Methodological Guidelines for Teaching Writing to University Students

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Methodological Guidelines for Teaching Writing to
University Students

• KOTESOL Conference - 2006
• Brian J English Ph.D.
• Konkuk University Chung Ju
• Division of English Language and Literature
• Assistant Professor

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WRITING IS LIKE ATHLETICS. IT IS A PROCESS
COURSE, NOT A CONTENT COURSE.
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(No Transcript)
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Negotiate Dont Dictate
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STEPS FOR TEACHING ERROR CORRECTION

• CONSCIOUSNESS RAISING
• Group Awareness
• Deductive Approach
• Inclusion
• Individual Awareness

• TEACHING STUDENTS
• THE PROPER TOOLS
• Dictionary/Thesaurus
• Grammar Books
• Grammar Spell Check
• Error Correction Journals

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ERROR AWARENESS AND CORRECTION

• ACTIVITIES
• Students practice using a grammar book as a
  reference book to revise and edit examples of
  sentences with language errors.
• Students revise their own sentences from essay
  assignments based on the instructors feedback.
• Students keep a journal of recurring errors in
  their essays.

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YOU MAY BE THE BEST CARPENTER IN THE WORLD, BUT
IF YOU AINTT GOT A HAMMER N A SAW, YOU WONT
BUILD MUCH OF A HOUSE!
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• WRITERS ALSO NEED TOOLS.

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USING A DICTIONARY AND A THESAURUS

• Students do vocabulary exercises in which they
  must find appropriate synonyms for words in a
  sentence.
• Students are given sentences with word form
  errors and must use a dictionary to find the
  correct word form.
• Students recognize their own errors from the
  error recognition system the instructor uses.
• Students use the same procedures to correct word
  use and word form language errors on their
  assignments.

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USING A GRAMMAR BOOK

• Students identify a language problem in one
  sentence and then use a grammar book to find
  examples of correct usage.
• Example Although I like ice cream, but I eat
  cake.
• Students look up although in a grammar book and
  realize it is not used together with but.

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USING GRAMMAR CHECK

• Students use grammar check to find errors in
  several sentences that the teacher gives them.
• In class, the assignment is reviewed together and
  various possible revisions are discussed.
• The teacher discusses ways to revise language
  problems that grammar check has noted.
• Students use grammar check as a consciousness
  raising tool to avoid language problems in
  writing.

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USING SPELL CHECK

• Students perform a spell check for a specific
  document that contains errors that spell check
  will not find.
• Students learn that spell check is not perfect
  when the spell check fails to find an error like
  I pull the tiger of the gun. It made a loud
  bang. The word trigger is misspelled, but
  since tiger is a word spell check does not find
  the error.
• In addition to using spell check, student learn
  they must proof read their own papers or ask
  someone else to proof read the paper for them.

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GRADING CRITERIA

• Have students incorporate sentence structures
  learned in class into their assignments.
• Have the students address all of the written
  comments in regards to language problems that on
  the 1st and 2nd drafts.
• Has the student learned why the language error
  has caused problems for the reader?
• Has the student learned to avoid making the same
  errors?

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ADDITIONAL RESOURCES

• http//www.brianenglish.net/writing.htm
• http//www.brianenglish.net/teachersresources.htm
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