Formal requirements that foster advanced literacy in writing

The process of writing in academic contexts requires writers to follow some important conventions in order to construct knowledge. According to Myles (2002), writing in a second language is influenced not only by the individuals’ native language but also by socio-cultural factors. Furthermore, there is close connection between her notions of language and second language composition, and the theoretical principles followed by the American Psychological Association (APA).

First, Myles (2002) makes use of quotations and paraphrasing in order to acknowledge sources. Moreover, she applies omission and insertion, features which contribute to the academic style of the text. “By analyzing vocabulary, grammar, construction of sentences, and paragraphs (…), we will be able to enter and participate in an academic discourse community of teachers and researchers (as cited in Pintos & Crimi, 2010, p. 9).

Second, according to Pintos & Crimi (2010) students would produce more genuine pieces of writing if only they were exposed to the requirements of academic genres. Myles (2002) has integrated introductory phrases, in-text citations and reporting verbs. Her knowledge of appropriate text structures can give students an insight into the creation of new knowledge, as well as allow them to evaluate other people’s ideas.

All in all, Myles (2002) research has been analyzed and it can be noted that she shows a considerable understanding of first and second language writing and follows APA conventions. Moreover, she maintains that practice, reflection and feedback are key elements to achieve the standard required in academic discourse.

References

Myles, J. (2002). Second Language writing and research: The writing process and error analysis in student texts. TESEL-EJ, 6, (2). Queen’s University. Retrieved November 2010, from

http://www-writing.berkeley.edu/TESL-EJ/ej22/a1.html

Pintos, V., & Crimi, Y. (2010). Unit 3: Academic writing. Universidad CAECE, Buenos Aires, Argentina. Retrieved October 2010, from

http://www.caece.campusuniversidad.com.ar/mod/resource/view.php?id=7392

Common terms used in writing for academic purposes: discourse community and summary writing

Writing for Academic Purposes requires a specific terminology. Consequently, students should be aware of the meaning and proper use of such common terms as discourse community and summary writing.

According to Swales (1990, as cited inPintos & Crimi, 2010 ), a discourse community consists of a minimum group of expert members and a large number of apprentice members gathered together with a common purpose in order to exchange information among its participants making use of a specific terminology and genre. For instance, the term is currently used in different fields of study as a mean of communication among people who share the same language, beliefs, practices, education, goals, and professional initiations and judgments.

Reid (1994, as cited in Pintos & Crimi, 2010) defines a summary as a short clear description of the main ideas of a text. It is written for various purposes and it does not include details or repetition of words. Writing academic summaries requires following paragraph organization and thinking about audiences, the purpose of the paper and respecting the authors’ views. 

All in all, following academic requisites is considered essential in order to form part of a discourse community. Moreover, this allows the writer to produce different kind of texts, among them, academic summaries.

Reference

Kelly-Kleese, C (2004). UCL community college review: community college scholarship

and discourse. Community College Review. Retrieved October 2007 from

http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_mOHC2/is_1_32/ai_n6361541.

Pintos, V., & Crimi, Y. (2010). Unit 1: building up a community of teachers and prospective researchers. Retrieved August 2010, from

http://caece.campusuniversidad.com.ar/mod/resource/view.php?id=7214

Pintos, V., & Crimi,Y.,( 2010). Unit 3: academic writing. Retrieved September 2010, from

http://caece.campusuniversidad.com.ar/mod/resource/view.php?id=7392

Report on an unsolved critical incident

Three years ago I used to teach at a rural school to a group of students between 11 and 18 years old. We only had lessons on Thursdays from 9.30 to 11 a.m. There was an average of 10 permanent students, the rest of the class was usually absent or came to classes sporadically. Most of them came from a harsh family environment and from a very low social class. However, they behaved well and were respectful to me in every way. At the same time, younger children had classes with the principal in the next room.

Students were describing pictures of famous people, and despite the fact that it was very difficult for them to speak English they were very enthusiastic and showed interest in the subject. In the middle of the class, the little students who were supposed to be in the next room, began throwing seeds from the window, so Felipe * stood up and shouted at the principal because he was not doing his job i.e. taking care of the little children and giving them their proper lessons. He accused him of being unfairly in his position and insulted him too. The principal got really angry and refused to serve breakfast to the entire class. I tried to persuade him to give the meal to the students, but he denied my petition. We finished the class in silence, working with written exercises on copies.

Sometimes, lack of respect might be caused by teenager internal conflicts, problems students bring from home or failure of the authorities to trace limits in order to control students’ behavior.  Alternatively, some teachers do not consider  that students are members of a system which usually fails to satisfy their basic needs, which often seems to forget that they are also human beings and that there are ways to solve these kind of problems by sharing and trying out different solutions.

Talking personally to the student, working with activities related to values inside and outside the school and organizing integrative school meetings where students can express their feelings and receive a specialist counseling are some suggestions to deal with behavior issues.

To sum up, teachers should analyze the causes of students’ misbehavior within the classroom in order to avoid future conflicts and help students improve personal relationships inside the school since they are the basis of a healthy learning environment. Sharing experiences with colleagues and analyzing events about daily practice is of critical importance to enable teachers to go beyond knowledge and carry out their practices more effectively.
Note: I have decided to change the student’s name in order to preserve his identity.

Critical Incidents in TEFL colleges: A step toward the integration of theory and practice

Many teachers find it very difficult to integrate theory and practice. Unexpected situations arise in classrooms which demand an immediate solution. To this end, teachers are called to reflect on what they are teaching, students’ reaction to learning and new problems that affect daily classroom management. Fernández González, Elórtegui Escartín and Medina Pérez maintain that the use of the critical incident strategy will give future teachers an insight to solve the aforementioned conflicts.

According to Gill and Torre (as cited in Pintos & Crimi, 2010), it is generally believed that knowledge alone is enough to enable a person to teach. However, reality reveals a different perspective since real contexts require strategic decisions when problems arise within the classroom.  et al. (2003) state that reflecting on what happens in a teacher’s own lesson and on other colleagues’ experiences during teaching allows a person to accumulate ideas and possible solutions to actual classroom situations.

Throughout my five years of teaching, I have experienced different kind of problems for which I was not prepared to deal with. Sometimes, I felt confused, but as time went on and I found myself under similar circumstances, I was able to take better decisions. Changes in education, due to social, cultural or environmental factors, demand reflection on everyday practice.

In the context I work, many students come to school not only to be taught about a subject, but also to receive a meal, medical care and even affection. Teachers, in fact, choose their profession because of different reasons too, but what all of us have in common is that we want be heard, to get students’ attention, and whether we like it or not we need to learn about the instruments that help us to fulfill this purpose.

All in all, Fernández et al., (2003) point out that critical incidents provide a professional resource for teachers reflection. The main goal of this teaching strategy is to avoid careless reactions to constant pressure within educational environments.

References

Fernández González, J., Elórtegui Escartín, N., & Medina Pérez, M. (2003). Critical Incidents in Teacher Training for Secondary School Natural Science Teachers. Revista Interuniversitaria de Formación del Profesorado, 17 (1), 101-112.

Pintos, V., & Crimi, Y (2010). Unit 2: personal narratives in teaching. Universidad CAECE, Buenos Aires, Argentina. Retrieved August 2010, from

http: //caece.campusuniversidad.com.ar/mod/resource/view.php?id=6782

Discourse community: Swales’ (1990) requirements and other contributions

Discourse communities, according to Swales (1990), should meet some requirements such as common goals, interactive mechanisms, information exchange, community-specific genres and specialized terminology and a high general level of expertise to be considered as an academic discourse community or not. Evidence to support Swales’ (1990) theory can be found in the articles by Hoffman-Kipp, Kelly-Kleese and Wenzlaff.

First, Swales emphasizes the necessity of participatory mechanisms to provide specific information and feedback. Reflection leads teachers to generate knowledge which must coexist with meaningful praxis in order to change the world and to create the necessary conditions for the participation of both, teacher and students in the learning process.Hoffman-Kipp, Artiles, & Lopez Torres (2003) state that “teacher reflection is considered an important mean for developing subject matter, pedagogical, and pedagogical-content knowledge about how to teach (…)”. Moreover, “…reflection that develops a political consciousness might involve teachers integrating curriculum around concepts and issues that would be of current interest to both student and teacher”. (p. 1)

Next, Bizzel (1992, as cited in Wenzlaff & Wieseman, 2004) argues that a discourse community share conventionalized language-using practices, knowledge, common purposes, relationships, similar attitudes and values and a flow of discourse that has a particular structure and style. This accounts for Swales’(1990) condition that the group should achieve common objectives and make use of specialized terminology to participate in integrative mechanisms in order to acquire an advanced level of knowledge. (as cited in Pintos & Crimi, 2010)

Finally, groups would not survive unless its members are intercommunicated (Swales, 1990). Collaborative culture allows teachers to learn from one another. Teachers’ input influence what and how we think as a result of social interaction of groups of people. Wenzlaff (2004) holds that “interactions with the people in one’s environment are major determinants of both what is learned and how learning takes place” (p.3). Furthermore, “for learning to occur, teachers need opportunities to participate in professional communities that discuss learning theories and various teacher materials and pedagogy” (p. 3).

To conclude, teachers should seek opportunities to take part in professional communities in order to transform their daily practice. Discourse communities share common practices and objectives which contribute to the development of a person’s academic literacy, and encourage people to take part in the learning process in order to think critically. Furthermore, it is not only the knowledge about particular language conventions that makes people belong to a discourse community, but also their committed participation in the organization of different activities according to the audiences’ expectations.

References

Hoffman-Kipp, P., Artiles, A. J., & Lopez Torres, L. (2003). Beyond reflection: teacher learning as praxis. Theory into Practice. Retrieved August 2010, from

http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_mONQM/is 3_42/ai_108442653

Kelly-Kleese, C. (2001). Editor’s choice: An open memo to Community College Faculty and Administrators. Community College Review. Retrieved August 2010, from

http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_mOHCZ/is_1_32/ai_n6361541

Pintos, V., & Crimi, Y. (2010). Unit 1: Building up a community of teachers and prospective researchers. Universidad CAECE, Buenos Aires, Argentina. Retrieved August 2010, from

http//caece.campusuniversidad.com.ar/mod/resource/view.php?id=6435

Wenslaff, T. L., & Wieseman, K. C. (2004). Teachers need teachers to grow. Teacher Education Quarterly. Retrieved August 2010, from

http//findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_qa3960/is_200404/ai_n9349405