Intl Conference 2008: Teaching Academic and Business Writing

Teaching Academic and Business Writing

Catherine Thomas
web: http://www.columbia.edu/%7ethomas
Catherine Thomas is an English Language Fellow serving the Instituto Chileno Norteamericano de Antofagasta and the Universidad Catolica del Norte. Before going to Antofagasta, Catherine taught business English in New York City. Catherine has an M.A. degree in TESOL from Teachers College, Columbia University and an M.S. degree in Library Information Science from Drexel University.

PRESENTATION ABSTRACT
In this presentation, I will cover strategies for teaching academic and business writing. For example, I will discuss assessing students’ needs, planning lessons, and preparing authentic instructional materials. In particular, I will suggest how to develop and assess practical writing assignments. Specifically, I will describe classroom methods for using formative assessment, peer assessment, performance assessment, and self-assessment. I will recommend techniques for incorporating the following topics into your writing instruction: the writing process, style and clarity, types of writing (email, letters, memos, policies and procedures, presentation outlines, proposals, reports, etc.), grammar, punctuation, and vocabulary. I will also address issues such as avoiding plagiarism and citing research sources.

http://tesolchile.cl/conf2008/postconf2008d.php