In Applebee’s article What is Happening in the Teaching of Writing, Applebee discusses the apparent trends in student writers over the past three decades. Studies have shown that though a large percentage of students show a mastery of basic writing skills ( 80-90%), fewer students have shown proficiency in writing (31% at grade 8 and 23% at grade 12). This is likely due to the fact that teachers no longer seem to require an appropriate amount of writing activity from their students. Applebee points out that, “students write more for their other subjects combined than they do for English.”
As a teacher, I want to teach my students to write fluently and I plan to make reading and writing the main attention. I feel that by being able to understand and comprehend language as well as to be able and express thoughts and ideas through language is true success. That ability is what has kept the world going for centuries. The ability to read and write is what enables us to come together as a community. Technology will even be a useful tool for me to show the importance of communication.
In Sundem’s article on ELL students, it almost reminded me of using some similar strategies as to younger students. The pictures and visual cues are really great suggestions. I very much liked the partnering tip as well. When I was in high school, there were a group of Hispanic students who seemed to help each other out in a similar manner. I will also communicate with the student in their language as often as possible, even if that means me needing to learn some of the language. I would enjoy the opportunity, but most importantly, I would be working towards a comfortable relationship with that student and adapting to their individual needs.After looking at the sections each of the different cultures, I understand that it would be an extremely challenging situation, but it would be a great experience and definitely worth the work.