Dar-Wu Chen | Osaka University (original) (raw)
Uploads
Papers by Dar-Wu Chen
Into 1970’s, American education was in a state of disarray. Achievement scores were declining and... more Into 1970’s, American education was in a state of disarray. Achievement scores were declining and “Why Johnny Can’t Write?” was on many people’s mind. The “Back to Basics” movement seemed to provide a stop gap remedy. But, skills alone are not enough for a lasting education reform. Composition courses needed a theoretical guide from rhetoric. Rhetorical theories during this period can be grouped into three schools: Objective Approach; Subjective Approach; Transactional Rhetoric. If one central feature must be found for these three schools of thought, it must be: writing as a process. The Objective Approach treats the process as stages through which a writer works. The Subjective Approach treats the process of a process of personal discovery— discovering and constructing meaning. The Transactional Approach treats the process as an interaction between thought and language or between the writer and the audience. This renewed philosophy of rhetoric has given new energy into writing inst...
The process oriented approach to English-as-a-Second-Language (ESL) instruction has spurred such ... more The process oriented approach to English-as-a-Second-Language (ESL) instruction has spurred such new ideas as student instruction and the whole language approach. New thinking justifies the validity of qualitative research, which lets researchers view subjects' learning processes from previously impossible angles. This paper examines ESL writing expertise and English language proficiency. It explains that how students plan, organize, revise, and edit their writing is as important as their English language proficiency. Conventional methods of grading and correcting students' compositions are inadequate, because they rely too heavily on language proficiency. When writing, language interacts with writing expertise. Correcting grammatical and word errors seem to be a constant focus for Taiwanese ESL students and teachers, though many instructors try to teach how to organize ideas or write a topic sentence. What students put down on paper is a combination of both writing expertis...
The old European powers were devastated by WWI, while America emerged almost unscathed as the det... more The old European powers were devastated by WWI, while America emerged almost unscathed as the determining factor of Allied victory. The period between WWI and WWII saw America as a rising power on a tumultuous world stage. The upheavals in Europe pushed political and financial powers, as well as more European immigrants into U.S. Internationally and internally, America was expanding rapidly. An expanding society demands a variety of coping strategies. One of the key elements, if not the most important one, must be education. The growth of science since late nineteenth century had manifested itself quite remarkably by this time, specifically through the chilling effects of killing machines. The prevailing key concept of war-making was “efficiency,” a concept widely fused into campaign planning as well as material production and transportation. And it did show remarkable results. Therefore, it is only natural that the concept of “efficiency” would be heralded into educational reform. ...
English-as-a-Second-Language (ESL) student writers are often labeled as having poor language prof... more English-as-a-Second-Language (ESL) student writers are often labeled as having poor language proficiency skills, poor writing skills, and poor organizational skills. These labels can negatively affect teachers and students. They have become yardsticks for guiding teachers' instruction and measuring students' performance. Often, ESL writing teachers and researchers accept these labels without question, reflecting a lack of understanding about the characteristics of writing. These labels are the product of judging ESL writing by one measure only. This paper reveals a different identity for ESL student writers, looking at student English proficiency and student writing skills separately. It examines three curriculum designs (the grammar-translation method, audiolingual approach, and communicative approach), then it discusses the process oriented approach (also called the integrated or whole language approach), which treats all language activities holistically. This approach is ...
Into 1970’s, American education was in a state of disarray. Achievement scores were declining and... more Into 1970’s, American education was in a state of disarray. Achievement scores were declining and “Why Johnny Can’t Write?” was on many people’s mind. The “Back to Basics” movement seemed to provide a stop gap remedy. But, skills alone are not enough for a lasting education reform. Composition courses needed a theoretical guide from rhetoric. Rhetorical theories during this period can be grouped into three schools: Objective Approach; Subjective Approach; Transactional Rhetoric. If one central feature must be found for these three schools of thought, it must be: writing as a process. The Objective Approach treats the process as stages through which a writer works. The Subjective Approach treats the process of a process of personal discovery— discovering and constructing meaning. The Transactional Approach treats the process as an interaction between thought and language or between the writer and the audience. This renewed philosophy of rhetoric has given new energy into writing inst...
The process oriented approach to English-as-a-Second-Language (ESL) instruction has spurred such ... more The process oriented approach to English-as-a-Second-Language (ESL) instruction has spurred such new ideas as student instruction and the whole language approach. New thinking justifies the validity of qualitative research, which lets researchers view subjects' learning processes from previously impossible angles. This paper examines ESL writing expertise and English language proficiency. It explains that how students plan, organize, revise, and edit their writing is as important as their English language proficiency. Conventional methods of grading and correcting students' compositions are inadequate, because they rely too heavily on language proficiency. When writing, language interacts with writing expertise. Correcting grammatical and word errors seem to be a constant focus for Taiwanese ESL students and teachers, though many instructors try to teach how to organize ideas or write a topic sentence. What students put down on paper is a combination of both writing expertis...
The old European powers were devastated by WWI, while America emerged almost unscathed as the det... more The old European powers were devastated by WWI, while America emerged almost unscathed as the determining factor of Allied victory. The period between WWI and WWII saw America as a rising power on a tumultuous world stage. The upheavals in Europe pushed political and financial powers, as well as more European immigrants into U.S. Internationally and internally, America was expanding rapidly. An expanding society demands a variety of coping strategies. One of the key elements, if not the most important one, must be education. The growth of science since late nineteenth century had manifested itself quite remarkably by this time, specifically through the chilling effects of killing machines. The prevailing key concept of war-making was “efficiency,” a concept widely fused into campaign planning as well as material production and transportation. And it did show remarkable results. Therefore, it is only natural that the concept of “efficiency” would be heralded into educational reform. ...
English-as-a-Second-Language (ESL) student writers are often labeled as having poor language prof... more English-as-a-Second-Language (ESL) student writers are often labeled as having poor language proficiency skills, poor writing skills, and poor organizational skills. These labels can negatively affect teachers and students. They have become yardsticks for guiding teachers' instruction and measuring students' performance. Often, ESL writing teachers and researchers accept these labels without question, reflecting a lack of understanding about the characteristics of writing. These labels are the product of judging ESL writing by one measure only. This paper reveals a different identity for ESL student writers, looking at student English proficiency and student writing skills separately. It examines three curriculum designs (the grammar-translation method, audiolingual approach, and communicative approach), then it discusses the process oriented approach (also called the integrated or whole language approach), which treats all language activities holistically. This approach is ...