Week 3 Blog Post - Instinct vs. Technique


“Good readers usually recognize a problem, though they may not always be able to explain it technically.”

This line from the writing process chapter struck me as a big difference between native and non-native speakers, and a challenge in tutoring. As someone who grew up mainly with English, I usually don’t have to think about why something works technically or grammatically; I rely on that all-magical ear, like natural musicians who never learn how to read notes. And yet a non-native speaker or a less avid reader/writer would need things to be broken down and explained piece by piece. This applies not only to lower-order grammar issues but also to higher-order organizational skills: how do you teach a way to think that comes instinctively to you but might not for the student? My favorite part of the writing process is brainstorming and getting the initial thoughts down, as well as coming up with a structure for the writing. My least favorite part is actually getting the words on paper with all their subsequent transitions! I feel like my strength will also be getting students to talk about their ideas, but I might struggle to show them concrete ways to write a formal paper.

Comments

  1. Rachel P. RiendeauSeptember 10, 2019 at 1:27 PM

    Lei, that line also struck me as problematic! Grammar or native speakers is often implicit and hard to articulate. I can't explain when to use "the" versus "a," for example. Love your questions!

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  2. AmeliaSeptember 11, 2019 at 10:30 AM

    I totally agree, Lei. I think one of the most challenging aspects of our job in teaching non-native English speakers is how to break grammar/syntax down into discreet and replicable parts. When a student whose first language is English doesn't understand a particular structure I'm able to offer several examples and contexts that we share to help them understand. With a non-native english speaker, you can't always take for granted that those contexts will be in common or that those examples will resonate.

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