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PREPARING STUDENTS TO WRITE ACCURATELY Norhojayeva M^.
Norhojayeva Muborak Murodhojayevna - Teacher, DEPARTMENT OF MEDIA-LINGUISTICS, UZBEKISTAN UNIVERSITY OF JOURNALISM AND MASS COMMUNICATION, TASHKENT, REPUBLIC OF UZBEKISTAN
Abstract: the purpose of the current article is to provide practical review and theory related to preparing letter writing techniques in classes to raise learners" awareness of formal writing. It is intended to prove the effectiveness of classroom strategies and some techniques in order to develop. Methodology part consists of a study conducted in order to find out helpful strategies of teaching and improving accuracy of writing skill. Special emphases are laid on various methods of teaching second language through writing skill. Keywords: graphic-organizer, discussion, cooperative learning, ELL, ESL, scaffolding technique, collaborative, teacher led classroom activity.
УДК 81-139
Introduction. Activating prior knowledge is one method in which teachers can assist ESL students before they even begin writing. Making sure students have the opportunity to think about what they already know before the task begins helps ESL students incorporate new information into existing structures of knowledge which activates long-term memory1.
Methodology. Several strategies can be used to accomplish this including graphicorganizers, cooperative learning, read-aloud, and group discussions. Graphic organizers can be used as visual tools for students to write or draw what they already know about a subject, for example in the genre of informational or persuasive writing. From this activity, teachers can then evaluate whether further instruction is needed. This is where read-aloud, cooperative learning and group discussions come in to play. If needed, a hand-selected text can be utilized in order to provide additional background information, which can lead to group discussions. Cooperative learning is also a great strategy to help students gain more background knowledge especially for ELLs. This strategy requires students to collect information from books, the internet, or each other as they work together with another student or group of students, preferably students who are native to the English language2. Through this strategy, ELLs not only gain additional information needed to complete the writing assignment, but it is also a great opportunity for them to develop language skills through peer led conversations.
The next step in preparing ELLs to write is a vocabulary pre-view. Pre-viewing vocabulary is an effective tool when asking an ESL student to attempt any genre of writing. Second language writers have a vastly different linguistic base than native English speakers who can instinctively manipulate the language3. Therefore, vocabulary is an enormous obstacle for English learners creating the need for teachers to provide both definitional and contextual information about keywords. Instructors should also allow students to actively elaborate on word meanings (i.e. physically acting out a word), as well as teacher led explanations. Without this preview, most ESL students will not be able to move past the instructions of the writing task.
Moreover, in teaching writing Scaffolding instruction is utilized broadly. Scaffolding is a means to which teachers can build upon a student's strengths. They should be contextual, social, and temporary frameworks used to support successful learning with a specific
1 Strong, W. Coaching writing: The power of guided practice. Portsmouth, NH: Heinemann. 2001.
2 Brilliant, J.J. Writing as an act of courage: The inner experience ofdevelopmental writers. Community College Journal of Research and Practice, 29. 2005. 505-516.
3 Danielson, L.M. The improvement of student writing: What research says. Journal of School Improvement. Spring.2000.
academic domain such as writing (Vygotsky, 1987)1. Scaffolding is thought of as using steps in a process, modeling the steps, and then giving students the opportunity to try it themselves. This strategy should be prepared with the mindset of gradual release after a student has reached a predetermined point in his writing which is, of course, controlled by the instructor. Bardine found that students who had the opportunity to receive scaffolding principles outperformed the ones who did not experience scaffolding thus having a significant impact on the ESL students' academic writing. Read suggests the IMSCI (Inquiry, Modeling, Shared, Collaborative, Independent) model for scaffolding and finds it extremely effective for second language learners. The first stage is inquiry, which facilitates background knowledge; the significance of which is as aforementioned. After activating prior knowledge, the instructor then models drafting the type of writing expected. Students and teacher then participate in shared writing where the students have significant input in the topic, sentence usage, etc. They are then given the opportunity to write collaboratively with one or more other students to produce one piece of writing. Having completed the above steps the students are then ready for independent writing, which is the ultimate goal of the scaffolding process2. Conclusion. Scientists found that using this method of small group scaffolding was, in fact, a successful strategy to produce the language needed to complete a writing task. English language learners as individuals often do not possess the vocabulary base needed to create writing pieces in the mainstream classroom so by scaffolding amongst them, students learned how to use one another's strengths, rely less on the instructor, and feel more confident about writing tasks.
References
1. Bardine B.A. Using writing journals with adult literacy students: Some options. Adult Learning. № 7 (4), 1996. 13-15.
2. Brilliant J.J. Writing as an act of courage: The inner experience of developmental writers. Community College Journal of Research and Practice. № 29, 2005. 505-516.
3. Cunningham P., Hall D. & Cunningham J. Writing the four blocks way. Presentation at the International Reading Association Annual Conference, Orlando. FL, 2003.
4. Danielson L.M. The improvement of student writing: What research says. Journal of School Improvement. Spring, 2000.
5. Strong W. Coaching writing: The power of guided practice. Portsmouth, NH: Heinemann, 2001.
1 Bardine, B.A. Using writing journals with adult literacy students: Some options. Adult Learning, 7(4). 1996. 13-15.
2 Cunningham, P., Hall, D. & Cunningham, J. Writing the four blocks way. Presentation at the International Reading Association Annual Conference, Orlando, FL. 2003.
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