Observing my writing consultant, I’ve realized that consultations are most effective when the consultant is adequately prepared.
In the first consultation I observed, the writer was an ESL student struggling with basic grammatical conventions. The grammatical errors were so frequent and basic they drew attention away from the ideas presented and would most likely significantly impact the grade of the paper. Thus, the grammatical issues needed to be addressed first. To teach this student not only how to fix the errors but why they were errors to begin with would require preparation.
If I were consulting this writer, I would have drawn up a list of the grammatical rules broken or printed out the appropriate Writer’s Web pages and made sure I could explain the basics of the rules and how to check that they were being used appropriately. In doing this, I could better teach the writer and help her avoid future mistakes.
The second consultation I observed was on a paper for an advertising class. Listening to the writer speak about the paper, I learned that citing commercials is rather confusing and that analyzing a commercial is a very particular skill. Before meeting with this writer, I would have wanted to research how to cite a commercial and look over a copy of the prompt and/or syllabus so I could better understand what is expected of a paper on advertising.
In teaching anything, preparation is critical. You have to know the material well enough to explain it clearly and relevantly to someone. With ESL students, the language barrier can make relaying information even more difficult. The most effective teaching is done when the teacher is adequately prepared, which means she throughly understands the content and the instructional strategies she will use to teach it.
Friday, February 17, 2012
Thursday, February 9, 2012
grammar: it really does have a purpose
In my experience, grammatical issues are best addressed in relation to student writing. Similar to learning new vocabulary, a writer can think they understand grammatical rules but when it comes time to write, they realize they don’t have a mastery of the rules that allows them to use grammar effectively. Thus, I think that addressing grammatical issues or errors in a student’s own work (as Barthalomae suggests) is the best way to address grammar and sentence-level concerns.
Helping students to understand the impact of grammar is a teaching process. Personally, I would begin by identifying and explaining the grammatical rule applicable to the error. Writer’s need to understand these rules and concepts so they can avoid future mistakes, but the rules also provide a gateway to understanding the effect of form.
Rhetorical techniques are essentially masterful manipulations of grammar and syntax, and understanding how writing can be manipulated is the first step to mastering rhetorical techniques. After explaining the grammatical basis for correcting the writer’s errors, I would conduct a mini-lesson on rhetoric. Perhaps I would prepare some examples of sentences that contain the same content but are syntactically different. I would go over these examples with the writer, and discuss how form affects reader understanding and interpretation. Does the reader gain something from this sentence that they do not from that sentence?
After the reader appears to understand this concept, I would help them apply it to their writing. I especially like the practice of beginning with the most basic sentence structure to convey an idea, and then adjusting to add depth or flourish. What idea are you trying to get across here? What is the simplest way to convey this idea? How can we adjust syntax or diction to more effectively convey this idea?
I plan on using a similar process to help my future students with their writing, so I think such an approach is perfect for a center purposed to teach about writing.
Helping students to understand the impact of grammar is a teaching process. Personally, I would begin by identifying and explaining the grammatical rule applicable to the error. Writer’s need to understand these rules and concepts so they can avoid future mistakes, but the rules also provide a gateway to understanding the effect of form.
Rhetorical techniques are essentially masterful manipulations of grammar and syntax, and understanding how writing can be manipulated is the first step to mastering rhetorical techniques. After explaining the grammatical basis for correcting the writer’s errors, I would conduct a mini-lesson on rhetoric. Perhaps I would prepare some examples of sentences that contain the same content but are syntactically different. I would go over these examples with the writer, and discuss how form affects reader understanding and interpretation. Does the reader gain something from this sentence that they do not from that sentence?
After the reader appears to understand this concept, I would help them apply it to their writing. I especially like the practice of beginning with the most basic sentence structure to convey an idea, and then adjusting to add depth or flourish. What idea are you trying to get across here? What is the simplest way to convey this idea? How can we adjust syntax or diction to more effectively convey this idea?
I plan on using a similar process to help my future students with their writing, so I think such an approach is perfect for a center purposed to teach about writing.
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