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ESL Students in the writing center

ESL Students in the writing center. Patty Hazle College of LSA University of Michigan Class of 2015. Examining the Peer Relationship & Tutoring Practices. Esl At University of Michigan. Fall semester, 2012: Total of 8,491 international students scholars faculty staff

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ESL Students in the writing center

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  1. ESL Students in the writing center Patty Hazle College of LSA University of Michigan Class of 2015 Examining the Peer Relationship & Tutoring Practices

  2. Esl At University of Michigan • Fall semester, 2012: Total of 8,491 international • students • scholars • faculty • staff • 13.5% international students

  3. ESL Background • Complex Relationships • 1. Tutor and writer • 2. Writer and the English language • Different social cues, learning process & standards, culture • Each ESL student is an individual encounter • Tutor must adapt from student to student • Excellent tutors are equipped with techniques to overcome impasses with ESL students in the writing center • Tutor Relationship: Expert vs. Peer

  4. Setting up expectations • Nancy Hayward compares culture to an iceberg • We see the top 10% (clothing, food, customs, social customs) • The rest is submerged • There is no “right” or “wrong” culture • Therefore, we must consider that an ESL student will approach a session differently than a NS • Sweetland tutor: non-directive approach • ESL student might not consider it an appropriate approach

  5. Understanding tutor relationshipOftentimes, ESL students struggle with understanding the relationship of a peer tutor, and come in with expectations to work with an expert • 1. Expect that tutor directly dictates course of the session • 2. Think that tutor should be older, have extensive writing/tutoring experience, be a native English speaker • 3. Students do not question authority • 4. Interpret politeness and formality differently • 5. Anxiety because of power relationships

  6. Issues in relationship • When the tutor is seen as EXPERT instead of PEER: - Contributes to misconceptions about “fix-it-center” - Sometimes do not accept tutor as reliable source • - Students do not take ownership of papers • - Hard to engage in collaborative process • - Feel disrespectful asserting opinions • - Do not respond to non-directive approach

  7. Techniques to Employ • Set up proper expectations • Explain goals of the writing center before beginning work • Establish peer relationship (not expert) • Employ earnest rapport and ice breakers where appropriate • Explain own difficulties with the writing process • Give an example of how to utilize a reference book • Find ways to communicate that provide a less formal environment for the student • Use student’s body language to judge what level of politeness and formality they are comfortable with (big introduction vs. quietly entering the session)

  8. Techniques to employ • Help the student take ownership • Ask them to read the paper out loud • Ask leading questions about content • If it does not work for them to read the paper out loud tutor can read it & have student recognize their own errors • Accommodates students who are uncomfortable by the spotlight because their culture identifies more with group than individual • Ascertain whether the student is making a mistake vs. an error in their paper • Devise a strategy to help teach them, allows them to take away skills for future writing process • Recognize patterns of error • Enables tutor to diagram problem & fully articulate to student

  9. Establishing peer relationship: why it is important • Encourages ESL students to continue with tackling writing process • Sends message that the writing process is difficult and ongoing • No one correct way to write, or an easy solution to paper writing • Writing cannot be fixed quickly • Eliminates the tendency for editing • Encourages multiple drafts • Paves way for extended discourse about a particular piece of writing or overall writing process • Improves the individual’s skill set • Be sure to adjust techniques from student to student to cater to their needs and cultural backgrounds

  10. Food for Thought • Do you have a relationship with an international or ESL peer(s) that you can recall? • Based on cues indicating their specific culture, in what way would you present the writing center to them that would prompt them to utilize it? • In what instances might this attention to cultural difference and particular sensitivity to relationship be applicable outside of the writing center?

  11. Works Cited • Brice, Colleen Marie. ESL Writers’ Reactions to Teacher Feedback: A Multiple Case Study. 1998. • Gitzen, Mary. Face to Face: Conferencing As ESL Writing Instruction. 2002. • Jordan, Cecil Terrell, III. ESL, “comp,” And Composition: Terms, Assumptions, Implications, And New Practices for Native and Nonnative English-speaking Students. 2006. • Shanti, Bruce. ESL Writers: A Guide for Writing Center Tutors. Portsmouth, NH: Boynton/Cook. • University of Michigan International Center 2012 Statistical Report

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