Teaching Writing Instruction Equitably to Multilingual Students at SCU
Canterbury Project Presentation
Introduction + Project Proposal
Provided a framework for understanding the normalized notions of “good writing” and investigating stigmas around Standardized American Englishes
ENGL 16/ENGL 113
Gave me access points into growing fields of advocacy for multilingual students, that there are alternatives to conventional teaching practices
‘ESL’ Education Field
Allows me to be a unique and effective researcher, my position as student didn’t discount me from being able to take action to support other students around me
HUB Writing Partner
Methods
Interview SCU Students and Professors
Compare SCU Trends in a National/Global Scale
Utilizing position as a Writing Partner and student
Attending TESOL and Sigma Tau Delta Conventions
Draft effective questions
Recognizing what I (and others) could learn about multilingual experiences at SCU
Student 1 | Undergrad from Philippines |
Student 2 | Undergrad from China/Los Angeles |
Student 3 | Undergrad from Brazil/Connecticut |
Student 4 | Undergrad from China |
Student 5 | Undergrad from China |
Student 6 | Grad student from China |
Multilingual Student Interviews
The Current State of English Language Learning
— Student 3, Brazil
“...I had to basically restart my journey on how to write because I was used to a completely different writing style and now I was writing about much more technical subjects. And it wasn't writing for a specific exam, it was writing for a report. You know, it was a lot of writing in my labs.”
— Student 2, China/Los Angeles
“The first thing at SCU was philosophy and then learning philosophy in a different language…it was too much writing and reading. I didn't really get the material. I wasn't feeling involved in the discussions and the class in general. So I ended up dropping it. And I didn't feel like I was going to get a good grade at the end, so I just dropped it the third week…”
Highlights + Positive Trends
Enjoying writing creatively (in multiple languages)
Feeling engaged and impacted and interested in the content of classes
Finding sense of self and ability to communicate through writing
"So I find that I enjoy writing fictional stories, for me it is like long day dreaming. I enjoy that.
Writing a fictional story is enjoyable because it's like you can write out your dream. Whatever you dreamed for”
Student Writing at SCU
— Student 3, China
“...I certainly taught students who are much newer to academic English and, you know, more heavily accented speakers or different kind of more, marked experiences. [I am wary of] the impulse to standardize it, so as not to stigmatize the speakers. And so then we use it as a class discussion to think about.”
—SCU English Professor
Efforts to Recognize Language Stigmas
Challenges that Students Face
Perceptions of language skills or learning needs based on accented English
Feelings of shame around writing and language abilities
Feeling like there is a ceiling of success that students reach in their writing abilities/grades
Accented English
Frustrating Grading
— Student 5, China
“I did really well on every assignment, , but for some reason I just keep getting [the same grade]. And I remember telling the professor the first week of school, I said, ‘English is my second language. So if there is anything I didn't understand or anything, just let me know and please just be understanding about the situation and stuff.’ And she said, ‘yeah, yeah, I totally understand.’ But then like on assignments, it wasn't, it wasn't getting through.”
Accented English
Accented English
— Student 1, Philippines
“As an international student who did not grow up speaking English here, [I want to talk about] students’ accents. The more so, they'll think you're less fluent, basically. And my ability to adapt to the accent here has gotten me a lot of comments of like, ‘why is your English so good?’ Which is the most common as an ESL college student you'll ever get…
Accented English
Feelings of Shame
Writing Partner at SCU’s HUB
“It is such a shame. I feel like every ESL session, the student says at least once, ‘I'm bad at writing.’ Or ‘I'm sorry.’ Like there's a lot of apologizing in those sessions, that you just don't see in native English speaking sessions. Which is, it's very sad…”
— Student Writing Partner
How Students Find Support at SCU
Self invention of writing strategies: outlining in head, freewriting and revision processes in mixed languages
Social support: seeking help from friends and peers and HUB (and then professors)
“I don't really use like outlines. Even though I know I should, but I don't really use outlines. But I have what I want to write in my head. I write, starting from the first part and then write maybe one or two paragraphs and consider that length. And I'll do the second paragraph and restructure the length maybe a little bit. It's more like I have a little plan in the beginning and then develop that plan while I'm writing.”
Student 5, China
Outlining…
Dual translation/Mixed Languages
“Yeah, it's like also back and forth. So I went to a local school, so we were learning Filipino and English simultaneously…”
Student 5, Philippines
Social Support at SCU
Feelings of shame around writing and language abilities
“I had a HUB meeting last night and we worked together on an essay. It went very smoothly. I find it easier for me to start writing and extend the paragraphs. The most difficult part is how to start an essay, how to start a response. Starting is more difficult rather than the like later parts.”
“I don't want to ruin anyone's reputation. I think he was being too harsh on people, especially international students, about their writing. They would get C's or D’s on things that they worked really hard on. And they showed me their essays and it was all right. I mean, it wouldn't be as good as other native speakers because we struggle a little bit with writing essays. But, it was okay. I wouldn't say it's a D level.”
Student 2, China/Los Angeles
Student-to-Student
Student-to-HUB
Student 4, China
Proposal for SCU Writing Models…SCU as a whole?
With ENGL Department program review approaching…
-Susan Popko, Associate Provost for International Programs
Thank you!
Please Get In Touch!
tavideleon@gmail.com
@OctavioDeLeon