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From Idea to Essay: Effective Strategies for Teaching Academic Writing

In: American English Webinars Format(s): Text, Video

This webinar, "From Idea to Essay: Effective Strategies for Teaching Academic Writing," argues that clear organization is the most important feature of effective academic writing.

Integrating Reading and Writing for Effective Language Teaching

In: English Teaching Forum 2001, Volume 39, Number 1 Format(s): Text

This article discusses an integrated reading and writing course for first-year college EFL. The author of the article developed this course to address student difficulty in balancing multiple issues in writing. The course aimed to teach writing as a process. The author shares key components of the course such as reading and writing requirements and in-class activities.

Using Guided, Corpus-Aided Discovery to Generate Active Learning

In: English Teaching Forum 2008, Volume 46, Number 4 Format(s): Text

This article shows how English teachers can provide careful guidance for students to use a corpus to research, discover, and reflect on the grammatical and sociolinguistic aspects of English. The author introduces the idea of using a corpus in teaching English and offers several important online resources for English language corpora. The author provides a rationale for corpus-based teaching and gives two examples of how to guide students in exploring linguistic features of English.

Workshops: An Alternative to Student Writing Conferences

In: English Teaching Forum 2018, Volume 56, Number 2 Format(s): Text

This Teaching Technique describes how teachers can use mini-workshops in place of student writing conferences and explains potential benefits of doing so.

A Collaborative Activity for Generating Ideas in the Writing Classroom

In: English Teaching Forum 2019, Volume 57, Number 1 Format(s): Text

This article describes a procedure that gets students to collaborate, generate ideas for an essay project, and reflect on their ideas as they prepare to write; the author also suggests a number of possible essay topics.

Process Writing and the Internet: Blogs and Ning Networks in the Classroom

In: English Teaching Forum 2011, Volume 49, Number 2 Format(s): Text

This article presents a student-centered technique for teaching writing to ESL and EFL students who are familiar with Internet-based technology. There are two classroom lessons which use blogs (an Internet-based diary tool accessible by many) and Ning networks (an Internet-based network created for small groups for a small fee). A process-writing concept focuses on students’ social relationships and interests. Step-by-step directions are included for teachers and students who may be less familiar with these two technologies.

A Case Study of Reflective Journals in a University Level Writing Course in Hungary

In: English Teaching Forum 2003, Volume 41, Number 1 Format(s): Text

This article is about the author’s experience using learning logs and in-class journaling for her college-level ESL writing class in Hungary. Her purpose was to gather information on the students’ writing experiences, both before and during the class, and to address issues raised in the logs and journals. She taught the class with a reflective-teaching, learner-centered style and a process-learning curriculum.

A Classroom Response to HIV/AIDS - Project Proposal Writing

In: English Teaching Forum 2007, Volume 45, Number 1 Format(s): Text

This article describes a task-based writing project. High-school students in Zambia wrote a proposal to raise awareness of HIV/AIDS in their community. By writing on a topic related to their lives, students were motivated and empowered to use their English skills for positive change. The project was an interactive workshop that invited a community leader to help with brainstorming, the setting of ground rules, and understanding of the issue. Students worked together on their responses and drafted and revised a proposal that was based on a model from UNICEF.

Building Vocabulary and Improving Writing while Developing a Tourist Brochure

In: English Teaching Forum 2008, Volume 46, Number 2 Format(s): Text

This article describes how creating a tourist brochure can help students improve their vocabulary and writing skills. The author describes how to plan writing lessons based on the creation of a brochure: viewing videos, planning the brochure, writing the brochure, getting feedback and rewriting, and displaying the brochure. In the conclusion, the author highlights the benefits of the activity as providing opportunities for contextualized writing and vocabulary learning.

Unraveling the Mystery of Academic Writing