Theory and Writing: Programmatic issues. 25 September - 1 October

Situated Writing Practices in Foreign Language Settings: The Role of ... – C. Rinnert & H. Kobayashi

Key Points: The way EFL students learn to write in their L1 will affect their learning of L2 writing. This paper talks about what L2 writers are going to bring with them in terms of writing experience when they enter the L2 writing teacher's classroom. Defining the term sociocognition describes nicely what is talked about in this paper. Sociocognition states that, “writing is a primarily mental activity by an individual writer within a particular socially mediated context and assumes that writers construct their own writing abilities at least partly based on the previous experiences and preconceptions.:
This study looked at Japanese writing education at all levels, elementary to university, to determine the affects their L1 writing learning has on their L2 writing. The findings were that different levels of L1 learning had different effects on L2 writing. And, that high levels of L2 writing expertise had an effect on L1 writing.

My interaction with the article:

1. I'm not sure what I'm suppose to take away from this study. And, I think that is what this study wants form me. The lesson here is that L2 writing students come from many different backgrounds and L2 writing teachers need to be aware of this. It would be impossible to write a paper that described every type of writer a teacher will encounter, however, closely examining one particular sample may give a teacher an idea of what to expect.
2. One problem I have with this paper is that it uses the term Japanese as though this study will applies to all Japanese writers. It would be tedious to read instead of 'Japanese' “the Japanese students that happened to be a part of this test' every time they are referred to, but I feel to lesson of this paper was that all situations are different and this includes different groups of Japanese students.

Training for Writing or Training for Reality? Challenges .... – C. Pearson Casanave

Key Points: Teaching foreign language (FL) writing in a foreign setting comes with it's own set of difficulties. How do teachers adapt what they have learned during their teacher training to fit their teaching situations abroad? Are universities preparing future teachers for teaching English as a Foreign Language (EFL)?

Currently, most TESOL curriculum are based on research that happens in English dominated universities with proficient English speaking students. In reality, most teachers do find themselves teaching FL writing in that situation. When it comes time to teach in a foreign setting they may find themselves trying to force new, but sometimes inappropriate for certain contexts, educational ideologies they learned in university onto students and educational establishments. Student teachers are asking for tools to help them in specific situations. If they will be teaching in Japan then they want Japan specific methods. However, not all student teachers want the situation specific instruction and would rather learn how to adapt general techniques.

Casanove suggest three changes to the teacher education. 1) Include a course that addresses pedagogical and political realities that teacher will encounter. 2) Traditional teaching methods need to be studied as well, and simply dismissed as outmoded. 3) Research needs to switch from English dominated universities to EFL situations that include elementary, middle, and high schools as well as private, for profit schools. 4)

My interaction with the article:

1. Casanove mentioned that the majority of teaching situations are with students who are of low proficiency and study about three hours a week, however most research does not pertain to this situation. This is something I too have noticed and I wonder why this is.
2. I do not want Korea specific training. I have noticed that within Korea there are many different teaching situations and I would like to learn how to adapt what I know to fit as many demands as possible.
3. What I would like to take from this paper to apply to my classroom is the acceptance of traditional techniques. I think that because there is not much to read about the traditional techniques student teachers ignore them. It is especially important to embrace these techniques when they are the norm in your particular teaching situation. I definitely believe in reading about and trying as many modern techniques as I can, but I also believe that at the base is the system that the local school, students, teachers, and have decided to use.
4. One change Casanove suggested universities include is that, “every program needs rigorous attention to future teachers' knowledge of grammatical and lexical systems of English.” This was one of my motivations for beginning my masters. Is this something I will be learning?
5. What is wrong with test preparation teaching jobs? They are in high demand, but teacher trainers never talk about techniques that could be used to prepare students tests. It seems that most teacher's main concern is helping their students pass tests, but test are looked down upon and rejected by academics.

A Critical Evaluation of Writing Teaching Programmes in Different Foreign Language Settings – M. Reichelt

Key Points: This paper sheds even more light on some of the other teaching situations writing teachers may find themselves as they travel the world in search of EFL students. This paper is separated into research about specific countries:

1. Germany. Interestingly, here task based teaching is at odds with traditional German methods for teaching. Supporters of task based teaching say it provides real situations that prepare and motivate students. Traditionalists claim that it does not provide the full spectrum of writing disciplines. Luckily for wring teachers, Germany has a strong L2 writing tradition.
2. Poland. English arrived here after some political changes half way through the 20^th century. English here is used as a status symbol and provides business and higher education opportunities. A stronger emphasis is put on oral skills than writing skills.
3. The USA. Because English is the global lingua franca, there is little demand for foreign language education. However, the L2 writing that does take place there is strongly supported by a rich tradition of teaching writing through process.
4. China. Similar to Poland, English is a status symbol. A test that all college students have to take after their sophomore year requires students to write an English essay. This is one of many examples of standardized tests forming the L2 writing landscape.
5. Japan: already disused in the C. Rinnert & H. Kobayashi.
6. Spain. Very similar to China and Poland.

My interaction with the article:

1. The section on the USA uses the term 'target language.' What is the difference between target language and foreign language?
2. I did not find this paper very interesting or very helpful. I felt that it over generalized each country and based an entire country on the opinion of a few teachers. I can find two teacher sin Korea that will have the exact opposite descriptions of Korean English education. The test and government policies mentioned in this article are not based on opinion, but those are subject to frequent change and may not be helpful to readers.