This course has a focus on in-depth study of the teaching of reading and writing in the ESL/EFL classroom. Included in the course will be systematic study of the application of linguistic theory to teaching in the classroom, practical application of pedagogical strategies, and development of materials and tasks to stimulate reading and writing skills in L2 learners. A key component of the course is the student’s participation in volunteer ESL tutoring.
It is also to surprising to me how few touch typists there are and that is a useful skill. I keep thinking about my own second language experience and the emphasis for example on Japanese testing seems to be on character recognition rather than actual handwriting (although handwriting can serve as a useful tool for remembering). I think if I were to focus on those children in the CNN story, it would seem as though at that age, probably having exposure to handwriting is important. But then at a certain age (maybe 8th or 9th grade) then typing seems more important. Which brings up an interesting question for which is more important for adult learners. If a choice has to be made, then I think typing is because it has more applications in this culture. But some ability to handwrite can serve useful when learning words.
It is also to surprising to me how few touch typists there are and that is a useful skill. I keep thinking about my own second language experience and the emphasis for example on Japanese testing seems to be on character recognition rather than actual handwriting (although handwriting can serve as a useful tool for remembering). I think if I were to focus on those children in the CNN story, it would seem as though at that age, probably having exposure to handwriting is important. But then at a certain age (maybe 8th or 9th grade) then typing seems more important. Which brings up an interesting question for which is more important for adult learners. If a choice has to be made, then I think typing is because it has more applications in this culture. But some ability to handwrite can serve useful when learning words.
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