Teaching Statement

My teaching philosophy is centered on the sociocultural theory oflearning. As an educator, I believe that teachers should help studentsconstruct meaning and build connections between the learned materials and their relevant life experiences. Contrary to the traditional role of the teacher as the class expert who is responsible for transferringknowledge to passive recipients, I see teaching as a partnership with the students to understand how to transfer knowledge to real life situations and use it practically to solve problems. Based on this philosophy, I believe that students should develop the skills of reflective and culturally relevant practitioners in a classroom environment that encourage the formation of a community of learners, dialogic pedagogy, and culturally relevant pedagogy. In what follows,I explain in more detail how I see the above philosophy operationalized in practice.

Lave and Wenger (1991) maintain that situated learning should socialize learners into the community of practice that constitute the field of their interest. In order to do so, situated learning uses class instruction and classroom structure to posit learners within thepremises of legitimate peripheral practice where they move from a novice status to become experienced members and eventually old timers of the community of practice or collaborative projects. Throughout my teaching experience in the School of Education at the University of Delaware, I was adamant on creating a community of learners within a situated learning environment to help my students interact with the community of practice in the field of education along three intersecting axes of professional knowledge: academic, experiential, and collegial. Academic knowledge exposes students to theories and research findings in their field; however, as educators, I believe we also need to expose our students to issues of conflict, tension, and dissonance among experts in such a way to promote critical thinking and individualistic, informed decision making. Experiential knowledge should point out the importance of espousing theory with practice and of linking classroom knowledge with actual problems in the field in such a way to encourage problem solving and collaboration among professionals of the community of practice. Within the boundaries of a

university program, experiential knowledge can be arranged through field placements or in case, these are not available, through virtual learning by the use of technology represented in digital and social media.

Technology in teaching does not only facilitate experiential knowledge and make it possible, but it also allows for a collegial relationship to be built among the students that prepares them for team work and collaboration in their future career. Technology allows for learning to go beyond the time and space of the class meeting. Through online discussion platforms, students can have longer and moreelaborate opportunities to reflect on the topics discussed in the class (Ellsworth, 1989). Moreover, asynchronous communication can allow shy or less outspoken students to express their view if they areunable to do so in a class setting that might be dominated by few outspoken students. Finally, online platforms allow for the dialogue on the topics of the curriculum to be open, flowing, and never ending and thus reflects a view of knowledge as growing, interconnected, and unfinalized as opposed to the image of knowledge as fixed, fragmented,and finalized that conventional education projects (Dewey, 1956). Therefore, I always design a class web page to go alongside the class meetings. Students are asked to start a conversation thread and to respond to each other’s posts at least twice per week. These web postings help students, as mentioned above, to dialogue more about their differences and the controversial issues of the class, and also it helps me as the instructor to formatively assess students’ learningand plan for the dialogue before the next class. In this context, I align my teaching with Morson’s definition of Bakhtin’s dialogue whereideas could be tested and remain forever testable (Morson, 2004). However, the class web page is not the only means by which dialogue and the community of learners can be promoted in the classroom.

Juzwik, Borsheim-Black, Caughlan, and Heintz (2013) maintain thatcreating and maintaining dialogue among the students in the English class relies on developing strong dialogic tools that allow both learners and teachers to prepare for the discussion. Developing dialogic tools represented in reading organizers, conceptual maps, open ended questions, survey and poll templates, and others help the

students focus their discussion on the topics of the curriculum with little digression outside the topics and help the teacher assess and evaluate students outside readings and preparation for the class and in class participation. Thus, although I am convinced that the teacher’s role in facilitating the class discussion among learners should constantly diminish in order to give the students more agency and autonomy in guiding their own learning, I also believe that there is much work to be done by the teacher behind the scene to allow for the dialogue to be meaningful, informative, and to ensure better learning outcomes for the students.

Dialogic tools also help language instruction to move from the oral to the written. As students reflect on the topics verbally, they also take notes and brainstorm ideas in writing. Using an online forumfor sharing ideas encourages writing in a professional manner since ideas need to be conveyed concisely and with clarity to be read and responded to by others. Online forums also allow students to offer oneanother feedback both on their ideas and on their writing which is an issue important for assessment as I will explain in the following paragraph. Also, combining dialogic tools with technology offers a culturally relevant model for both students and teachers to use in a world that is becoming increasingly reliant on technology for communication and collaboration.

Finally, assessment for language learning and teaching should be ongoing and formative and it should include both students’ learning and teacher’s performance. Juzwik et al. (2013) give the metaphor of each lesson being a draft that should be reviewed, reflected on, and revised for better future practices. Formative assessment also aligns with the concept of reflective practitioners as encouraged by Dewey (1933). Thus, assessment should not be merely the job of the teacher, but educators should encourage students toward self -assessment and peer assessment as well. In fact, within the dialogic project, assessment among the participants is instant and continuous since eachutterance is evaluated by the listeners and the speakers as well as bythe reader and the writer who imagines his/her audience throughout thewriting process. However, teachers should encourage students to make assessment more deliberative and target them into using this

assessment toward constant improvement and growth in their practice. Following the tenets of dialogic pedagogy (Matusov, 2009), students donot have to come to a consensus in their feedback and assessment. What’s important is for both teacher and students to explore the polyphony of voices inherent in any real and authentic human activity and to respond to these voices in the context of research studies, theories, and practices in addition to contributing their own voice/voices that they have developed throughout their learning career.

In this document, I am including sample syllabi of a course I taught for English language learners titled Reading and Writing in Your Field until December 20th, 2013 and a course titled The Structure of English that I developed for TESL graduate students, sample assignments and class projects, and rubric for grading research projects. In my application package, I am attaching excerpts of the students’ evaluation of this course for two sessions and for two sessions of a different course that I taught to undergraduate students in the School of Education.

References1. Ellsworth, E. (1989). Why Doesn't This Feel Empowering?

Working through the Repressive Myths of Critical Pedagogy. Harvard Educational Review, 59 (3), 297-324.

2. Juzwik, M., Borsheim-Black, C., Caughlan, S., Heintz, A. (2013). Inspiring dialogue: Talking to learn in the English classroom. New York, NY: Teachers College Press.

3. Lave, J., & Wenger, E. (1991). Situated learning: Legitimate peripheral participation. Cambridge, England: Cambridge University Press

4. Matusov, E. (2009). Journey into dialogic pedagogy. New York, NY: Nova Science Publishers.

5. Morson, G. S. (2004). The process of ideological becoming. In A. F. Ball & S. W. Freedman (Eds.), Bakhtinianperspectives on language, literacy, and learning (pp. 317–331). Cambridge, UK; New York: Cambridge University Press.

Reading and Writing in your Field

SyllabusInstructor:

Nermine Elkader, PhD

Required Texts:

The Little, Brown HandbookPhotocopies of reading materials chosen by student

Course Description

This class is primarily for graduate students who wish to improvetheir skills in reading and writing in English while exploring their own field of academic or professional interest. Students inthis course have the opportunity to choose their own materials for reading and writing and to design individualized projects that will help them meet their own academic and professional goals, with the support of teacher counsel and instruction, as well as active peer discussion and feedback. Professionals and students enrolled in university courses are welcome to integrate their work and degree study projects with the activities of this course.

Course Learning Outcomes

This class will help you to improve your reading and writing capabilities.

Vocabulary Development. You will understand and use the specialized vocabulary of your chosen field and of academic discourse in general.

Effective Writing. You will be able to write grammatically correct andstylistically effective sentences, as well as essays that get their point across and are persuasive to English speaking readers. You will also edit, revise, and proofread your own and your classmates' work.

Grammar: You will address grammatical issues as they directly emerge in your own writing. Potential issues may include: Subject-verb agreement, parallelism, subordination, and articles.

Academic Competence. You will be able to read academic texts critically, so as to be able to recognize and summarize major arguments and the author's purpose. In addition, you will use sources effectively in your writing to document your work in order to be credible to an academic audience.

Research Skills. You will make full use of university library resources, including DELCAT, online and database searches. In order to become more proficient in conducting research in your field, you will demonstrate the ability to work independently andto manage your time efficiently.

Course Requirements

1. Readings. You will select at least five articles or book chapters to read and study in the 8 week period. Reading selections shouldbe varied, and you will need to make two copies of every text chosen. One will be submitted to the teacher with your writings, while the other one will be your own working copy.

2. Reflections: You will write in-class reflections throughout the 8-week session. These reflections will be essays that relate the articles you read to your field of interest and to your own professional goals. The reflections will also be an opportunity for you to evaluate your own researching skills. Each reflection must be word-processed to receive credit and should be approximately 2 pages in length. (Double-spaced, using a font of 12 points.) The final reflection is a combined response to all 5 readings, of between 6 and 10 pages in length.

3. Vocabulary Log: To enhance your vocabulary and academic voice, you will keep a vocabulary log. This will be an opportunity for you to record and discuss terms that are relevant to your field of interest in context (Format to be explained by instructor.)

4. Project Presentation. At the end of the session, you will prepare a formal presentation of the results of your research. (Length: 5 -10 minutes.) Those not presenting will respond with questions, suggestions and other feedback for the speaker.

Reading and Writing in your Field Outline

Session One: Introduction to the Course

A. Have students interview each other in pairs. Possible questions: 1. How long have you been in the US and at the ELI for? 2. Why have you decided to take this course? 3. What are some of the things you hope to learn from it? 4. What is your major/ career? 5. What are some of the reasons why you chose to work/study in this field? 6. Tell us something interesting about yourself.

B. Have students record one another’s answers and introduce their partners to the class.

C. Introduce yourself. Describe your background and explain why you are interested in teaching this course.

D. Explain how each student’s interest/career goals/field of study will serve as a basis to the course. Contrary to traditional courses, in RWF the students are the ones who tell the teacher what the focuses of the classes will be. In other words, each student is going to search for a series of readings based upon topics that they would like to learn more about in their particular fields. Provide examples.

E. Then, also explain how each of their writing assignments (summary, argumentative, persuasive) will be directly connected to their readings.

F. Next ask students what they believe these styles of writing are used for in their fields. Build upon their answers by providing additional examples.

G. If time allows, discuss grading. If not, leave it for later. Assign the text on audience and purpose from the LBH.

Session 2: Writing for a specific purpose and audience

A. Discuss what kind of audience and purposes we might write for. (e.g.: compare and contrast the differences in language, tone, and purposes between writing for personal [on facebook, texting friends, etc] versus writing for professional purposes [writing afinancial report, evaluating sales, writing a cover letter, writing a college essay]. Provide examples that are directly connected to students’ fields of interest.

B. Using a writing-focused handout, have students brainstorm before,during, and after writing strategies that would allow them to

express their ideas well and, at the same time, address their audience and purpose.

C. Draw a table on the board with columns entitled “before”, “during, and “after” so as to provide students with a space wherethey can volunteer to share the strategies that came to their minds with the whole class.

D. To stimulate a brief discussion, you can ask for students to share which strategies (from the ones listed on the board) work best or not for them (under what context).

E. After discussion comes to an end, tell students that they will now have the opportunity to write their first in-class essay. Explain that the essay will not be graded. The purpose of it willbe for students to share their strengths as writers with you AND for you to see the “treasures” or linguistic experimentations they make when they write.

F. Explain that you will mark the grammatical structures that could use further improvement in their writing so as to refer to them as the grammar topics for the session. Also, explain that the order in which the topics will be discussed will be up to them since you will hold an election where they will prioritize which topics they would like to focus on first, second, and third, etc according to a list of topics that you will later provide them with.

G. Give students one hour to write their in-class essay. If you would like, tell them that they can refer to the list of writing strategies they came up with for support. If time allows, you canalso give them 5 minutes for outlining purposes.

Session 3: Establishing grounds for reading and writing in your field

A. If you had the opportunities to read students’ essays, provide them the list of grammatical topics and ask them to prioritize them individually (ask them to list and number the topics in the order of their preference in a blank sheet of paper as if they were voting ballets).

B. After voting takes place, consider giving students some time to look back at their essays and ask you any questions.

C. Explain that in reading and writing in their fields and for academic purposes, there are certain expectations that need to bemet.

D. Introduce them to the basic structure of academic writing. Propose that one of the most important points in meeting the

expectations of an academic/professional audience is to differentiate minor from major details/evidence (distribute a handout about major and minor supporting details).

E. To give students an opportunity to differentiate minor from majorpieces of evidence, have them read a text and practice distinguishing information that the reader MUST know to understand the topic being addressed and information that the reader can leave without, in other words, that is not absolutely essential.

F. If you would like, have students distinguish the two kinds of information by writing them in two distinct columns.

G. Hold a discussion where you provide students with the opportunityto compare and contrast what they found most important in the text with what they didn’t.

H. After discussion ends, explain that students will need to learn to differentiate major from minor pieces of information evidence for all writing assignments in the course, and most importantly, that they will need to practice this kind of differentiation whenwriting for personal and professional purposes as well.

I. Use authentic sources as reading passages for this particular activity such as an article from the “New York Times” or from theSchool’s newspaper.

Session 4: Selecting a topic and finding resources

A. Having begun to learn to identify and differentiate pieces of information; students may now be ready to begin finding resourcesor articles of their own. To help guide them through the process,they first need to select a particular topic that they are interested in both reading and writing about. Referring to the handout entitled “selecting a topic”, have students brainstorm topics they are interested in. Then, have students prioritized them and finally have them explain to a classmate why the topic they listed as “number one” is important to them.

B. Then ask for volunteers to share their topics with the class. As the sharing comes to an end, ask students if they know how to find academic readings/articles about their topics.

C. After students share their topics, introduce “keywords” to them. Discuss how these keywords help unlock information from the internet so as to make it available to them in their search.

D. Give a practical in-class demonstration using the computer in thepodium. One possibility is to access google and type “brazil” and“carnival” for example. Then discuss with students strategies to

narrow the search using more efficient “key” words to unlock morespecific information.

E. Have student brainstorm and list potential keywords, Ask for one volunteer to share their keywords with the class. Test the keywords the student presents. Ask the class for suggestions as to how to narrow the search.

F. Eliciting the students’ help, list the steps to finding resourceson the board and propose to meet with your students at the School’s library the next day. Explain that the purpose of the visit is for them to have the opportunity to practice finding resources of their own. Ask them to bring their individual list of keywords to the library.

Session 5: Library visit

A. Meet with students at cafeteria and provide them with copy cards.Also provide them with a copy of the “finding resources” handout.

B. Find a computer station at the library. Offer to guide students individually with their searching process.

C. Once students have found at least one resource, have them start reading it.

D. As they read ask them to make a table where they can distinguish major from minor pieces of evidence.

E. For homework, ask them to read at least through one turn of theirarticles and be prepared to continue reading and separating information in class in the next week.

Session 6: What is a summary?

A. With the articles collected at the library in mind, review differences between major and minor pieces of evidence with the students. If you would like ask for volunteers to share examples from their homework.

B. Review the purposes of a summary with the students (what is it? Why do we use, when and for whom?) and discuss before, during, and after strategies that they have used and that they might wantto use in order to best find useful information (e.g.: questioning, previewing, scanning, using visual diagrams, underlining relevant ideas, looking graphs, table, pictures, titles, and subtitles)`

C. Possibly hold a 15-20 minute “Reading marathon” (using a handout). Have student practice one of the reading strategies

mentioned above as they start selecting information to be later included in their summary.

D. After marathon ends, have students share what they found with each other in pairs. Then, either have them write a paragraph explaining what they understood from the text or have them explain the text to a classmate and exchange suggestions as to how to communicate their ideas to their audience more clearly.

E. If time allows, introduce their first grammatical topic to them (in light of in-class election results.

Session 7: What is evidence?

A. Start or continue discussing the first grammar topic students chose to prioritize. Then, possibly have students write a text (preferably something simple like asking students to briefly write about a place in their countries that I could visit, or write about advantages of working in their fields) and, have students identify the rules associated with the grammatical structures they used in their writing. (I recommend focusing specifically on the topic you introduce, such as articles, prepositions, or word choice). You may either collect their responses to the exercise and correct them or you may have a student volunteer to share their text with the class on the board for a collective discussion on the grammatical rules in context.

B. After focusing part of the class on grammar, have students lookback at the evidence/ information they were able to select during their reading marathon and start discussing what kinds of information classifies as evidence for professional and academic purposes (e.g.: expert opinion, research studies, interviews, report, statistics, interviews, observations, etc. refer to the LBH for examples).

C. Have students look back at the articles and look for these kinds of evidence.

D. Have them write two or three detailed examples of evidence theyfound on their article on a blank sheet of paper.

E. Have them exchange papers with one or more partners and code each other’s work

F. Discuss the findings, compare and contrast codes and kinds of evidence.

G. For homework, ask them to continue reading their articles and selecting other kinds of evidence.

Session 8: Quoting and paraphrasing

A. To grant students, additional opportunities to practice their first grammar topic, you could ask them to find examples of the target grammatical structure in their academic articles.

B. Then, you could ask one or two students to write a passage of thearticle where they found that structure on the board so that others in the class can practice explaining and, ultimately understanding, why the target grammatical structure is used in this particular way (grammar in use or context). As the volunteer(s) writes their passage on the board for collective analysis, other students can pair up with one another and explainthe target grammatical structure as found in their own articles.

C. Afterward, `tell students that now that they have practiced finding evidence, it is time to practice rewriting them or reporting them. Using the pieces of evidence, they were able to find in their articles for homework, introduce quoting and paraphrasing to them.

D. Explain that we tend to use quotations when we are borrowing major pieces of evidence from another writer or author word for word (as in a Xerox copy) for the purpose of emphasizing or clarifying our own points.

E. Then, you can compare it to paraphrasing by saying that it is another strategy for borrowing information where instead of copying the information word for word, we re-write the information using our own words. Also emphasize that because the original idea is not ours, in both quoting and paraphrasing, we need to give credit to the original author. At this point, introduce and provide examples of citations.

F. If time allows, have students work on a paraphrasing exercise (use a handout with text for that). Otherwise print it and assignit for homework.

Session 9: Developing a writers’ checklist

A. Go over paraphrasing exercises with students focusing on the use of word choices.

B. Allow for students to practice paraphrasing using a passage from their articles.

C. Emphasize the importance of balancing their own voices as writersto that of the original authors.

D. Go over the steps they need to take to complete their summary (develop a writers’ checklist—create this list with the students).

E. As you develop a writer’s checklist, explain to students how to structure body paragraphs (they can look at body paragraphs in their own articles and identify the steps their author took and they can also refer to the LBH for support).

F. Review rules associated with grammatical topic in class. For homework, have students prepare for their first grammar quiz the next day.

Session 10: Developing an outline

A. Students take a 15 to 20 minute grammar quiz.B. Explain the concept of an outline to the students.C. Using their newly developed writer’s checklist as a point of

reference, have students write an outline in class.D. Have students peer review their outlines once they are finished.

(Each peer could write a comment and a suggestion for each other.E. After the peer-review portion of the class comes to an end, have

students continue reading their articles and ask them to select 10 unfamiliar words.

F. Explain the purpose of the word selection is for them to work on the first portion of their personal dictionary which will containwords specific to their field and will account for 20% of their reading grade.

G. Provide the guidelines for their personal dictionaries: 1. word; 2. pronunciation (optional); 3. meaning; 4. original sentence where the word is used by their individual authors; 5. a sentencethey create using the new word themselves. The dictionary can be due on Monday

H. The LBH has samples of dictionary entries that can be useful for discussion.

I. For homework, have them finish reading their individual article. Tell them they will write their summaries in class. Also, remind them to bring their articles, their writer’s checklist and their outlines to class. Lastly, tell them to also bring their personaldictionaries.

J. If time allows, discuss the rubric with them.

Session 11: Writing a summary

A. Students will spend 1:00 hour to 1 hour and 10 minutes writing their summaries in class. No personal dictionaries are allowed.

B. Once they are finished, you might discuss the rubric with them, AND collect their summaries, corresponding articles, and personaldictionaries.

C. For the remaining 30 minutes of class, have students teach some of the words in their personal dictionaries either to each other,to the class, or both.

Session 12: What is an argument?

A. Have a typed handout with words that were part of students’ personal dictionaries and their corresponding student-created sentences next to each word. Also put the name of the student whoselected the word for their personal dictionary next to their sentence. Below each sentence, write meaning and new sentence.

B. Distribute the vocabulary handout to the class. Have students attempt to guess the meaning of each word on the handout. When they have difficulties, ask them to consult with the classmate who included the word on their personal dictionary (whose name you place next to their sentence in parenthesis).

C. After the consultation ends, have students write new sentences with the newly learned words.

D. Then, refer to their new sentences as a springboard to start discussing their second grammar topic.

E. As the discussion reaches an end, and if time allows, start asking students to brainstorm either as a group or individually what an argument is and why/how/when it might be useful.

F. After addressing their answers/ideas, explain that their next paper will involve writing an argument (I have found the analogy of a court room to be helpful in discussing what the meaning of an argument is).

G. Perhaps using the court room analogy, introduce the concept of a controversy to them. For homework have them brainstorm controversies they know of (in their fields, if possible).

Session 13: In-class debate (Should students study English abroad?)

A. To clarify the concept of a controversy with the students, refer to exercise in LBH in the “Writing an argument” chapter-chapter 16. Have students work in pairs to differentiate controversial from non-controversial topics. List differences between the firstand the latter, according to students’ input on the board.

B. Explain to the students that they will now have the opportunity to practice arguing themselves since you are going to hold an in-class debate.

C. After clarifying questions about a debate and its purposes, divide the class into two teams---one that supports studying English abroad and one that doesn’t. Using a handout as a point of reference, allow students to prepare for the debate by thinking of, sharing, and noting potential pieces of evidence that they will base their side of the debate upon.

D. After students organize and record the pieces of evidence, ask students to decide who their team leader will be. Once the leadertakes her role, have her decide the order in which the other teammembers will speak during the actual in-class debate. After all roles are assigned, toss a coin to determine which team will start the debate.

E. Start the debate. Take the role of moderator. Possibly allow eachteam to have four or five turns.

F. Once debate ends, reflect upon what kinds of evidence were more efficient and which were not in terms of the debate.

G. If time allows, either discuss a grammatical topic or word parts. Session 14: Presentation/visualizing an argument

A. Ask students whether they know or were able to think about controversial topics within their own fields.

B. Present a former student’s power point presentation to provide students with an opportunity to visualize and ask questions abouthow an argument is organized.

C. Based upon students’ discussions of the presentation, ask them about the steps they need to take to write an argument effectively. Outline them on the board for the students.

D. If time allows, work on grammar or word parts with them.Session 15: Finding new resources

A. Have students interview each other about potentially controversial topics in their fields.

B. Ask students to think of a topic they would like to explore for their second writing assignment.

C. Using their preferred topics as a springboard, explain to them how to come up with effective key words for both sides of the argument that they would like to explore.

D. Have them brainstorm topics of their own. Possibly test some of their keywords using the computer in the classroom and while asking for other students’ suggestions.

E. Continue discussing second grammar topic and ask students to prepare for a quiz on Monday or Tuesday.

F. For homework, ask them to revise their summaries (which you will give back to them with comments) and ask them to find an article upon which they could base their argument. (You could also potentially ask them to use the passages in the LBH).

Session 16--Organizing an Argument

A. Turn to the LBH for students to look at a sample argument. (Page 212).

B. Ask for them to identify the steps the author took to build the argument.

C. Go over the steps with them.D. Have them ask comprehension questions for clarification purposes

and have them begin identifying these steps in their new articles, which they searched for homework.

E. Still using their articles as a point of reference, ask students to identify new words for their second personal dictionaries. Refer to these new words as a springboard to continue discussing word parts.

F. Review grammar or introduce new one (depending on when students take their second quiz).

G. Collect their revised summaries for grading purposes. Session 17: Constructing an argument

A. Hold a new “Reading marathon” with the purpose of teaching students not only to find evidence, but to write them (with an argument in mind). Consider using the handout used for the similar activity.

B. In the time that remains, introduce or continue discussing the third grammar topic. Consider providing them with opportunities to practice grammar in context.

Session 18: APA guidelines and formatting

A. Continue practicing grammar in context.B. Allow for students to share some the paragraphs they wrote in the

previous class as they attempted to construct an argument. C. Using their paragraphs as a springboard, begin introducing the

APA guidelines to them. (LBH lists them).D. Also, explain that a certain formatting is required according to

these guidelines. Discuss and model formatting expectations with them. (LBH models them as well).

E. Spend some time on grammar.

F. Ask if they need assistance with finding new articles. Answer potential questions.

G. If possible, return their summary with a grade.H. If time allows, give them time to read through their summaries,

see their grades, and ask questions for clarification. Session 19: Referencing guidelines

A. Hold a reading marathon, ask students to find new evidence in their articles and look for new words.

B. Using their new words as a departure point, you could share a sentence for each word and have them guess the meaning or you could use them to continue discussing word parts.

C. Finalize discussion of third grammar topicD. Ask them if they have any questions regarding formatting.E. Introduce referencing. Have them practice referencing a book

(possibly the little brown handbook).F. For homework, have them continue to read their new article. Have

students prepare to take their third grammar quiz the next day. Session 20: More referencing

A. Students have 15-20 minutes to complete their third grammar quiz.B. Afterward, continue explaining referencing guidelinesC. Have them practice referencing.D. Ask students to look at their articles’ reference pages to see if

they can find additional resources for their arguments.E. Ask students to continue searching for and organizing evidence

for the two sides of their arguments. To offer them better guidance, ask them what pieces of information they already have and which is still missing. The use of a Venn diagrams may be helpful

Session 21: Preparing for a research paper

A. Tell the students that they are now ready to prepare for theirfinal class project which is a research paperB. Show the students how to use visuals such as concept maps, graphic organizers, flow chart…etc. to synthesize the informationfor the resources they used for their topic.C. Also, show the students some of the computer software that they could use to take notes, organize their information, and do the APA in-text citation and referencing. D. Talk about transition words in research papers and creating cohesion among the different parts of their paper.

E. Allow the students some time to meet with their research partners and talk about their plan for their big project. Supervise the students as they work in groups.

Session 22: Organizing a research paper

A. Talk about creating an annotated bibliography for the articlesthe students chose for their research projects. Explain to thestudents the value and use of annotated bibliography.

B. Talk about the importance of writing an abstract.C. Discuss the method of searching for the sources in the

research paper.D. Talk about dividing the paper into titles and subtitles

according to the points of argument that the students will useE. Allow the students to get together to discuss the above points

and reflect upon the organization of their paper. F. Tell the students that you will accept first drafts, give them

feedback, and then ask them to work on a final draft for finalgrading.

Course Outline for EDUC/LING 677: The Structure of EnglishCommunications: Class website is on Sakai (learning management engine) and also via email.

This course is one of the required courses in the MA program thatleads to certification as anESL/Bilingual teacher. The course focuses on developing an understanding of what grammar is so that future teachers could improve their own classroom practices when teaching English. The course supports the University of Delaware’s conceptual frameworkfor preparing teacher candidates to become reflective practitioners serving diverse communities of learners and scholars, problem solvers, and partners. The course also supportsthe Programmatic Learning Goals of the MA Linguistics and Cognitive Science.

Objectives:

The goal of this course is to familiarize students with the structure of the English language. We will use a generative linguistic approach: we are interested in finding out the set of

rules and principles that govern how native speakers actually speak English. The distinction between descriptive and prescriptive grammar will be discussed. An additional goal is to examine the role of learning grammar and of teaching grammar in elementary and secondary schools. Students will also be asked to compare the structure of English to the structure of other languages.

Course Requirements:

1. Attendance:Students are expected to attend class and participate in class discussions, which will be based on assigned readings and exercises. Please read assignments before each class and prepare relevant questions (dialogic forms are available on Sakai).2. Grading: There will be two research projects. Each project counts as 30% of your grade (for a total of 60%). You are encouraged to collaborate with other class members-especially those who are native speakers of a language other than English onboth projects but especially on the first project. In addition, 40% of your grade is given for 4 homework assignments (including one oral presentation). Homework assignments are to be discussed on the class web on which students should raise questions or problems that they might find with the readings or with the assignments and in which they are encouraged to help one another figure out answers to these problems. I, as the instructor, will assess the homework based on these web discussions and will also allow a class time for discussion. Therefore, NO LATE ASSIGNMENTSWILL BE ACCEPTED, since solutions will be discussed within the week of the assignment and a week after the assignment is due.

Required and Recommended Readings:

Clark , Mary M. (2010). The Structure of English for Readers, Writers andTeachers, College Publishing (ISBN 978-1-932780-05-5), second edition(required text)

Articles (required readings available via Sakai, copies also in the ERC): (* marks a requiredreading)*Wolfram, W. & D. Christian (1989) Dialects and Education, ch.1 (from Dialect Diversity inAmerica)*Finegan, Edward (2006) The sounds of languages: Phonetics (from Language: It’s Structureand Use, Harcourt)*Celce-Murcia & Larsen-Freeman (1998) The passive voice, ch.18. (from: The Grammar Book,second edition).*Celce-Murcia & Larsen-Freeman (1988) Introduction to relative clauses, ch. 28 and More onRelative Clauses, ch. 29 (from : The Grammar Book, second edition)Rutherford, W. (1985) Grammatical Consciousness Raising, (from Rutherford, W. and Smith,S.M. Grammar and Second Language Teaching , pp. 15-18)Smith, S. M. (1985) Consciousness Raising and the Second LanguageLearner (from Rutherford,W. and Smith, S.M. Grammar and Second Language Teaching , pp. 51-60)Odlin, T. (1993) Introduction, (from Odlin, T., ed., Perspectives on Pedagogical Grammar,Cambridge, pp.1 -21)Nunan, D.(1993) Linguistic Theory and Pedagogic Practice (from Odlin, T., ed., Perspectives onPedagogical Grammar, Cambridge, pp. 245-270)Syllabus

IN ORDER TO PREPARE FOR CLASS, YOU ARE ASKED TO READ ALLASSIGNMENTS BEFORE YOU COME TO CLASS. You are also required to post your reflections on the readings or respond to your classmates’ postings on the class web.NOTE: the first three classes involve very heavy reading and cover the topics of morphology,Phonetics, and phonology that are usually covered in a basic Ling101 class.

If you have no background in linguistics, you need to make sure to catch up in weeks 1-3

Class 1Topic 1: What do you know about language structure? What is linguistics?Topic 2: The history of English. Please read the following chapters and handouts.Clark, ch.1 and ch. 2

Class 2 What is Standard English? Dialects of EnglishRead: Wolfram, W. & D. Christian (1989) Dialect Diversity in America.Ch. 1 of Dialects in Education (available in the ERC and also on Sakai)• Vernacular dialects in the US schoolsTopic 1: Prescriptive and descriptive grammars.Topic 2: Why should we teach grammar?Read: Grammar and Its Teaching: Challenging the Myths

Class 3Topic 1: The Vocabulary of English; English lexicon and morphologyTopic 2: Morphology (handout) and the morphology of other languagesRead: Clark, ch. 3 – Morphology and Parts of SpeechRead: Morphology Language filesRead: Clark ch. 4

Class 4Clark ch. 4, Phonetics and PhonologyBackground reading: Finegan, E. (2006) The sounds of languages: Phonetics (from Language:It’s Structure and Use, Harcourt)Phonetics: in class quiz, phonology of English, homework English plurals and past tense.

Class 5

Intro to Phrase Structures. Clark ch. 7 Basic structures. Declaratives, Y/N , Negatives.Questions. (handout). Assignment 1 handed out, due Oct 2.

Class 6Research Project 1: Choose a language other than English; research the structure of that language and compare it to English(it is best to choose a language represented by the class membersand collaborate with that/those member(s) on this project. More on phrases, Clark ch. 8 (NP, VP, PP, AdjP, AdvP). Complementvs. modifier.Grammatical relations.Clark ch. 9. - Semantic roles, the semantics of the sentence.

Class 7Clark ch. 10 - Tense , Aspect, ModalityPassive and active Assignment 2 handed out, due Oct 15

Class 8Passives (continued): The uses of passive voice [ additional reading: Celce-Murcia &Larsen-Freeman (1998) The Grammar Book, ch. 18 The passive voice]Negation and Modal systems (Clark, ch.10 continued)

Class 9More on phrase structure: Y/N questions and Wh-questions, revisions ofstructures: movement of V to I to C)] , Clark ch. 11

Research Project 2: How effective is it to teach English grammar to non-native speakers of English? If you agree to teaching grammar, which approach should you recommend? Discuss your thesisin light of the theories and research you have read in the field.Class 10Y/N (again) and Wh-questions. Embedded questions. Clark, ch. 11

Class 11Introduction to Relative Clauses and complex sentences, Clark, ch. 14..

Celce-Murcia & Larsen-Freeman (1988) Introduction to relative clauses, ch. 28 and Moreon Relative Clauses, ch. 29 (from : The Grammar Book, second edition)

Class 12More on RCs, discussion of various types of RCs, functions of RCsin English, RCs invarious languages (left and right headed RCs, headless RCs).Assignment 3 on RCs due Nov 19Oral presentations (groups 1, 2)Class 13 Subordination, Clark, ch. 13-14 (review).Complementation (rest of chapter 14), Oral presentations (groups 3,4, 5)Class 14 Complementation (rest of chapter 14 and handouts)Oral presentations (groups 6, 7,8)

Class 15 Wrap up, oral presentation (groups 9, 10), take home final handed out.

Sample Assignment: Research Paper for Reading and Writing in Your Field

Final Project: Formative and Mock Summative assessments: 11/29/2012 11:55PM Thursday. via email

Summative Only Assessment: 12/09/2012 11:55 PM Sunday. via email.

Purpose:This final project is designed to enable you to explore issues in yourfield that experts might disagree about or still have questions about.The final project also helps you to develop research skills, analytic

skills and problem solving skills, all of which will make you, hopefully, more able to realize when you need more information and when you need to find ways to interact with others in order to grapplewith problems about your field.  Because the U.S. educational system is designed to introduce students to democratic decision making and ideally encourages participation of all school community members, it is crucially important that your approach to the controversy you choose take care to maximize both democratic procedure (bring in the voices and concerns of those affected by the issue) and democratic substance (centralize the principles of democracy:  equality, freedom,representation, deliberation).

Our intention with this project is that you will be able to come out of this class with something useful that tells the story of your experience with an issue of concern in your field.  Such a project should be something that communicates your experience well to others--to your friends and family as well as colleagues and potential employers (while you will be looking for a job).  Such a project connects you to a network of different people in a diverse communities(e.g., family, peers, professional community), which is an important aspect of your future career .  You will work on this project throughout the semester. 

Essential Elements: Final projects are to be done in collaborative groups of 3.  

There are three essential steps to the project:

First step:  Choose a controversy related to your field OR a complex case (based onan actual practice that you know about or adapt for your own purposes), provide different perspectives on how to approach this dilemma.  You may choose to use dialogue among characters to express different viewpoints, or you may simply provide possible "solutions" that might be proposed by people from various perspectives.  The controversy or the case should be interesting, relevant, and open-ended enough to stimulate discussion in your diverse readers.

Second step:  (a) Research just what it is that people on your "side" of the controversy have to say about the issue.  Analyze that "side": *what is their definition of the issue? *what do they see as the stakes in this issue? *how do they define the main issues in the controversy and what do they think ought to be done?

(b) Research what are other perspectives and views of this controversyand present them in a similar way you presented your “side.” (Note: This is especially important when working with case studies. Please approach the dilemma raised in the case from the diverse perspectives of the people involved. You may find writing out conversational dialogue between participants helps to express different viewpoints and "solutions" that might be proposed by people from various perspectives.)

Please provide and examine empirical evidence for all claims that either you or a party you are considering make. If you couldn't find empirical evidence -- report about your search. Empirical evidence caninclude: empirical research, survey, case study, observation, interviews, report in media, remembrance, historical event, law, policy, and so on.

Third step:  Once you have presented detailed positions and views about this dilemma, you then need to engage in a democratic, collaborative negotiation of the best solution(s).  (In other words, your process should encourage you to grapple with many different voices, democraticprocesses and democratic ends).  Therefore you will be required at this stage to present teaching solutions in the form of lesson plans on the topics or the case studies that you included. Your lesson plan should outline your proposed student population, the topic that your lesson is centered on, and how you plan to present it to the students in a culturally relevant way. Please treat this project as an item in your portfolio that you can present to your future employers if they

ask you what you know and how you can deal with controversy in your work place. ************************************ A GENERAL OUTLINE for your Final Project may follow these guidelines:

I. Introduction to your controversial topic and your question • Why are you personally interested in this? • Why do you feel it is an important issue?

II. Positions on this topic • Explain the multiple viewpoints, each of their perspectives/arguments, and what they think should be done with regards to the issue • You may get your info from books, websites, scholarly articles, and/or professional magazines

III. Engage the multiple viewpoints to come up with the best solution(s) • What are the pros and cons of the solution(s)?  Address the cons.  What are the consequences/values behind the solution(s)? • Include your personal voice

IV. Implications for practice • How does what you found inform your future practices?  What will youdo in your workplace? • What actions do you propose? ************************************

The first draft that you are going to send me for formative and mock summative assessments MUST include narrative and it should go beyond an outline. However, you can ask me questions. Try your best to develop as complete of a draft as possible so you can get as much of my feedback as possible. Checklist for Research Paper

Content:

Abstract

Introduction

Methods of Research

Subheadings

Conclusion

Discussion of Findings

Discussion of Evidence

Form

Grammar

Use of complex sentences

Use of compound sentences

Use of correct verb tenses

Correct use of noun clause, adjective clause, and phrases

Correct use of S-V agreement

Adequate attention to parallelism

Avoidance of fragments, comma splices, and fused sentences

Correct use of articles

Correct use of prepositions

Citation (APA format)

Correct in-text citation

Correct use of direct quotations

Reference page

Hanging citation and correct use of references

  Consensus is not necessarily the outcome of all democratic decision-making.  If you disagree, just express this disagreement in the paper by addressing each other's viewpoints, and let other people respond tothese disagreements as challenges.  In this case, dialogue is the product of your project rather than consensus.  You may find in working with this project that there is no one satisfactory solution to your dilemma

.

Sample Students’ Final Project (Students’ names are omitted for privacy)- This project was done in collaboration between two students;this is their first draft

The relationship Between Human Brain And Video Games

Reading Writing VI

Nermine Elkader

Abstract

The main purpose of this article is to study the relationship

between the human brain and video games, and whether this relationship

affects humans positively or negatively. Scientists employed

experiments and gathered scientific data to reach their conclusion.

The sources for the research can be found in the University of

Delaware Library and the New York Times. This research is built

according to scientists’ experiments. It is mainly about the

relationship between the brain and video games. As a matter of fact,

video games may have positive and negative effects on the human brain.

Introduction

Do video games have beneficial effects on human brains? Does it

have any adverse effects? To answer these questions, scientists shed

light on understanding the positive and negative ways in which playing

video games can affect human behavior. It is noticeable that a new

generation of children is fascinated with video games, and this

attraction may be out of control. Deeply understanding the

relationship between human brains and video games may help parents to

decide how much time their children should spend playing video games.

Parents are questioning how our children’s behavior is changed or

developed by video games. Furthermore, parents are concerned about

their children’s brains, and what may happen to their children in the

long term. Scientists have concluded that there is a strong

relationship between video games and the brain.

The effect of video games on human brains.

According to the article, “Brain on Video Game,” written by

”Daphne & Michael”, playing video games might give some advantages to

human beings, such as sharpening visual responses and stimulating

human brains(Bavelier et al., 2011). Many researchers find that video

games may enhance perceptual skills(Bavelier et al., 2011). Also, in

the article, ”A Multitasking Video Game Makes Old Brains Act Younger,”

written by Matt Richtel, scientists illustrate the influence of

multitasking video games on older brains because the improvement in

the brain’s performance does not just occur during the game, but it is

also shown outside the game(Richtel, 2013). They measure the changes

in brain waves of specific people by using electro-encephalography;

for example, when they compared the findings between people whose ages

are between 60-80, and people whose ages are in the 80s, researchers

have found results similar to young people`s brain activity(Richtel,

2013). They found that in older participants in their 60s to 80s,

there was an increase in brain waves. Also, when older subjects

trained with the game, the findings showed an increase in the bursts

of brain activity which were only regularly seen in their

20`s(Richtel, 2013). Dr. Miller, neuroscientist at the University of

California said: “most so-called brain games did not work as

advertised, the research shows that scientists should develop the

games and objectively test their effectiveness” (Richtel, 2013)P.9)”

With his point, Miller shows the possibility of the low effectiveness

of these games on older brains(Richtel, 2013). This point shows a

weakness of this research, as it cannot conclude if playing video

games can be considered an effective way to make the old brains act

young(Richtel, 2013).

In another study made by Dr. Gazzaly at another university, he said,

“the findings should not be taken to suggest that any activity or video game

would improve cognition or lead to brain changes” (Richtel, 2013)P.11)”. He

pointed out that there is a big leap between what researchers have done in

their research, and what people actually do in the real world(Richtel,

2013). Therefore, if someone tries to multitask in everyday life, his or her

performance could remain constant or be affected by dividing attention as

the author said(Richtel, 2013). His point is absolutely correct because the

tools people use must have scientific rigor behind them in the same way that

the diet of a diabetic person requires specific nutrients(Richtel, 2013).

Neutral side of this relationship

In fact, gamers and non-gamers may have different abilities, so

it might be hard to decide whether they benefit from playing video

games or not(Bavelier et al., 2011). However, psychiatrists Dough Hynu

& Peer Renshaw are not certain about these results, noting that it is

difficult to separate the human players and game characters to

determine how human players benefit from playing the games (Bavelier

et al., 2011). Besides that, one experiment conducted that involved

gamer and non-gamer employees showed that video games do not help

people to develop problem-solving skills(Bavelier et al., 2011).

Negative sides of this relationship

The main value of video games is how they influence the

development of human brains(Bavelier et al., 2011). Michael Merzenich

said that,” The potential benefits that can be achieved through video-

game play are, of course, a function of the specific task

requirements, and of the cognitive and social demands and values

represented by the game(s) in play(Bavelier et al., 2011), (P.5).” In

other words, video games’ characteristics are important in defining

whether video games enhance mental abilities or not(Bavelier et al.,

2011). For instance, if children play Grand Theft Auto, a game that

encourages players to steal cars and act violently, the video game may

influence their subconscious brains, making them more likely to behave

improperly(Bavelier et al., 2011). Conversely, games that require a

high level of attention and great accuracy may cause neurological

growth(Bavelier et al., 2011).

Can video games encourage violence?

Although playing video games that require focused attention and

great accuracy improves the brain and can lead to positive

neurological changes, it can inversely affect the brain and other

organs, by causing disability to control their behavior. For example,

a person, who is playing an action video game, may replay aggressively

when someone calls him because his mind is still connected to the game

in the way that makes him feel as he is still inside the game.

Therefore, video games have a lot of drawbacks on the brain and human

behavior. One of these negative impacts is getting more violent

behavior due to playing certain types of games (Bavelier, Shawn

Green , Han , Renshaw, Merzenich, & Gentile , 2011). Feelings of

hostility or anger can be in high levels or increased by exposure to

violent video games(Bavelier et al., 2011). Aggressive feelings are

one of the most obvious negative effects on people who often play

violent video games(Bavelier et al., 2011). It is considered as one of

the negative outcomes of video game playing because multiple studies

have found evidence to suggest the relation between exposure to

violent video games and variation in physical and mental health,

aggressive thoughts, feelings and physiological arousal produced by

them(Bavelier et al., 2011). This approach was discussed by the

General Learning Model (Bavelier et al., 2011) “GLM describes how

person and situational variables interact to either increase or

inhibit various of learning” said(Bavelier et al., 2011). One study

conducted in Japan, Singapore, and the United States expressed that

players who are interested in violent games are more likely to develop

harmful responses (Bavelier, Shawn Green , Han , Renshaw, Merzenich, &

Gentile , 2011).

Video Game might constrain human brains

It might be possible that video games hinder brain activity

(Bavelier, Shawn Green , Han , Renshaw, Merzenich, & Gentile , 2011).

In the long term, children who play video games may find it

challenging to focus on their studies (Bavelier, Shawn Green , Han ,

Renshaw, Merzenich, & Gentile , 2011). The article,” Brain and Video

Game,” states that,” However, if one means the ability to sustain

focus on a slowly evolving stream of information, such as paying

attention in class, there is recent work that suggests that total

screen time, and video game playing time in particular, may have

negative effects, (Bavelier, Shawn Green , Han , Renshaw, Merzenich, &

Gentile , 2011), (P.13)” That means that, if children adapt to video

games and television, they may not be able to concentrate on less

visual things. As a result, certain skills could be developed, while

other skills may become weaker. In addition to that, children

sometimes prioritize video games over their studies (Bavelier, Shawn

Green , Han , Renshaw, Merzenich, & Gentile , 2011). Children brains

are then focused on video games instead of paying attention in class

(Bavelier, Shawn Green , Han , Renshaw, Merzenich, & Gentile , 2011).

Video games and addiction

After a while, human brains become addicted to video games

(Bavelier, Shawn Green , Han , Renshaw, Merzenich, & Gentile , 2011).

The article concludes that,” Early studies on internet addiction

(involving game playing) reported altered social behavior, increased

aggression, loneliness, reduced attention and depressed mood in

patients with internet addiction, (Bavelier, Shawn Green , Han ,

Renshaw, Merzenich, & Gentile , 2011), (P.14)” It can be understood

that children playing video games may put themselves in cages of non-

social lives. Their behavior leads to a lonelier life and they lose

their sense of reality(Bavelier et al., 2011). Moreover, children may

become diagnosed with psychological illness and spectrum disorder if

they exclusively play video games(Bavelier et al., 2011). For

instance, a couple addicted to video games allowed their daughter to

starve to death.

There is evidence that games can have negative effects on

people’s behavior, which makes sense when one considers that most of

the effects reported are learning effects at their core(Bavelier et

al., 2011). As stated by Donald Hebb in 1940, “neurons that fire

together wire together “(Bavelier et al., 2011) (P.19). Whatever we

practice repeatedly affects the brain, and if we practice aggressive

ways of thinking, feeling and reacting, then we will get better at

those.

In the articleImprovement in Cancer-Related Knowledge Following Use of a

Psychoeductional Video Game for Adolescents and Young Adults with Cancer,the author

explained that the experiment was done in order to find out the

relationship between playing video games and cancer treatment(Beale ,

Kato , Marin-Bowling , Guthrie , & Cole, 2007). The major principle of

this idea is educating adolescents to take care of themselves(Beale

et al., 2007). The name of the game used is Re-Mission, and it gives

children a proper idea about how they can care of their chronic

illness(Beale et al., 2007). What makes the experiment more likely to

be accurate is an inclusion of a variety of participants from all over

the world(Beale et al., 2007). Moreover, the participants spent a

reasonable time when they played, around three hours. The result was

expected because the purpose of this experiment, which is to educate,

is simple, and the bridge to reach human brain is using video

games(Beale et al., 2007). One of the secrets to success is that

adolescents encode this information in an enjoyable way(Beale et al.,

2007). The way of winning these video games is by destroying cancer

tissues, without damaging other body parts in humans(Beale et al.,

2007). The enemies in the video game are attacked by weapons; for

example, one of the players pulls a trigger on his gun to kill

bacteria using radiation(Beale et al., 2007). The result from this

experiment was that 48 players could not pass the test, which they

took after they finished the remission game(Beale et al., 2007). On

the other hand, 148 players passed this test, which means the players

learned a lot about self care(Beale et al., 2007).

Conclusion

In conclusion, video games have an influence on the human brains.

To demonstrate this relation, many psychological and biological

experiments have been done. Scientists agree that there are many

factors related to video games and human brains, such as video game

type. In contrast, they disagree about whether video games have a

positive or negative effect on human brains.

References

Bavelier, D., Shawn Green , C., Han , D. H., Renshaw, P., Merzenich, M. M., & Gentile , D. A. (2011). Brains on video games . Nature Reviews , 12, 763 -767.Beale , I. L., Kato , P. M., Marin-Bowling , V. M., Guthrie , N.,

& Cole, S. W. (2007). Improvement in Cancer-Related

Knowledge Following Use of a Psychoeducational Video Game

for Adolescents and Young Adults with Cancer. Adolescent Health

, 41, 264-270.

Hwa Chou , Y. H., Hung Yang , B., Wei Hsu, J., Jen Wang, S., Lung

Lin , C., Lin Huang , K., et al. (2012, October 11). Effects

of video game playing on cerebral blood flow in young

adults: A SPECT study. Psychiatry Research: Neuroimaging , 66-72.

Lécuyer , A., Lotte , F., Reilly, R. B., Leeb , R., Hirose , M.,

& Slater , M. (n.d.). Brain-Computer Interfaces, Virtual

Reality, and Videogames. 1-10.

Richtel, M. (2013, September 4). A Multitasking Video Game Makes

Old Brains Act Younger. Daily , p. A14.

Research Project Rubric

Criteria Unacceptable

0-5

Acceptable

5-9

Exemplary

9.5-10Focus on a current, controversial problem or issue in your field or major

Does not identify current, controversial problemor issue, or, does not make a case that the issue or problem is related to their field.

Identifies a current, controversial problem or issue.

In addition to the acceptable criterion, connects the issue or problem to her or his interests and personalconcerns.

Expresses a personal commitment to the problem or issue.

Researchskills: use oflibrary and

online databasesystems to findacademic andprofessionalresources.

Documentationof the workusing APA*

format for in-text and

reference pagecitations

*other referenceformat can be

Discussion is based on opinions instead of grounding the issue/problem in the current debates and discourse of the field. No references are used or references do not follow scholarly format.

Presents and discusses relevant and important multiple voices about the issue as exposed by the academic and/or the professional field. References are made to all resources being used employingscholarly reference format.

Articulates the consequences and complexity of various viewpoints, including his or her own.

Re-evaluates viewpointafter considering other voices.

accepted after discussion with the instructor

Professional Writing Skills

Paper lacks

organization and

coherence and might

contain serious

errors that affect

meaning. The paper

might not contain

details which

support a main idea

or illustrate

ideas. It might not

demonstrate some

facility with word

usage and form. It

might not contain a

variety of sentence

types (e.g. simple,

compound, and

complex). The paper

might not

demonstrate an

understanding of

the tense/aspect

A well-organized

and well-developed

essay that may

contain occasional

errors in syntax,

usage, word form,

mechanics and

spelling. The

paper should

demonstrate

facility in

expressing ideas

on both familiar

and new topics.

The paper should

demonstrate

accurate use and

spelling of

beginning and

intermediate

vocabulary and the

inclusion of some

more advanced

A coherent and well-

organized paper

which may have

occasional errors in

grammar and usage. A

college instructor

with little or no

training in ESL

would be able to

understand and

accept a paper at

this level as

adequate. An e-

message written at

work at this level

would be clearly

understandable to

co-workers. The

paper should

demonstrate the use

and spelling of

advanced vocabulary

with a high degree

system and

adjective, adverb,

and noun clauses.

vocabulary. The

paper uses a

variety of

sentence types

including complex

sentences. The

paper also

incorporates

advanced grammar

features such as

adverb clauses and

reduced adjective

clauses (adjective

phrases), passive

voice, modal

perfects, and

verbals (gerunds

and infinitives).

This list should

not be considered

a checklist.

However, it is

unlikely that you

would be able to

adequately address

the task without

using structures

such as the ones

of accuracy, some

understanding of the

article system of

English even though

the use of articles

may not be native-

like, the

subjunctive,

inverted word order

patterns,

parallelism, and

subject/verb

agreement. This list

should not be

considered a

checklist. However,

it is unlikely that

you would be able to

address the task

with a near native

speaker proficiency

level without using

the above mentioned

structures.

.

mentioned above.