Integrating Multilingual Students into College Classrooms by Hafernik Johnnie Johnson;Wiant Fredel M.;

Author:Hafernik, Johnnie Johnson;Wiant, Fredel M.;
Language: eng
Format: epub
ISBN: 1047942
Publisher: Multilingual Matters
Published: 2012-08-15T00:00:00+00:00

Reading Peers’ and One’s Own Work

To be successful in their classes and future careers, students need to become critical, close readers of their own and others’ texts. Students are routinely asked to analyze an author’s arguments (e.g. Niles Eldredge and Stephen Jay Gould’s argument for punctuated equilibrium) and arguments for and against particular positions (e.g. a national identification card, universal health care coverage). An extension of these critical reading skills is reading their own and their peers’ texts closely and, based on those readings, to revise and edit their own texts and offer suggestions to classmates for revisions, as well. As the second column in Table 5.1 outlines, when reading their own and classmates’ written work, students must critically read for content, organization and general effectiveness of the text and do close reading, paying attention to smaller elements or local elements of the text (e.g. grammar, word choice, mechanics). Close reading is a different type of reading than is required for reading textbooks and some other academic assignments. Critical reading, regardless of the type of text, requires students to analyze the author’s argument, rhetorical style and much more. These are difficult skills and developing them requires patience and practice. One way to help students develop these critical reading skills is to have them read and critique their peers’ and their own texts.

Some faculty do not require students to read their classmates’ texts because they feel it is not very beneficial and/or it takes up too much class time. In contrast other faculty may feel students learn much from reading and critiquing their classmates’ papers and require students to comment on others’ drafts online or in class. Regardless of what faculty decide to require, we suggest that they encourage students to read their peers’ texts and have others read their papers for numerous reasons. First, in the real world, writers seek the critiques of peers on their written work and often collaborate with colleagues to write a text (e.g. a proposal, a bid for a contract, a professional article for submission to a journal or conference). Second, it is easier to read others’ work critically than one’s own writing. As writers, we often become attached to our words, we may not be able to view the text objectively, and we may be too close to the content as well as the written text. Third, students often are unaware of how they write in comparison to other students. This is often true for multilingual students who think others in the class write very well, whereas they don’t. This judgment may be based on the fact that other students speak more in class and seem to have a better command of English or of the course material. We have had students tell us that after reading their peers’ essays, they realize that their writing is ‘not so bad’ or that they understand that others have some of the same difficulties writing as they do. Fourth, students get ideas from reading other students’ essays.

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