Treatment of Wikis to Improve Writing Scores of English Learners
Location
Hager-Lubbers Exhibition Hall
Description
PURPOSE: Teaching fourth to eighth grade English Learners (EL) to produce writing that conveys meaning by correct use of grammar, word choice, and mechanics is a challenge for many general education and EL teachers – this is evidenced as writing scores below other literary domains (reading, listening, and speaking) and below their non-EL peers. This project combines foundational EL writing strategies with effective instructor and peer feedback that is facilitated in a student personalized wiki. PROCEDURE: After students receive instruction in a particular genre of English rhetorical writing, they are assigned a paragraph to write using their wiki. Before being revised by the EL student, the paragraph is subjected to peer and instructor feedback that allows the EL student to use their metacognitive ability to analyze writing. IMPACT: The collaborative nature of the wiki encourages social and academic interaction among EL students which is vital for language acquisition. Through this process it is projected that writing scores based on a rubric with grammar, word choice, and mechanics as criterion will improve. IMPACT: Treatment of wikis to improve EL writing scores will help EL students compete with their non-EL peers which is important to the TESOL discipline.
Treatment of Wikis to Improve Writing Scores of English Learners
Hager-Lubbers Exhibition Hall
PURPOSE: Teaching fourth to eighth grade English Learners (EL) to produce writing that conveys meaning by correct use of grammar, word choice, and mechanics is a challenge for many general education and EL teachers – this is evidenced as writing scores below other literary domains (reading, listening, and speaking) and below their non-EL peers. This project combines foundational EL writing strategies with effective instructor and peer feedback that is facilitated in a student personalized wiki. PROCEDURE: After students receive instruction in a particular genre of English rhetorical writing, they are assigned a paragraph to write using their wiki. Before being revised by the EL student, the paragraph is subjected to peer and instructor feedback that allows the EL student to use their metacognitive ability to analyze writing. IMPACT: The collaborative nature of the wiki encourages social and academic interaction among EL students which is vital for language acquisition. Through this process it is projected that writing scores based on a rubric with grammar, word choice, and mechanics as criterion will improve. IMPACT: Treatment of wikis to improve EL writing scores will help EL students compete with their non-EL peers which is important to the TESOL discipline.