Writing on the go
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Authors
Alvarez, Noelia
Issue Date
2017
Educational Level
ISCED 3: Upper secondary education
Curriculum Area
Geographical Setting
Peru
Abstract
Context: In Arequipa, Peru, an English teacher worked with high-performing 4th-grade students at a high-performance school (COAR) where students must achieve a B2 level in English for the International Baccalaureate (IB) program. While generally adept in English, students struggled with writing, particularly with grammar, vocabulary, and task completion. These challenges led the teacher to focus on strengthening students' writing skills for academic success.
Aims: The study aimed to understand students' attitudes towards writing, identify their key writing challenges, and determine how the teacher's feedback and support affected their improvement. By pinpointing these factors, the teacher hoped to create an approach to enhance students' writing skills, especially regarding pre-writing techniques and error awareness.
Methods: A questionnaire on students' attitudes and writing processes, peer observation, and a mock writing task were used to gather data. The peer observation focused on the teacher's feedback methods, students' writing errors, and how classroom support impacted the writing process. Additionally, the teacher analysed students' written work for common mistakes to inform instructional adjustments.
Findings: Results showed that students were generally positive about writing but often felt nervous. Grammar, vocabulary, and subject omission were common challenges. While students had some familiarity with pre-writing techniques, these were underused, contributing to incomplete task responses. The peer observation suggested that feedback was generally clear, but pre-writing guidance and handwriting clarity could improve.
Implications: The implementation of structured pre-writing strategies, peer correction, and feedback on specific errors resulted in reduced student anxiety and more complete and accurate writing. This experience highlights the benefits of reinforcing pre-writing techniques and peer-based correction for improved writing quality and independence. Teachers facing similar challenges may find these strategies beneficial in supporting student autonomy and reflective learning in writing.
Aims: The study aimed to understand students' attitudes towards writing, identify their key writing challenges, and determine how the teacher's feedback and support affected their improvement. By pinpointing these factors, the teacher hoped to create an approach to enhance students' writing skills, especially regarding pre-writing techniques and error awareness.
Methods: A questionnaire on students' attitudes and writing processes, peer observation, and a mock writing task were used to gather data. The peer observation focused on the teacher's feedback methods, students' writing errors, and how classroom support impacted the writing process. Additionally, the teacher analysed students' written work for common mistakes to inform instructional adjustments.
Findings: Results showed that students were generally positive about writing but often felt nervous. Grammar, vocabulary, and subject omission were common challenges. While students had some familiarity with pre-writing techniques, these were underused, contributing to incomplete task responses. The peer observation suggested that feedback was generally clear, but pre-writing guidance and handwriting clarity could improve.
Implications: The implementation of structured pre-writing strategies, peer correction, and feedback on specific errors resulted in reduced student anxiety and more complete and accurate writing. This experience highlights the benefits of reinforcing pre-writing techniques and peer-based correction for improved writing quality and independence. Teachers facing similar challenges may find these strategies beneficial in supporting student autonomy and reflective learning in writing.
Description
Keywords (free text)
writing skills , pre-writing techniques , student feedback , peer correction , International Baccalaureate