Teacher Discussion Forums

[david_3d3c]

Many students begin to write their own blog, but most of them are in mother tongue, so is it a good way to encourage students to write in English?What kind of difficulties are waiting for teacher and students?

[cindy geng]

writing blog is a good way to improve writing,and if the student get some
some active feedback,they will be more interested.what websites do you suggest to your students?

[Rocío]

I've just created a blog for my students to write. I set a topic and they have to answer, and share their ideas. I hope it works!!! You can visit it and you can leave your comments, (where it says "comentarios"), if you do so, my students will see that the blog is not just for me, but that what they write can be useful for other people around the world too.

The blog is:
http://www.rociotheteacher.blogspot.com

Thank you

[mesmark]

This is an old topic, but one of the most important first steps for the teacher is to be ready with writing topics. You need to have themes and maybe examples of what the students should write.

I'd start really simple, maybe have them review another website. I'd also require them to comment on 2 or 3 other students blogs. As the teacher, you might get very busy. You should be trying to comment on all of the blog posts.

Those are just some suggestions and thoughts on that.

- Mark

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[buniac1]

I think writing a blog is a great way of improving one's writing skills. Beforehand, a teacher must explain the task to be done with this blog and set realistic goals concerning the blog. Using technologies will enhance the participation of students. Since a blog is often personal, teacher should encourage students to talk about something they are interested in. That way, it is easier for them to get inspiration. As for the blog itself, it is easy for teachers to follow the writing process at all times, print the information, point out what is to be improved or what is already good. Furthermore, they can give feedback right away and students have access to it very easily.

From a personal point of view, I know that some students have a hard time explaining situations in face to face interaction. Online opportunities will help these students to express themselves while improving their writing skills.

[aniaLL]

Creating and writing blogs by ESL students can be a very useful tool in a language acqusition. Especially they work very well with literture circles. The ESL Literature Circle includes the selection and discussion of reading material and is designed to increase students’ English language skills through reading, listening and writing activities. Students also write and post summaries of their reading on a Weblog, which includes online discussions. Students read what their classmates write, they respond to each other and correct theirs and someone else's mistakes. Moreover, this also develops students' social skills. Overall, it is a wonderful teaching-learning tool that everyone (teacher, student) should try.