Dennis O'Connor previously wrote How to Introduce the Six Traits for The Writing Teacher, and teaches writing instruction at the University of Wisconsin-Stoudt. In addition to teaching and consulting, he maintains two invaluable websites: 6-Traits Resources 21st Century Information Fluency
This article is a preview of a free webinar that Dennis will be providing on June 2, at 2:00 PM Eastern time. If you are interested in attending the webinar, click here.
I've just published another article with the Writing Teacher. This one is focused on Editing and the writing process. Editing/conventions becomes an 800 pound gorilla in the classroom. It's often the only trait that get's any attention!
Consider joining the free webinar on June 2, 2009 for more on this very topic!
The paradoxical thing about information and searching is that the more of it there is, the less of it we will see. The results we retrieve will be a smaller and smaller sample of what's actually available. And I don't see how this trend can be reversed.
When I ask workshop participants if they've ever gone to the end of the list retrieved, I've never encountered anyone who has. Most searchers stop after the first page; the number who look at two pages is much smaller. For the 8 people in 100 who go beyond the third page, they have access to 0.1% of the information theoretically available. For the majority who never look beyond page one, that number falls to 0.025%.
Information Literacy Games: Finding Kermit
This blog post features a great video of Kermit the frog singing It Ain't Easy Being Green. It follows up with an explanation of a search game that can be used with the whole class in a lab or on an individual workstation. It's part of a free series of online information literacy / information fluency games available from 21cif.com.
Finding Kermit was the inspiration for one of the first Internet Search Challenges created by Dr. Carl Heine. The task is to track down a picture of Kermit ready for graduation in the least amount of time. The search game is embedded on the page so you can try it without going to the main site.
Many teachers use this as a whole class lab activity. Put up a search challenge and then it's off the races! Most of these games were developed for middle and high school students. Adults find them challenging as well.
Employers are expressing increasing dissatisfaction with the ability of college graduates to access, evaluate, and communicate information; to use information technology (IT) tools effectively; and to work well within groups across cultural lines. A change of instructional paradigms--from passive to active (authentic) learning strategies, such as project-based learning, problem-based learning, or inquiry-based learning--is clearly needed.
Thesis: understanding the differences and cultural factors will help with some guidelines for communicating with ESL students/tutees, thus leading to more beneficial tutoring sessions.
The tutor takes on the role of collaborator and is an authoritative figure based on didactic tutoring. Tutors don't need to know all the answers, but it seems this paragraph is saying start by using didactic tutoring and move towards Socratic dialogue.
So we have a communications gap, how do we begin to communicate with the ESL learner. What tutoring style should we use? Didactic context and communicate collaboratively, but realize that tutor is more of an authoritative figure, telling/informing the tutee of what he/she must do.
shared assumptions and patterns of language
apply a principle they have learned to a grammar
error.
communicate collaboratively
ole as cultural/rhetorical informants as well as collaborators.
Cultural differences in body language
attitudes and preferences
The acceptability of degrees of physical proximity
and eye contact differ between cultures.
Cultural differences in body language (speaking without speaking), attitudes and preferences need to be known so that the tutor and tutee may communicate effectively. Examples of these cultural differences are given: Latin American, Arabic, Asian, and Chinese.
When I have gone to a new country, such as Zambia and Mexico, I looked up the ways in which to communicate with folks there, forbidden hand gesture, is shaking hands okay. In some culture they kiss each other on the cheek as a greeting. Ignorance towards body language, attitudes, and preferences may drive an eternal wedge between the tutor and tutee. This is a huge part of understanding cultural differences.
it down first and allow the
student to establish comfortable body positioning
ake body
language cues from the writer
encouraging the student to speak up or ask questions
This paragraph answers a question Writing Centers, directors and tutors may wonder: Do I have to know everything about every culture in order to communicate effectively? When writing essays it's important to keep in mind questions that may arise from the intended audience.
Another issue with tutoring ESL learners: trying to fix everything at once. They are not the same as a native English speaker and cannot be expected to eat, chew and digest everything put in front of them. You need to pick up the steak knife and cut up the steak into manageable pieces.
Native English speaker vs ESL learner; don't tutor them the same Although this paragraph seems slightly out of place and doesn't move the argument forward, it is a reminder that ESL students are tackling the foreign language and cannot be expected to handle the same workload as native speakers.
effective communications
is best achieved by limiting the topics covered within the session
Going back to ESL learners, a part of understanding cultural differences is understanding that they are coming to me for help with their writing-writing which is in a foreign language to them. Understanding prioritizing is part of the solution when tutoring ESL learner, and all learners consequently.
The driving force
behind limiting is prioritizing.
Communication barriers lie in the language itself and its attached conversational dialect, transcending into how the ESL learner communicates in their native tongue. * I think this paragraph could be two.
ack of fluency
in conversational dialect
Close observation is a key
to interpreting and dispelling cultural interference.
Summarizing the main points is like the Therefore since we know all of this we can understand the cultural differences between the tutor and ESL tutee and thus eliminate or at least reduce the cultural barriers.