Learner-Centered Classroom Activities for Advanced Academic Writing TESOL March, 2012 Errin Beck Monika Mulder Linnea Spitzer Portland State University

Overview Introduction ▫Definition of and rationale behind “Learner- Centered Activities” ▫Our program ▫The class ▫Description of activities Practice/Workshop time Final Reflection Questions

What is a “Learner-Centered” activity? Activity in which the learner plays a central role in discovering and internalizing information The learners determine pace of the activity Learners decide when they are satisfied with the outcome of the activity Teacher plays a guiding, but not leading role

Why Learner-Centered Activities? Allow for individual approaches to writing Allow for individual needs/weaknesses in the writing process Individualize learning, giving students responsibility for defining their experience Help students develop strategies for self- directed learning and promote learner autonomy

The Intensive English Language Program at Portland State University Five-level university academic preparation program Over 500 students (primary L1s: Arabic, Chinese, Korean, and Japanese) Core classes: ▫Grammar ▫Writing ▫Speaking/Listening ▫Reading 10 week terms (quarter system) Students in class 18 hours per week 20 hours of study outside of class expected

The Advanced Academic Writing Course 65 minute class, 3 times per week Highest level of writing in program Students both undergrads and graduate students Process-based writing ▫Students work for the entire term (10 weeks) on producing one 8-10 page research paper Focus on research methods ▫Library research ▫Evaluation of sources ▫APA formatting Previous levels ▫Essay writing (5 paragraph, cause/effect, argument, classification, guided research-based essay) ▫Exposure to using outside sources and APA formatting

Five Classroom Activities 1.Icebreaker and exploration of text types 2.Focused reading 1.Practicing creating and organizing a detailed outline 1.Editing a draft: Rearranging a paragraph 2.APA formatting workshop

Ice-breaker and Exploration Activity The activity: Ice-breaker (first day of class) Exposes students to new kinds of resources Needs assessment Introduction to notion of credibility/reliability/relevance of sources

Focused Reading Activity The activity: Helps students build knowledge base for their writing Shows students how to explore and interact with the sources Promotes understanding of articles through collaboration

Practicing Creating and Organizing a Detailed Outline The activity: Kinesthetic activity to practice the format of a detailed outline Focuses on categorization of ideas

Editing a Draft: Rearranging a Paragraph The activity: Kinesthetic activity that gives students a new perspective on their writing, with special focus on:  Grammar  Sentence structure and variety  Cohesion and coherence

APA Formatting Workshop The activity: Allows students to practice the most relevant citation formats for their work Encourages students to self edit their reference pages Serves as a reminder of APA formatting tools available outside the classroom comfort zone

Directions for workshop You will have the opportunity to participate in three activities for 20 minutes each (plus 5 minutes for debriefing) 1.Choose your activity and go to the station. 2.Read the directions for the activity (blue). 3.Work on the activity (20 minutes). 4.Reflect on the activity (purple) (5 minutes). 5.Move to the next station.

Pros and Cons? 1.Icebreaker and exploration of text types 2.Focused reading 3.Practicing creating and organizing a detailed outline 4.Editing a draft: Rearranging a paragraph 5.APA formatting workshop

Final Thoughts from Students Icebreaker and exploration of text types There are many differences between different type texts. For example, in a newspaper or magazine, it is easy to find a daily, normal article, but in a journal, it will be more specific. I learned that websites like Wikipedia are not the authentic resource for writing research papers. I realized that Wikipedia can be modified and edited by its users; therefore, it is an unreliable resource for writing a research paper.

Final Thoughts from Students Practicing Creating and Organizing a Detailed Outline Before starting writing a detailed outline, I totally had no idea where to begin my paper. Instead of reading a bunch of examples and rules from textbooks, I learned to make a detailed outline by reading pieces of sentences and putting them into well-organized paragraphs without knowing the title of the research paper.

Final Thoughts from Students Editing a draft: Rearranging a paragraph It was the very helpful because I had a chance to see my paragraph in a different way. Mistakes were much easier to spot and the organization changed for the better. Because of this activity, I realized that when all the sentences from a paragraph cut into pieces, my brain would have clear and new thoughts of those pieces.

Thank you for listening! Any Questions?