Fluency 2 - continued

Another technique to practice writing fluently is to use pictures or (silent) comic strips. Just look at the pictures and describe or invent the stories related to it. Keep writing by adding the conversation lines, characters, atmospheres, and so on. This helps students to be more creative in their writing as well.

If you are using a computer classroom, you can also ask students to open the notepad or Word program, switch off their screen, then start writing continuously for 5-10 minutes. Ask students to not stop typing on their keyboards. This is another technique in using freewriting in the computer classroom.

I hope these techniques might help students to practice fluency in their writing classrooms.

Teaching writing with community-based content

I have been working with a local Thai teacher on a teaching project she is working on. Her first initiative was to focus on the teaching writing through creative writing; however, I have included the critical aspect of teaching writing to her project in which she has not really been properly introduced. I have proposed to her a community-based/service learning pedagogy to this writing project. The service learning pedagogy grows out from critical/feminist approach by giving more value to local knowledge, background, and wisdom.

By proposing this topic, I asked her to use local knowledge and local wisdom as writing assignments to be assigned to students. Students can introduce tourist attractions with historical background attached to the brochures or drawing maps with different routes for different activities for tourists to use. Another assignment would be writing on local culture, foods, and religions. This could help both teachers and students to integrate local knowledge in English language as well. This could help counter the stereotypes in which others think.

This is an on-going project that I am still working with this local teacher. I will come and add more progress about this project.

Fluency - the first start

I have recently answered my colleagues' questions regarding the development of students' writing skills. I propose a few writing activities that I believe they can be useful for EFL students. These activities are under the same theme, developing fluency in writing.

Freewriting is the first activity in which I believe it helps students to generate more ideas. It also helps students to look beyond the accuracy or the focus on correction, which should be focused at the later drafts of the paper. Freewriting helps students to gain fluency through writing continuously for 5 to 10 minutes without stipping. If students cannot write or think of anything to write, ask students to write "I dont have anything to write" until students have something else come to mind. This will also help students to develop their "voice" in their writing.

Dialogue journaling is another activity I am suggesting to my colleagues. This dialogue journaling is a fun activity in which it helps students to gain skill in responsing to students' questions and to clarify, to be more specific when writing. Teachers can also ask questions for students to clarify awkward sentences, generate more questions for students to think beyond thier ideas, and practice students about peer responses. This is a low stake writing, so students do not worry much about grammar and acuracy. Fluency is the key in this activity.

The last one is to ask students to keep daily journal. This can be appraoched thematically or randomly. This is also another low stake writing in which students do not need to show this to students if they do not want to. They can clip pages together when teachers ask students to submit.

I hope all these three activities will help EFL students to develop their writing skills.