At Kaplan University, we are privileged to have a culturally diverse student body, which includes many who are English Language Learners (ELL). These students have an incredible challenge in front of them as they must, like all college students, learn the content in their courses, but they also have the additional burden of learning how to communicate in writing in a language to which they are not accustomed. Writing skills are extremely important in an online setting because writing is the primary way our students are heard. My approach to assisting our learners in developing their written communication skills is to provide examples, model the process for them, and allow time to discuss and explore their ideas by giving them the opportunity to resubmit written projects as deemed necessary. Providing examples and modeling what is expected is essential so that our ELL students can focus on the organization, tone, and voice in their writing. Modeling in an online environment means providing sample papers and posting them in doc sharing so that students can see what is expected of them. Many students require a visual clue in order to properly interpret project guidelines, and by providing sample papers students may feel more comfortable about the assignment expectations. The sample paper can even have certain aspects of the assignment highlighted in colors, such as the topic sentence or introduction in yellow, the closing in purple, and so on. A visual organizer such as a paragraph frame showing how different paragraphs are formed pertaining to the different details to be discussed is a good idea as well.
Although I use this differentiated instruction method, I slowly decrease the modeling and examples as the term goes on. For instance, instead of an entire paper, sometimes a good sentence starter will do the trick as it provides a sense of direction and purpose for the content to be discussed, such as helping them turn the project questions into telling sentences.
A final thought for assisting our diverse learners in writing is to ensure cooperative and collaborative discussions amongst faculty so that we are united in our assessment and instructional techniques. Although we will not all share the same teaching strategies, we should still have a clear focus and goal to reach as a whole. In our department, we strive to work as a team and have continuous dialogue about how to best assess and instruct our students to maximize their potential. If students are exposed to continuous and consistent modeling, scaffolding of ideas, organizational tools, tips, paragraph frames, and more in all of their classes, they will begin to develop these skills on their own. By the time students have taken at least two to three classes at Kaplan they will feel more successful and comfortable with what is expected of them in writing.
Writing as a form of communication is essential in all adult learning educational programs especially in the online setting. It is difficult for students who come from diverse backgrounds and have limited English skills to feel comfortable with their writing. They need differentiated instruction and guidance along the way. By providing a supportive environment with collaborative staff involvement, modeling, and opportunities to revise they can excel.
Lissette Ramos is an adjunct professor in educational studies in the School of Arts and Sciences.
Did you know...Lissette is also known as the energizer bunny for her incredible enthusiasm and activity?
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