It seems to me that many ESL learners (learners of English as a second language) just pay attention to practise and improve reading, listening and reading skills and forget the important role of writing to their English study. Because of spending little time on writing, there is a large number of students who often make basic mistakes in grammar, spelling and the use of words when writing.
The reasons of ESL learners’ less focus on writing
The most popular reason is students’ interest. I conducted a small survey with a group of students of different majors in School of Foreign Languages, Thai Nguyen University and all of them had the same answers about whether they spent much time on writing. All of them confessed that they did not. Being asked about the reason, Ngo Thi Hoan, a student of English Bachelor said that she found writing difficult due to her poor vocabulary and lack of ideas. As the result, Hoan was gradually not interested in this skill much. Moreover, she only writes English to respond to the requirements of lecturers and to cope with English examinations.
Benefits of writing in English for ESL learners
Like many other ESL learners, I used to be lazy in writing English, which led to my poor English writing skill. However, my ESL teachers encourage me to write in English to have better English written proficiency to write well in my applications of scholarships abroad or jobs. And here are the benefits I have got from practice writing in English:
More skillful in grammar: Writing allows us to use all grammar forms that we have learnt at classrooms into reality with a variety of forms of writing such as: essay, articles, diary, etc. If we can remain this habit, we will have a significant change in grammar. Simply, the more we apply the grammar structures and forms, the more clearly we understand their usages and the more skillfully we use them.
Richer knowledge of vocabulary: Each writing topic requires us to use different words. Obviously, in order to have a perfect writing product, we need to supply more new words. Those new vocabularies will be memorized gradually if we practise writing regularly.
Better reading comprehension skill: Writing can be considered as a powerful tool to improve reading. This opinion was affirmed in the report, Writing to Read: Evidence for How Writing Can Improve Reading, commissioned by the Carnegie Corp. of New York and published by the Alliance for Excellent Education. According to the report, when students are required to write about what they learn, they are challenged to digest and organize the information in meaningful ways that enables them to successfully communicate the information to a second party. By forming these connections, students are better equipped to comprehend material as well as approach reading with a higher level of understanding and appreciation. Therefore, if our writing skill is terrific enough, our reading skill is excellent too.
Good study opportunities and successful career: If you have ever struggled to write a cover letter, resume, or anything needed for your applications for a course abroad or a vacancy at a company, you may know the importance of good writing. An intelligent and well-displayed writing with correct grammar and coherent style will make a good impression on those who read it; which means your chances to get the scholarship or the job of which you dream.
What should ESL learners write?
Dairy: instead of writing about everything happening in your daily life in your mother-tongue language, try to make something different and interesting by writing in English. Don’t make everything serious by trying to use too complicated words or structures, just beginning by simple ones to get yourself relaxed when writing English
Letters or emails: you can write letters in English to your classmates at English classes. This will be a good idea for you and your friends to practice writing English together. If you are not patient enough to write a letters by pens, you can try writing emails, which is more convenient for those who are skillful in typing. In addition, having a penpal (a friend with whom you contact via letters or emails due to the far distance) is useful for those who want to improve English writing skills by writing exchange emails in English every day.
Free writing: Short texts or essays about everything of your interests are always encouraged. Pick up your pen or type on the key board of your computers anything you want about your hobbies, your music idols or your favorite films. Write comfortably without worrying about assessment from your ESL teachers will give you much freedom and pleasure when writing English like that way. However, it will be more effective for you to work in groups or pairs so that we can exchange and discuss with the others to check and correct our writings.
Many English learners may think that it is very difficult for them to write in English; and this opinion will work if we still delay our practise of writing English.
Hence, let’s begin writing about anything we are interested in English and have someone like your friends or your teachers check your writing so that you can realize your mistakes and weakness in writing and correct them to write English better.
In order to understand more about the benefits as well as roles of writing skill, please consult these following websites:
By Chi Bui & Thanh Huong
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