TeachingEnglish
Publishing student writing
Submitted by TE Editor on 17 June, 2009 - 13:19
Sometimes my learners get really inspired by writing tasks and produce work where they really want to communicate something, so it seems natural to respect this and to give them a wider audience. There are many ways to publish writing work, ranging from something as simple as photocopying work as handouts for the class to publishing on a blog. The important thing is finding readers. I find this converts writing work, which can be very robotic, into an enormously motivating and meaningful activity.
By Paul Kaye
- Login or register to post comments
Printer-friendly version
Log in or register
Follow TeachingEnglish
 |
 |
 |
 |
Comments
Dear Paul,
I totally agree with the need of a wider audience as I teach writing to teenagers. I will really appreciate it if you can give specific examples from your lessons-within the class or from a class blog (if you have one). How can I apply the photocopied handouts of students' work to my lesson plan?
Thank you so much.
Fulya
Hey Paul! I also have to agree. Exposing the product/s of student writers to a wider audience entices them to express more and learn in the process. I have some articles myself from which student writers may obtain useful and user-friendly tips.
if I were your student I would feel the same thing, it would be so nice to have a whole class see what I have written and maybe have them giving some comment about their friend's writing as well.
Any student that writes should also learn the important aspects of getting their work read. What you are doing may very well be the catalyst that the next great novelist needs.
Dear Paul:
Four eyes are much better than two eyes. But still we need more eyes in this process. But once a student shares his written work -composition- s/he should do this with able students to have some feedback to develop his/her writing.The audience of readers can put down their comments which both the writer and the teacher can access.
Haider M (EL supervisor)
Paul,
Excellent idea! To be honest, I also came up with the same idea some time ago when I noticed several straight A students in my English class who were always willing to take up the writing assignments I was giving them for homework. What better way to make them feel important in the classroom (as well as in the EFL world which they are venturing towards) than to publish their written work on a blog (the idea of which I am working on at the moment!) or even if one finds that slightly impossible, then to do peer review in the classroom, using the specific student's written paper as a fine example of how an essay should be written! I do peer review in my academic writing classes (which take place once a week) and whenever I receive an A+ paper I make photocopies of it and hand them out to groups of students as they must analyse the paper from every aspect that we have worked on in the previous class. At the end, I don't fail to mention the students' name and do a bit of praising! Why not, he/she has deserved it in my opinion! I then give out the rest of the homework papers back to students, and they can tell you that my comments are pretty long!
See you all soon,
Aneta, Macedonia