Starting with Self-Awareness: Basic Experiences in Foreign Language Writing

Abstract

The importance of self-awareness combines with concentric circles around I marked with the the need to communicate thoughts and feelings categories friends, classroom, when acquiring a foreign language. The very daily activities, fears and experience of taking first steps in another hopes, interests, and experiences. These language makes turning inward and releasing circles increase in number as the inner circle feelings necessary, but how can that expression grows stronger and more secure. If we acknowhtake place? Fearful of mistakes and limited by edge the learner as the center of his universe, one class size and time, the student can not always aspect of a process approach to writing stands speak. Ifateacherencourages writing forexpresout: (Fuhwihcr, Chap. 4). The most sion early in a course, the learner can write what successful language learning acknowledges the he/she thinks and feels and simultaneously reininsecurities of the pupil, gives definite tools as a force the basics. The student talks to himself, means of expression, and encourages students to through writing. He/she links needs to knowlexpand their expression. Topics introduced in edge, language to feelings, and strengths to anew the classroom liberate rather than limit by adding experience. possibilities and generating new ideas through writing. Recognize Basic Needs Mi coche no es BMW (My car is not a BMW), wrote Marc. The os-al story of his flat tire that Any new experience requires drawing on morning, making him late for the in-class writing internal strengths in os-desto take risks without session, made the teachessay, You could write being overwhelmed. Delving into the s-calm of a about that! Your car trouble is really on your new language, full of sounds, spellings, patterns, mind right now. His preoccupation generated a and vocabulary neves-known before, encourages new topic, another circle of experience. the student to examine needs, attitudes, and senConsider the power of the writesas his own timents in very basic ways. Depth of expression (Fuhwihcr, p. 68). Besides reinforcing comes much hates-, as does word-perfect copy foreign language learning, the writer can s-cad his for editing. Early language leaming combines own work with pride, realizing the amount that the strong need to communicate with the acquihe has learned. Name, physical description, age, sition of new skills. family, residence, and interests demand vocabuTo diagram the natural communicative needs hary and idiomatic expressions. When a writer of a learner beginning the study of a second (or a chooses yo, a seemingly simple theme for the third) language, imagine a circle labeled I in second year of a high school language class, the the center of a piece of paper. Place a series of result is curriculum compacting. A teacher can make students aware of their progress. It is important to point out to students what they *Artictcs for this section may be sent to Ms. Marihynn have accomplished, not just to zero in on errors. Pavhik, Lyons Township High School, 100 South Brainard Student autobiographies arc simple and fun. Avenue, La Grange, IL 60525. Maximum length is 15 They appeal to a student audience of readers, double-spaced pages. Please send a typed original and a fulfill the need to stan with self, and expand copy fur each paper submitted, and include a self-adcircles that introduce topics. A sensitive instrucdressed envelope and house stamps to cover return mailing toswill make easily available vocabulary for the of the manuscript.