 |
[email protected] |
 |
3275638434 |
 |
 |
| Paper Publishing WeChat |
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License
Teaching Writing to Adult English Language Learners: Lessons From the Field
Joy Kreeft Peyton, Kirsten Schaetzel
Full-Text PDF
XML 12605 Views
DOI:10.17265/2159-5836/2016.11.012
Center for Applied Linguistics, Washington, DC, USA Georgetown University, Washington, DC, USA
For the past several decades, it has been clear that the ability to write texts for academic and professional purposes (“academic writing” in this article) is key to the success of adults in U.S. society—in school, in university courses, on tests that they need to take to progress through learning and into work, and in the workforce. Academic writing has specific features and involves approaches that are different from much of the writing that is done with adult learners, particularly those learning English as an additional language (e.g., described in reviews by Hinkel, 2015; Leki, Cumming, & Silva, 2008; and a survey by Rosenfeld, Courtney, & Fowles, 2004). However, a recent survey of adult educators, conducted by the authors, found that academic writing has not been a focus in many adult education programs, and teachers receive limited professional development in this area and instructional support in implementing it. This article describes the importance of academic writing at all levels of adult education, the key features of academic writing, and the current state of writing instruction in adult education programs. It then describes the motivation for, design, and outcomes of a survey of and interviews with adult educators across the country on their preparation for and instructional practices with academic writing (conducted in 2014 and 2015). Finally, it describes approaches that can be used in adult education programs to meet the writing proficiency needs of students at all levels and next steps that the adult education field might take.
academic writing, adult education, adult ESL, English learners, writing instruction
Calderón, M. E., Carreón, A., Slakk, S., & Peyton, J. K. (2015). Expediting comprehension for English language learners (ExC-ELL) foundations manual. New Rochelle, NY: Benchmark Education.
Casner-Lotto, J., & Barrington, I. (2006). Are they really ready to work? Employers’ perspectives on the basic knowledge and applied skills of new entrants to the 21st century U.S. workforce. New York, NY: The Conference Board. Retrieved from http://www.p21.org/storage/documents/FINAL_REPORT_PDF09-29-06.pdf
Coon, D. A., & Jacobsen, N. (2014). Community college writing programs: Defining success for the immigrant student population. Washington, DC: Center for Applied Linguistics.
Elander, J., Harrington, K., Norton, L., Robinson, H., & Reddy, P. (2006). Complex skills and academic writing: A review of evidence about the types of learning required to meet core assessment criteria. Assessment & Evaluation in Higher Education, 31(1).
Fernandez, R., Peyton, J. K., & Schaetzel, K. (in press). A survey of writing instruction in adult ESL programs: Are teaching practices meeting adult learner needs? COABE Journal.
Harvard Graduate School of Education. (2011). Pathways to prosperity: Meeting the challenges of preparing young Americans for the 21st century. Retrieved from http://www.sawdc.com/media/5959/pathways_to_prosperity_feb2011.pdf
Hinkel, E. (2004). Teaching academic ESL writing—Practical techniques in vocabulary and grammar. New York: Routledge.
Hinkel, E. (2015). Effective curriculum for teaching L2 writing: Principles and techniques. New York, NY: Routledge.
Hulbert, A. (2014, January/February). How to escape the community college trap. The Atlantic. Retrieved from http://www.theatlantic.com/magazine/archive/2014/01/how-to-escape-the-community-college-trap/355745/
Leki, I., Cumming, A., & Silva, T. (2008). A synthesis of research on second language writing in English. New York: Routledge.
Matsuda, K. (2006). The myth of linguistic homogeneity in U.S. college composition. College English, 68(6), 637-651.
Parrish, B., & Johnson, K. (2010). Promoting learner transitions to postsecondary education and work: Developing academic readiness skills from the beginning. Washington, DC: Center for Applied Linguistics. Retrieved fromhttp://www.cal.org/caelanetwork/pdfs/TransitionsFinalWeb.pdf
Pimentel, S. (2013). College and Career Readiness Standards for adult education. Washington, DC: MPR Associates, Inc. Retrieved from https://www.vrae.org/images/customer-files/CCRStandardsAdultEd.pdf
Reid, J. (1993). Teaching ESL writing. Englewood Cliffs, NJ: Prentice Hall.
Rosenfeld, M., Courtney, R., & Fowles, M. (2004). Identifying the writing tasks important for academic success at the undergraduate and graduate levels. (GRE Board Research Report No. 00-04 R). Princeton, NJ: Educational Testing Service. Retrieved from https://www.ets.org/Media/Research/pdf/RR-04-42.pdf
Scheiber, H. J. (1987). Toward a text-based pedagogy in the freshman composition course—With two process-oriented writing tasks. Freshman English News, 15, 15-18.
Shanahan, C. (2015). Disciplinary literacy strategies in content area classrooms. ILA E-ssentials. Newark, DE: International Literacy Association.
Spack, R. (1988). Initiating ESL students into the academic discourse community: How far should we go? TESOL Quarterly, 22(1), 29-51.
Spurling, S., Seymour, S., & Chisman, F. P. (2008). Pathways and outcomes: Tracking ESL student performance: A longitudinal study of adult ESL service at City College of San Francisco. Council for the Advancement of Adult Literacy. Retrieved from http://eric.ed.gov/?id=ED506600
Street, B., Fox, V., & Ellis, V. (2010). Rethinking English in schools: Towards a new and constructive stage. New York: Bloomsbury.
U.S. Department of Education. (2016). Integrated English literacy and civics education under the workforce innovation and opportunity act—Frequently asked questions. Washington, DC: Office of Career, Technical, and Adult Education. http://www2.ed.gov/about/offices/list/ovae/pi/AdultEd/octae-program-memo-15-7-ielce.pdf
Zamel, V. (1982). Writing: The process of discovering meaning. TESOL Quarterly, 16(2), 195-210.
Zamel, V. (1987). Recent research on writing pedagogy. TESOL Quarterly, 21(4), 697-715.