ESL Orientation for the Academic Support Center

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ESL Orientation for the Academic Support Center

• How to benefit the most from an Academic Support
  Center (ASC) relationship

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WELCOME!

• What happens in an Academic Support Center (ASC)
  session?
• How to plan for an ASC session
• Who are the Writing Specialists?
• How Writing Specialists can help you!
• What we do
• What we dont do
• American Academic style v. other cultures

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What happens in an ASC session?

• The Writing Specialist asks questions
• The Writing Specialist listens to your concerns
  and tries to answer your questions
• The Writing Specialist helps prioritize these
  concerns
• Be aware that the Writing Specialist cant always
  help with all your concerns in one hour
• A Writing Specialist cant edit or fix or
  proofread your paper

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How does an ASC session work?

• ESL students are entitled to one-hour long
  session per week
• The Writing Specialist can meet with you
  in-person one-on-onethis is the best way to
  help!
• The Writing Specialist can also help via email,
  phone or fax

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Come in with a plan!

• Whats the assignment?
• Bring in any instructions, notes, specific
  questions you may have.
• Whats your familiarity with the assignment?
• Have you worked on this type before?
• Have you read any samples of this type?

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Definition of a Writing Specialist

• A Writing Specialist is not your teacher (Though
  all of the Writing Specialists at the ASC have
  advanced degrees and are also teachers)
• A Writing Specialist is not your editor
• A Writing Specialist is a collaboratorlike a
  therapist, a Writing Specialist empowers students
  to discover their own strengths and weaknesses.
• Students learn from taking the initiative!

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American Academic Style v. Other Cultures

• American writing is a tool to accomplish a
  specific task, communicate an idea, or research a
  topic
• Other cultures may view writing as a way to
  engage emotions through beautiful language

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American Style Familiarity

• Whats your familiarity with the American
  Academic Style of writing?
• Do you need a thesis statement?
• Do you need to follow a specific structure?
• Do you need to include transitions?
• Does your writing need to be direct,
  concise, to the point?
• Do you need to support your main idea with
  examples, quotes, stats etc.?

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Focus

• American style is usually direct, logical, clear.
  It focuses on getting to the point or making
  the point clearly and supporting it.
• American style often demonstrates understanding
  course material and your ability to do
  something with it.
• Other cultures may focus on languages richness
  or ability to repeat ideas in a variety of ways
  digression shows connections to a wider range of
  topics and shows this range of knowledge in the
  writer

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Transitions

• American Style demands that the writer be
  responsible for guiding the reader through an
  argument
• Transitions show this logical link between ideas
  and make connections clear
• Other cultures may not require such explicit
  signals this shows the writers respect for the
  readers intelligence to infer these connections

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Main Idea

• American Style demands the main idea be expressed
  explicitly, usually in the introduction
• Other cultures may have no direct statement of
  the main idea readers infer this main point

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Information

• American Styles information is highly specific
• Other cultures may expect information to be
  highly philosophical

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Evidence

• American Style uses specific evidence such as
  facts, quotes, examples, stats, etc., to support
  its argument
• Other cultures may rely on traditional wisdom and
  authority to support an argument

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Organization of reasoning

• American Style relies heavily on Deductive
  Reasoning (general to specific)
• Other cultures may rely more heavily on Inductive
  Reasoning (specific to general)

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Overall Emphasis

• American Style emphasizes individuality and
  originality of thought
• Other cultures may emphasize traditional wisdom
  and shared cultural knowledge
• American style often uses the writing process
  to help draft a paper
• Other cultures may emphasize the perfect final
  paper instead of this process

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The writing process

• A Writing Specialist can help with all stages of
  the writing process
• Brainstorming
• Research strategies
• Drafting
• Revision (Macro issues)
• Editing/proofreading (Micro issues)

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Why cant the Writing Specialist proofread for my
grammar errors?

• This doesnt help you to become a better writer
• But the Writing Specialist can give you
  strategies to help you improve!
• Writing Specialists will help prioritize concerns
  use the writing process
• Macro V. Micro concerns

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Macro Concerns

• Thesis
• Purpose, Audience
• Organization
• Development

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Micro Concerns

• Grammar Verbs, Sentence boundaries, articles,
  plurals, preps, idioms.
• Word choice and shades of meanings
• Word form
• Punctuation
• Spelling

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Why work on Macro before Micro ?

• Limited time in an ASC session
• Focusing on Micro concerns may inhibit or
  distract from Macro ones
• You may delete or revise your Micro fixed
  sentences after a revision
• Clarifying ideas/thoughts can actually improve
  sentences

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But I need help with grammar!

• Yes! The ASCs Writing Specialists can help!
• What you can do
• Can you identify your patterns of error?
• (We can help with this!)
• Do you need help with word choice?
• Do you have questions about idioms or multiple
  definitions of words?
• What words are you uncertain of but may use
  anyway?
• Remember, this is a Micro concern so the
  Writing Specialist may prioritize a more Macro
  one before helping with the above!

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The Dictionary

• Use your dictionary to help with above
• Parts of speech
• Word forms
• Examples of usage
• Idioms
• Two part verbs and word combinations

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Grammar the Dictionary

• What are my specific grammar questions?
• Can I find out in a good dictionary?
• If not
• Can you underline or highlight the parts of your
  paper where you have questions?
• If so, take these underlined parts to the Writing
  Specialist and well try to help!

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Recommended Dictionaries

• Longman Dictionary of American English
• Longman Dictionary of Contemporary English
• Longman Web Dictionary www.longmandict.com

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A Review of what weve covered

• What an ASC session is
• What a Writing Specialist is
• What a Writing Specialist can help with in your
  writing process
• What a Writing Specialist cant help you with
• What to plan for in a Writing Specialist session
• How to use your dictionary

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Remember.

• The ASC is here to help you with your writing
  and empower you to be a better writer, not a
  perfect one!
• Come early
• Come weekly
• Bring questions!

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Special ESL Materials

• Handouts tailored especially for you
• Verb agreement, form, and tense
• Articles and prepositions
• Sentence boundaries
• Word choice and form

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Any Questions?

• Give us a call at 925. 969.3530
• Email us at asc_at_jfku.edu
• Stop by and visit us in Room S 313

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Recommended ESL Web Links

• 1) Daves ESL Café
• http//www.eslcafe.com/
• 2) Schmooze U
• http//schmooze.hunter.cuny.edu/
• 3) Purdues OWL Lab
• http//owl.english.purdue.edu/owl/resource/67
  8/01/
• 4) Excellent ESL Websites by Julie Madigan/ De
  Anza College http//faculty.deanza.fhda.edu
  /madiganjulie/stories/storyReader8

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More ESL Web Sites

• 5) English as a Second Language Ron Chang Li
• http//www.rong-chang.com/
• Short stories, grammar quizzes nice resource
  for ESL
• http//rong-chang.com/blogs/
• (Plus Rons blogfun and informative)
• 6) Using English for Academic Purposes
• http//www.uefap.com/writing/writfram.htm
• Help with Academic style of writing process,
  organization, research, etc.
• 7) ESL English Study and Learning Materials
• http//www.eslgold.com/
• Lots of grammar exercises!

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Even More ESL Web Sites!

• 8) Free Online English Lessons and ESL/EFL
  Resources
• http//www.englishpage.com/
• Grammar exercisesgreat ones for preps!
• 9) Karins ESL PartyLand
• http//www.eslpartyland.com/
• The cool way to learn English!
• 10) Randalls ESL Cyber Listening Lab
• http//www.esl-lab.com/
• Listening labs/conversation help/blog

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We look forward to seeing you at the ASC this
term!