Improving Writing Needs Essay

Similarly, there had been many studies that seek to show on how to improve the overall capabilities of individual writing particularly among international students. One example is the contribution of Petersen wherein she addressed the needs of international students as far as writing is concerned. She made emphasis on the idea of reaching out and helping international students cope with the challenges of writing. â€Å"If all of us give common messages to international students, making our expectations explicit, we may be able to help them reach higher levels of proficiency in American academic English sooner. † (Petersen, 2008) One of the challenges presented by Petersen as far as student writing is concerned involves international students’ difficulty in coping with timed writing assignments and essays. â€Å"As the complexity of the thinking involved in the task increases and the processing time decreases, grammatical and syntactical forms the student can normally control tend to break down. † (Petersen, 2008) Due to this, the teacher must create effective strategies to enhance writing but at the same time maintaining the challenge of time constraints in the activity. This is just one of the problems elaborated by Petersen in her article. By being constantly aware of these challenges and anticipating the occurrence of the problem, teachers and educators can have an active and firm stand in increasing the competency of international students in the realm of writing. Enhancing Reading Skills Another important facet in the facilitation of education is reading. For students to fully acquire and develop the skills that are given to them in the classroom, effective reading must be made. However, this may seem to be a problem of international students as the pace and degree of learning is halted or slowed due to several constraints. Due to this, teachers must create active scenarios that will enhance student reading capabilities particularly among international students. The study of Brassell and Furtado examines the way vocabulary can serve as a hindrance in the development of better reading for non-English students. These barriers can serve as an impediment for learning and enhancement of information. â€Å"Many barriers prevent English as Second Language learner from grasping new vocabulary, but one of the biggest challenge is the minimal time teachers devote to vocabulary instruction. † (Brassell and Furtado, 2008, p. 110) Several facets of the English language remain to be difficult for international students to understand. By actually helping international students become aware of these and minimizing such occurrence inside the classroom, they can be able to adopt, enhance and develop their reading skills which are necessary in their education. â€Å"Beyond providing students with lots of interesting books, teachers should facilitate a variety of vocabulary activities for their students. † (Brassell and Furtado, 2008, p. 115) Conclusion With these, personal involvement may be a good approach in further enhancing the realm of developing reading and writing skills. International students deserve extra care and attention for they are still adjusting to the current trends of the educational environment. â€Å"Student perceived issues do not always match educator-perceived issues; nevertheless, eliciting information from the students allows them to become part of the solution. † (Lee, 1997, p. 100) It is therefore necessary for every teacher and educational institution to create efficient and effective scenarios that will cater to the needs of international students. By doing these things, the welfare of international students are taken into consideration. Different methods and schemes may have been in place, the action now goes back to educational institutions and teachers to actively take part in the process of developing skills needed by students to actively combat the challenges brought about by society. References Arkoudis, S.(2006) Teaching International Students: Strategies to Enhance Learning in Centre for the Study of Higher Education. [online] Retrieved May 12, 2008 from http://www. cshe. unimelb. edu. au/pdfs/international. pdf Brassell, D. and Furtado, L. (2008) Enhancing English as a Second Language Students’ Vocabulary Knowledge in The Reading Matrix. 8 no. 1 [online] Retrieved May 12, 2008 from http://www. readingmatrix. com/articles/brassell_furtado/article. pdf Koffolt, K. and Holt, S. L. (1997) Using the â€Å"Writing Process† with Non-Native Users of English in New Directions for Teaching and Learning. no. 70 Retrieved May 12, 2008. pp. 53-61 Lee, D. S. (1997) What Teachers Can Do to Relieve Problems Identified by International Students in New Directions for Teaching and Learning. no. 70. Retrieved May 12, 2008. pp. 93-102. Nelson, G. L. (1997) How Cultural Differences Affect Written and Oral Communication: The Case of Peer Response Groups in New Directions for Teaching and Learning. no. 70. Retrieved May 12, 2008. pp. 77-85 Petersen, L. (2008) Writing Needs of International Students. Retrieved May 12, 2008 from http://www. cgu. edu/pages/949. asp