Low confidence is a problem in the writing room in general, but it is extremely profound in ESL students. They seem both shy and ashamed of their writing abilities. This problem often keeps the students very quiet and reserved during tutoring sessions. The best way to encourage an open and comfortable session is to make a plan, as suggested in the article “Breaking Ice and Setting Goals” by Shanti Bruce. Each session needs set goals that a tutor plans to meet by the end of session. Students also need to feel comfortable. Things to make them feel comfortable can include talking to them about what they want to say, accomplish, or learn. These types of questions do not have straight-forward answers and are subjective. The student can feel like they are more open to express his or herself and can be more open to discussion, which will facilitate the whole session.
I find it interesting the ways that some ESL students word their expressions. They are not typical and not something that we often use in our culture. However, I have always been taught that clichés in writing were something you wanted to stay far away from. Therefore, shouldn’t we embrace this new and different way of expression? The article mentions that a girl says she “shrinks” when she finds out that one of her classmates will be her writing tutor. This phrase is not incorrect, and someone who hears it can understand well what she means. If this type of phrasing is found in her paper, shouldn’t we encourage it? Instead of saying, "We don't say things this way," shouldn't we say, "That's an interesting way to express your feelings"?
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This is a wonderful multicultural stance, Steph! I think it will serve you well not only in the writing center but also as a future teacher of language arts - and as a writer yourself.
ReplyDeleteI remember one of my favorite ESL clients, a PhD student in child psychology from Taiwan. I worked with her for over a year on her dissertation. When I would read her drafts aloud, I remember thinking, "Her writing sounds like bells chiming." There was just something about the way she shaped her sentences and the words she used that was musical - there was no other word for it. She wanted so much to sound like an NES writer, and sometimes, it was hard for me to honor her wishes as the client when I found myself so moved by her prose. Eventually, as we worked together and came to trust one another's instincts, we worked out a kind of compromise whereby I would argue for her keeping something, she would argue for changing it to be more "American," and we would usually poll other tutors or clients to see what they thought. It was a lot of fun, and I think she and I both learned a lot about readers' expectations and writers' tough choices. (You might remind me to bring this example up in class: It's one of my favorite stories!)
I think that you are definitely right when you say that we should embrace the way other people say certain things and tell them that the way they say something is interesting and unique, rather than incorrect. I feel this is why ESL students are the way they are. They've probably been told over and over again that they're saying something wrong and writing something wrong, so they become shy and keep their feelings and words inside rather than express what they're really thinking. They are also nervous about coming in the writing center because they know that their way of writing is different and academic college papers don't normally embrace the diversity they have to offer. Instead, everyone tries to mold them into something they're not "American." We shouldn't try to push our way of speaking and writing on someone who is from a different country because we don't want them to lose their cultural identity. I thought the reading was really helpful by giving us examples of ways to make ESL students more comfortable. I think that if we work on them on the same level instead of lookin down on them as though they're not as intelligent as us because their Standard English isn't perfect, then we can get more accomplished. ESL students aren't dumb and I think that a lot of tutors and teachers make them feel less adequate because they cannot speak and write as well as American students. I enjoyed watching the first part of the movie in class last week because it demonstrated the different ways cultures write and speak and I think that's very important for tutors and teachers to be aware of. We should embrace the way people from different cultural backgrounds speak and write, not shoot down their confidence by making them feel less intelligent than everyone else.
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