This presentation, meant mainly for teachers or those who tutor writing, will discuss methods for working with ESL writers, focusing on Carol Severino's work with Robert Kaplan's "Doodles" research.
For a copy of this article, please follow this link: http://writing2.richmond.edu/training/383/383restricted/severino.pdf
In the article, Kaplan describes the writing of an Asian ESL student at "circular." On page 11 of his article, he presents a graphic representation of the writing patterns of ESL students from different countries, and, as he labels them, "Oriental" writers are represented in a circle pattern. As you know, 23% of the Center's clients are of Asian descent. In the article, Kaplan writes, "Some Oriental writing, on the other hand, is marked by what may be called an approach by indirection. In this kind of writing, the development of the paragraph may be said to be 'turning and turning in a widening gyre.' The circles or gyres turn around the subject and show it from a variety of tangential views, but the subject is never looked at directly. Things are developed in terms of what they are not, rather than in terms of what they are."
We will discuss best practices to assist ESL writers with their writing. All are welcome to attend.
Michael Frizell is now in his 10th year as a lecturer and director at Missouri State University.
Michael currently serves as the Director of the Writing Center, located in the Bear CLAW Center for Learning and Writing. Now in his fifth year as director of the Writing Center, Michael provides programming for classes, departments, and organizations on all aspects of writing and study skills. See the Writing Center's website (http://writingcenter.missouristate.edu) for more information.
Michael is also the Director of the Supplemental Instruction Program, now in its second semester at MSU. SI is designed to assist students in classes where the D, F, or Withdrawl rate is at or around 30%. For the fall 2009 semester, SI programming will be offered in 26 sections ranging from mathematics to the social sciences. For a full list, visit the SI website (http://si.missouristate.edu).
In addition, Michael is Director of the In-School Players. In-School Players are a small cast of Missouri State University students who travel the local elementary school and Springfield Public Library circuit to bring live theater performances to children. Created in the fall of 1984, the cast consists of six to eight members who present 40 to 60 performances of stories, poems, and music per school year. It is estimated that the In-School Players Touring Group has entertained over 500,000 children since it was formed. The group claims to be able to perform anywhere such as classrooms, libraries, and playgrounds, and offers Tuesday and Thursday performances. Other performances include S.T.A.M. (Speech and Theater Association of Missouri) Conventions
