Scaffolding for second language writers: producing an academic essay
by Sara Cotterall and Robin Cohen
by Sara Cotterall and Robin Cohen
Since I started the BEALS program, I
have been introduced to a great number of learning theories, methods and
approaches. One that have always interested me and that I have always thought
that made sense was Vygotsky’s socio-constructivist approach. Especially the
notion of Scaffolding, it is nevertheless to say that I was very interested in
this article. I believe that Scaffolding is a great way to fill the learning
gaps that students might experience during the course of their studies.
I found very interesting that the topics given
to the students for the writing of the essay allowed them to reflect and use
their own experiences and to activate their prior knowledge, this I believe
reduced the stress level and helped to demonstrate their actual writing ability
as there was less anxiety.
The second point of interest I have found in
this article is how structured the writing task was. I believe that allowing
students to work on a section of their essay at the time also reduced the anxiety
and stress level. I think it is always a good idea to break down the task to be
done, this way the essay does not seem to be a huge and endless work, it makes
it “manageable” as cited by the author.
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