Scaffolding for second language writers: producing an academic essay.

Strategy: Intrigued by specific statements

On page 3.18 of the CN, the following statement caught my attention.

               

          "In a recent staff seminar, a member of the audience commented that such close 'echoing' of the original modeled text might encourage plagiarism and so should be discouraged. WE could not disagree more strongly. Whaat these learners are demonstrating is the ability to master the function and form of what are, after all, widely used and fairly formulaic signals of written discourse. Rather than penalize them for their efforts, we were impressed to see how naturally they had included these signals [...]."

                I cannot understand how opinions can diverge so drastically between people in the same domain. I would agree with the authors of this text on this aspect, knowing that modeling is a very important strategy for teachers. Of course the students will base their formulation on the previously shown model, if not, what would be its purpose? Plagiarism is a word to word transcription of the same elements however, borrowing would the right term for a writer willing to base oneself on an already existing and well approved model. Overall, I do believe that helping students (by perfectly accepted means such as this former one) should not be seen as a bad thing, but in fact a good way of encouraging them and ensuring final achievement.

Make connections with your own experience

                When reading the Assistance locating appropriate texts and data section, I was reminded of the many times in my student-life that I have been quite deceived by the choice of texts. Here, the author explains that the students were entitled to "individualized information packs [...that had...] all the essential information learners required, but did not prevent the more adventurous learners from seeking additional information" (3.17 CN). This reminded me about a class I had last winter, in which the final topic for the writing section was nothing familiar for me: compost. Of course we all know what it is, but most of us, I believe, would in the same situation that I was: lost, unprepared, and most of all, discouraged. I just can't understand why teachers (for the most part) don't let us prepare our topics in advance. After all, isn't it the writing that will be evaluated?

Writing academic texts: a challenge for second language learners

I can relate to the foreigners' experience in writing academic texts since I face a similar challenge in the Beals program along with other undergraduates .  In this article, Asian students studying in New Zealand have a low proficiency in English and a "relative lack of writing experience".  The university's in-house placement test administered to these foreigners showed that they needed 1 or 2 intensive English courses (300 hours).  In the Beals, the entering students need to have an advanced level of English, since  they are aiming at teaching English as a second language. The Toiec test, although reliable, is a multiple-choice test that does not measure the ability to write paragraphs or essays, nor does it measure oral skills.  It is an indirect exam which has little construct validity for the purpose of admitting students in the Beals program.  An essay writing , as required in the Tecfée to measure French, would provide a more reliable and valid portrait of students' abilities to write in English.  Beals students have different backgrounds.  Depending on the Cegep they attended or previous life experiences, their ability to write academic texts vary.  Some have been exposed to essay writing before, to APA/MLA presentation rules; others scarcely.  The challenge of being able to write texts that meet expectations is therefore different for each student.  The scaffolding approach taken by the teachers Cotterall and Cohen seems an effective and dynamic way to help beginners and intermediate students with the writing process.

Cotterall, C., Cohen, R.(2003). Scaffolding for Second Language Writers: Producing an Academic Essay. ELT Journal, 57 (2).158-66.

STRATEGY: Establish a personal connection with text (Mels,p.46).

Providing composition models, a temptation for plagiarism?

This article written by Cotterall and Cohen focuses on the writing process that has to be explained to Asian students who want to write academic texts in English.  The authors reveal  that Foreign Language Learners (FLL) from Asia who were registered in a writing programme in New Zealand "appeared keen to incorporate the language modelled during the group conversation stage into their own texts (p.164)."  The examples reproduced in the article illustrate that two learners converted a model developed on the whiteboard and reused it in their essay. "The model was converted into a parallel transition".  In this case, the authors argue that the students weren't copying, they were using formulaic signals of the writers discourse. Plagiarism was nevertheless raised as a concern by faculty members.  Since an writing academic essay is a highly challenging task, especially in a foreign language, one might be more tempted to plagiarize.  Moreover, in some cultures, plagiarism is not viewed as improper, as a violation of  intellectual property.  The other article written by I-Chia Chou(2010) is quite instructive.  It explains that the concept of plagiarism is a Western concept.  This author highlights the fact that foreign students who attend Western universities are not fully aware of the Western writing conventions.  They may copy on models as a learning strategy and have no intention to deceive.

I-Chia Chou (2010). Is Plagiarism a Culture Product: The Voice of a Chinese-Speaking ELLStudent. The International Journal - Language Society and Culture.37.

http://www.educ.utas.edu.au/users/tle/JOURNAL/issues/2010/31-5.pdf

Cotterall, C., Cohen, R.(2003). Scaffolding for Second Language Writers: Producing an Academic Essay. ELT Journal, 57 (2).158-66.

STRATEGY: Make connections with another text (Course notes guidelines).