Upgrading writing skills
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Authors
Aguilera, Leyla Nuñez
Issue Date
2016
Educational Level
ISCED 3: Upper secondary education
Curriculum Area
Geographical Setting
Chile
Abstract
Context: In Puente Alto, Santiago, Chile, a teacher addresses writing skills challenges among 9th-grade students (14- to 15-year-olds) from mixed socio-economic backgrounds.
Aims: To explore students' writing difficulties, their perceptions of writing tasks, and to identify strategies for improving their writing skills.
Methods: The teacher conducted informal discussions with other subject teachers, devised student questionnaires, and used classroom observations to collect insights on teaching writing and student engagement.
Findings: A key finding was that while teachers of Spanish and English explicitly taught writing, teachers of other subjects did not do so. Students reported writing topics as uninteresting or irrelevant, feeling rushed through content, and lacking support in vocabulary and expression. Tasks were often not age-appropriate. They expressed a need for more practice and feedback.
Implications: To enhance students' writing skills, it can be important to select age-appropriate and engaging topics, provide scaffolded support, allow ample opportunities for practice and feedback, and adjust the pace of lessons to accommodate students' different learning speeds.
Aims: To explore students' writing difficulties, their perceptions of writing tasks, and to identify strategies for improving their writing skills.
Methods: The teacher conducted informal discussions with other subject teachers, devised student questionnaires, and used classroom observations to collect insights on teaching writing and student engagement.
Findings: A key finding was that while teachers of Spanish and English explicitly taught writing, teachers of other subjects did not do so. Students reported writing topics as uninteresting or irrelevant, feeling rushed through content, and lacking support in vocabulary and expression. Tasks were often not age-appropriate. They expressed a need for more practice and feedback.
Implications: To enhance students' writing skills, it can be important to select age-appropriate and engaging topics, provide scaffolded support, allow ample opportunities for practice and feedback, and adjust the pace of lessons to accommodate students' different learning speeds.
Description
Keywords (free text)
english as a foreign language , writing , feedback