リレー・エッセイ「私 の 研究・教育実践」

大学・研究・社会に関する興味深いテーマを取り上げ、多くの方がリレーで参加して様々な考えや意見を述べるコーナーです。

“I hope you don’t mind that I put
down in words” Essay Writing inPaul Tanner
Shiga University / Lecturer

the Global Course

The Global Jinzai Program (G-Course) wasstarted at Shiga University in 2014 with a goalof creating / developing international leadership skills. In addition to doing an internship in
a foreign country, taking Special Project classes,
and three courses in English Presentation, students also take Essay Writing I & II as well as
Academic Writing. I have been teaching thewriting course for the past 10 years. In this essay,
I will explain how I organize and implement theessay writing courses and address their future in
the G-Course curriculum.
Timed writing
Students need to write in English as muchas possible. At the beginning of every class,students complete a 10-minute writing about
a specific topic or theme. This serves as anicebreaker as students think in English andconcentrate on putting ideas on paper. The emphasis is on spontaneity and moving away fromtheir “mistake averse” habits. Examples of topics include: “10 years from now,” “Japan’s mostimportant problem,” and “How to be a betterstudent.” Timed writing is a flexible tool; thetopic can be discussed before and after the writing. It is commonly used to reinforce or preview
targeted linguistic patterns and grammar.
Process Writing
Process writing is a concept that students
may be aware of but generally don’t practice.
To write an essay, students should brainstorm,
work through an outline, revise and edit, andgive and receive feedback before making a final,
polished essay. Students sometimes think they088

should write in a product approach, in which
the main idea is to produce a model text. Students are often averse to making changes, as if
their draft was “born perfect.” Following process writing removes the temptation to write in
one take and helps students develop skills that
become ingrained habits.
Types of essays
There are a variety of fundamental essay
formats that students should learn. These include the “standard” 5-paragraph essay format
including the persuasive essay (with and without refutations and concessions), compare andcontrast, process description, cause and effect,
reasons and examples, etc. Students also practicewriting summaries of various lengths and write
a number of personal narratives, such as theirEnglish Language Learning Histories (ELLH),
in which students reflect on their own English
learning experience.
Reﬂection
For students to develop their writing and beable to write independently, they need to develop reflective habits. Students don’t improve
without noticing mistakes and developing strategies for improvement. This awareness includes
thinking about what they are doing, how they
can improve and monitor the mistakes they
have made. I use a few activities to promote reflection.
One strategy for reflection is peer review inwhich students read their classmates’ writing
and make comments on the content and organization. Students are encouraged to suggest

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meaningful changes and additional content on
their peers’ essays, rather than suggesting mechanical or surface changes. Students can notice
weaknesses and strengths in classmates’ writing,making them more skilled at finding their own
weak points. This activity naturally leads to rewrites. I don’t require students to re-write every
essay (although the option is available) however
all peer reviewed papers should be re-written.
Another reflective activity is for students tocomplete a portfolio of their writing at the endof each semester. Students rank their papers
by quality, based on their own judgement. A
portfolio cover sheet requires reflection on various class activities and a self-analysis of theirstrengths and weaknesses. By reflecting on theirwriting, students learn to transfer knowledge
and skills from one assignment to the next, gain
fluency and learn from their mistakes.
Beyond the ﬁve-paragraph essay
in second-year writing
Discussing current events and controversial
themes is one focal point of the second-year
writing classes. Students read newspaper articles
in English, discuss them in groups and offer
opinions. Each person has a different article andis responsible for explaining the article and leading a discussion. Students write summaries ofarticles and write comments about the content.
One assignment is for students to disagree witha published article and write a rebuttal.
Another goal is for second year students
to go beyond the five-paragraph essay format.
For example, one assignment asked students towrite a letter to the Japanese Prime Minister giv-089

ing an opinion about a policy or offering policy
suggestions or proposals. Students also practicereading for speed in short segments. After learning the format in class, students read the shortparagraphs outside of class, record their speed
and comprehension and write a reflection at theend of the semester.
I don’t specifically teach TOEFL or IELTS
essays, but I do provide some strategy advice,and offer to check student practice essays. Theformats are similar to that used in Essay Writing
I. One ambitious student asked me to review
100 practice TOEFL long essays that he wrote
over one summer. That is a record that I hope isnever broken.
Special writing projects
Twice G-Course students have put together a
special project resulting in a collection of theirwritings. The first was an English language restaurant guide to Hikone with foreign students
studying at the JCMU as the target audience.
The second project was a collection of essays
concerning students’ ELLH. Both collections
required peer review and much cooperation.
Comments from their portfolios were overwhelmingly positive. These three comments
were typical:
1. It stimulated my motivation to learn English.
2. I like to read about other people’s experiences.
3. The book will become one of my valuable
memories of my student life at Shiga University.
Many students mentioned that to write for areal audience was motivational. To be fair, notevery comment was positive. One hard-working

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student noted that not everyone put in the sameamount of effort, which is a fair critique.
The future of the G-CourseOver the years of the course there have been
many changes and adjustments to the G-Courseand essay writing. Determining the best candidates for selection, and what criteria to baseselection on is a constant debate. The essay writing classes have undergone changes as situations(such as the Covid 19 pandemic) change, improvements are made, and technology advances.
Class size varies as do ambition levels. Futureclasses will continue to be adjusted to better
match student needs. For example, over theyears I have taught the essay classes, I have added more class time for discussing and sharing
ideas. Including additional collaborative writing
projects will also enhance learning and further
motivate students.
The G-Course has been a great challenge anda rewarding experience for our students, as wellas myself. Our graduates have been successful on so many fronts: being selected for goodjobs, having successful work and study experiences abroad, entering quality graduate school
programs, and earning scholarships. All theseaccomplishments indicate the success of the GCourse and enhance the reputation of ShigaUniversity.
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