Writing Consultancy, fall 2007

I am a Generation 1.3333333 student. More specifically, I am an immigrant student who moved to the US with my family and spent half of my life in the US education system. I used to know how to write fluently in Chinese (yes yes believe it or not I forgot...practice makes perfect?), but now I write mainly in English. I, as Reid describes, am a product "between the extremes." Stuck in the middle. Therefore, I do not understand a lot of the Chinese proverbs, and I do not understand some English jokes. Well, that's why I make up my own jokes now, so ha! (karma....karma....) Now, I am to help people who are sort of like the me eight years ago. So excited.

But then, as I read on, I found Generation 1.5 students aren’t really similar to Generation 1.3333333333 students at all. Generation 1.5 students have "limited or no literacy in the[ir] first language," they tend to write the way they speak (because they learn English mainly through hearing), and they also are often the first in their families to become literate! I think the three articles for tomorrow do a great job of clarifying the difference between Generation 1.5 students and other nonnative speakers, but what does it all mean? If Generation 1.5 students don’t belong in the Freshman English classes or ESL classes (Harklau’s article, though, mentions that other sources suggest Generation 1.5 students should be placed in “mainstream classes�: maybe they should take both!), then how should we, as Writing Consultants, help them? And why can’t “functional bilinguals� be considered as English language learners? Writing, after all, is a very, very important part of the English language.

In Harklau’s article, she mentions pointers that might help college writing consultants/faculty to better work with generation 1.5 students. Topics such as “be aware of students’ prior academic literacy experiences� and “promote academic literacy� all gear towards the same point—that Generation 1.5 students need to develop a wider range of writing skills by engaging in critical thinking and practicing their editing skills. By promoting broad improvements such as “help students develop critical literacy,� Harklau is suggesting to us that our education system should be reformed. Generation 1.5 students need to not only learn proper grammar and critical thinking, they also need to simply practice—practice writing, practice grammar exercises, and most importantly, practice reading. Reid too stresses that all immigrant & and international students “need additional linguistic and rhetorical information, careful analysis of their writing weaknesses by professionals in the field of teaching ESL, and consistent support and resources to improve their skills.� Also, helping nonnative speakers, as Reid says, takes patience, understanding, and most importantly, time. So, I think as writing consultants we not only need to help Generation 1.5 students & nonnative speakers in general to improve their writing skills (Maggie is already doing this by making weekly appointments with consultees who are interested in improving their writing skills gradually) but also emphasize to them the importance of practice outside of writing.

Let's encourage everyone to read a book! Any book! I know, I know, this is such a novel idea in this digital, Fahrenheit 451 age...but if nonnative students read more, then maybe they will be able to identify the difference between “while� and “why,� learn how to better organize their ideas, and recognize/learn the structures of the written English language. Maybe... -_- --> ran out of words to say ;_; so here's a picture :P