Feak)
Q&A
DeviD, A. (2009) Teaching Cri1cal Genre Awareness. Charles Bazerman (Ed.), Genre in a Changing World (p. 348). Parlor Press.