Spotlight on the 1995
SIGTel
Online Award Winners
ESL Writers Online
Susan
Lindell
Dina Benincasa, Kimberly Dempsey, Dana Gliserman,
Marieken Molenaar,
Laura Persichilli, Lori Sclocco, Nina Sengupta, Jon Thang, and
Michelle Viegas,
student teachers at the Faculty of Education, York University; and
Maria Lynch,
computer teacher at Jones Avenue Adult New Canadian
Centre
Jones Avenue
Adult New
Canadian Centre/
York University Faculty of Education Teachers-in-Training
540 Jones Ave.
Toronto, Ontario, M4J 3G9 Canada
Summary
ESL adult students have been engaged in an ongoing writing programme
that links
them to York Faculty of Education teachers-in-training as writing
response partners
using computer conferencing technology. Each student is asked to work
on six
submissions for the semester. They may, over the course, send excerpts
from
a variety of work in progress (up to six pieces) to their writing
response partner.
They must include responses and their return response with their
written work
in their portfolio. At the end of the semester they will choose four
pieces
on which to be assessed. Portfolio assessment is an integral means of
assessment
for this writing programme. In addition each student will read and
write a response
to one to two other submissions which they can read in the writing
conference,
as well as those who respond to their work. During class, the teacher
has built
in writing time, discussion and sharing of works in progress in small
supportive
environments, editing and further writing skills development, as well
as "closure"
for works sent and responded to.
Objectives
- To create expanded opportunities for adult ESL students to improve
and consolidate
their writing skills
- To provide Faculty of Education teachers-in-training the
opportunity to
support and encourage ESL student writing
- To use the computer as a tool to write, edit, and transfer
student work
using the information highway
- To use the computer as a catalyst for learning
Hardware/Software,
Telecommunications
Resources Needed
A Mac lab with 24 computers networked to a printer, a modem and
dedicated line,
a link with York (Current Practice), ClarisWorks (word processor), and
FirstClass
(client communications software)
Importance of
Telecommunications
ESL writers are provided anonymity through online writing to a
response partner.
This enables them to take risks with their writer and further develop
skill.
They have time to reflect on their work and the response which assits
in developing
their writing skills. They have more opportunities to share their work
with
classmates while online. They are highly motivated to respond to their
"unseen"
writing response partner whose questions and interest stimulate
further writing.
Curriculum Area(s)
Involved
ESL 3/literature/computers-in-the-classroom
Grade Level(s)
Targeted
ESL 3 adults/York University Faculty of Education
Teachers-in-Training.
Class Management
Strategies
Students initiated the programme by exchanging biographies with their
partners
at York. They then exchanged information and asked questions online in
a letter
writing format. Now some starting to take further risks and send
personal stories,
creative short stories, and poetry. Students are encouraged to try out
the language
in new ways by receiving a personal response to each piece of writing
sent.
The teacher acts as facilitator and a resource for language structures
necessary
to the student to accomplish the writing or computing task. When a
student is
ready to send his/her work it is saved on a single disk. Later a
teacher or
class monitor will send the material to York and then erase the disk.
When responses
are sent from York, they will be downloaded and printed out for each
student.
The students keeps all his/her writing and responses for reflection
and review.
The teacher also maintains a binder with all writing and
responses.
Class Time
Required
Two 75-minute periods per week for one semester
Print Materials
Needed
None
Procedures/Activities
- Teacher or student may share a poem, a short story, an experience
in class
as a stimulus to writing for those students who are reluctant to
write.
- Students write creatively in class with the help of a teacher
/facilitator.
- Students send a portion of their work-in-progress to a response
partner,
Faculty of Education teacher-in-training, using computer labs. and
computer
conferencing
- teacher-in-training responds to writing
- student reads response, reflects, discusses the response with
teacher and
classmates, if willing, and then sends a response back
- Closure in class when student has reflected, discussed work, and
is ready
to finish the writing
Method(s) for Evaluating
Student
Achievement of Objectives
- Assessment of student computing skills based on their ability to
use the
lab and prepare their work for the on line conference
- Ongoing teacher evaluation of students-comprehension, responses,
discussion,
and their written work
- Portfolio assessment of their four best writing samples at the
end of the
semester
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