Introduction
At the beginning of the course ESL 273, I was nervous because I did a clear hazy idea of how the course was going to be like. I did not know how the teacher would be like and how it would progress. Owing to my limited vocabulary in English I had some difficult time at the beginning of the course but the teacher was very keen on communicating the objective of each lesson to ensure that everyone understood the concepts being taught.
I can now use simple vocabulary and sentence structures. Having put in much effort in writing, I believe I have greatly improved my writing skills by attending the ESL 273 classes. The course is designed to help improve the writing skill of students including spellings and grammar, simple sentence construction, and organization of paragraphs.
Improved Writing Skills
These classes helped me to understand different structures of writing, say an essay, a letter, a short story, or a simple report. I gained more understanding not only from the teacher but from reading and studying with fellow students as well. To start with, I now understand that there needs to be prepared before one can start writing. These are referred to as prewriting tasks. Like any other type of work, these are important first steps (Ferris and Hedgecock 62). The tasks include obtaining clear instruction from the instructor, clarification of the question, and seeking to understand the organization of the type of writing in question.
The second reason why I believe I am ready to ready to begin the EWRT1A class is that I understand the different structures of writing and that each is unique to the type of writing. For instance, writing an argumentative essay is different from writing narration. Argumentative essays give two views of a certain subject while narration gives a systematic flow of events. However, the basic structure of any writing is that it has to have an introduction, a body, and a conclusion. The introduction contains basic information about the subject, the thesis, and objectives. The body discusses the main ideas, theories, and concepts while the conclusion mostly contains a summary of the essay and emphasizes the hypothesis objectives of the essay making closing remarks.
The third reason concerns the need for proper use of grammar, spelling, and vocabulary when writing. English as a Second Language (ESL) draws people from different backgrounds and as a result, the use of new words and composition of language is often influenced by the different cultural backgrounds (Ferris & Hedgecock 63). This was one of the challenging issues in that course.
The first milestone I had was to understand the message being communicated and consequently communicate back coherently and meaningfully. This entailed use of proper grammar, the right spellings, correct punctuating, and the right choice of vocabulary. The challenge for me was that I could often communicate the meaning even without correct grammar and spelling because the teacher could discern what in intended to mean (Hinkel 4).
The final reason for my claim of having improved my writing skills is that I understand that writing is a way of communication and as such it has to communicate major points or convey its argument otherwise it would be like gibberish. At the beginning of an essay, I can now be able to construct a very good and precise introduction stating the main points to allow me to focus well throughout the essay.
This often entails the main idea or reason for writing and a reason to justify it. In the body of the sentence, I can be able to introduce each paragraph, discuss a point, and conclude with a concise summary (Ferris & Hedgecock 64). The body often gives details of the points being discussed. I can write a good conclusion that reminds the reader of the introduction and the main idea discussed in the easy. The final comments also help to clarify my position correctly.
Counter-Arguments
As a student of the ESL 273, I sometimes felt that the course did not prepare me very well to proceed to EWRT1A. This is because there are unique challenges that are not addressed by the course. For instance, I feel that the philosophy of the course is not sufficient enough to make students realize that learning a second language needed greater concentration to function and form so that it could be used effectively in academics and other professions. To offset this stagnation of learning a new language, as a student I need to be shown there is still so much to learn, as the challenging task of assessing a language (Graves 67).
The second argument is that there are multifaceted challenges in learning a language in this new structure of academics and this has resulted in great anxiety among students. The instructors need to be more sensitive to this issue and try to find ways of creating a conducive learning atmosphere that will decrease stress and promote learning (Graves 67). This can be observed in the language transfer concept.
For example, Arab students can use gender pronouns for non-human objects…”These are two books, she is on the table floor”. The Japanese have difficulties when pronouncing /r/ and /l/ sounds in English. Therefore, classroom instruction for developing structure, grammar, and composition, and writing skills have to be reconsidered to reinforce the accurate use of the language and the written skills (Graves 69).
Conclusion
I anticipated that the course would be tough but it turned out to be enjoyable as learning a new language and writing was interesting. Writing essays was the greatest challenge but having the zeal to improve I focused on the serious study, writing essays, short plays, and stories. The ESL 273 course should be intensified so that learners can learn to a level where they can be able to handle some tough language skill as part of the learning process.
This could be in form of writing emails, essays on loose-leaf papers, or communicating by other relevant means that can enable the student to get specific assistance. The instructor on the other hand will be able to get feedback on effecting instruction and learning. Additionally, anxiety will decrease for the ESL students and they will be avenues for reflection of learning and offer support for independent working on specific skills.
Works Cited
Ferris, Dana, and Hedgecock, John. Teaching ESL Composition: Purpose, Process, And Practice, London: Routledge, 2005. Print.
Graves, Kathleen. Designing Language Courses: A Guide For Teachers, Boston, MA: Heinle & Heinle Publishers, 2000. Print.
Hinkel, Eli. Teaching Academic ESL Writing: Practical Techniques In Vocabulary And Grammar, London: Routledge, 2004. Print.