LLED 360

I have two considerations about Chapter eight, both of which based on the many valuable observations and reflections derived from our recent practicum experience. The first point is that, amongst all the activities proposed to build vocabulary and grammar patterns for academic writing in the Chapter, the “Written Recap” activity (p. 215) is definitely the one that I most identify with. This is because, during the practicum, I did notice that the last minutes of class are usually not productive, often turning out to be wasted on the await for the bell to ring. Hence, the “Written Recap” is a flexible activity that can lead students to reflect upon the lesson informally, thereby synthesizing and wrapping up the content. In parallel, it is also a low-risk situation in which they can use newly-acquired mortar and brick expressions. Finally, the notes yielded can be used as an excellent hook for the next class.

My second consideration is, however, a caveat about the “Written Dialogue” activity which Zwiers presents (p. 216). One of the lessons I taught in my practicum coincided with the example given by the author for this activity. In the occasion, I proposed a debate about the second amendment of the American Bill of Rights, which regards the individual right to bear arms. Although the debate was not exactly a written dialogue, I found that students’ opinions were shallow and based on common sense, after all they had not previously researched about the matter (the implications of non-restricted right to bear arms), and therefore did not have elements to build their opinion on. Thus, it is important to emphasize that any debate or perspective-taking activity must regard content which has already been worked in class, so that students have enough grounds to build solid arguments.