Writing

We decided that the students should spend 5 consecutive periods on building writing skills - they were required to produce 3 texts, 1 draft and 1 final copy of each.  Previously we have allowed students to write on computers, but we have become concerned that they are too reliant on Internet resources rather than the learning acquired throughout the year and the judicious use of dictionaries.

The majority of the 5 periods were spent in L7, with access to L6 for typing and printing only.  The desks were all very close together, but this proved conducive to them working hard rather than talking.  In addition, and most importantly, this allowed Gaby and Fishy to work with all students as required, giving us an overview of the larger class and how all students were faring, providing a kind of unofficial moderation opportunity. Once again, students had the benefit of working with two teachers.  A student (native speaker) also joined us and was very useful in giving extra advice to students.

Having done this, Gaby and Fishy wish they had required students to work in this way throughout the year.  It was successful from both teacher and student perspectives; students were able to access immediate advice on structure and progress, and we seemed to see more students individually in the time allotted than when we worked with single classes. Why this is, we don't know.