[ELTWeekly Volume 8, Issue 7 | March 28, 2016 | ISSN 0975-3036] Teaching Writing or Editing Writing? (Edutopia) #IATEFL – Why invest in extensive reading? (OUP ELT Blog) Vocabulary gap-fills: from…

[ELTWeekly Volume 8, Issue 7 | March 14, 2016 | ISSN 0975-3036]

Editing student writing typically takes a few minutes and a red pen. Teaching writing requires hard work, and even though many teachers assign writing, few actually teach the art of writing. The writing process is time consuming and often messy, so it’s no wonder that many teachers becomes editors by default. How can teachers be sure that they’re teaching students how to write and not simply editing writing assignments?

1. Ongoing Feedback

Teachers should offer feedback throughout the entire writing process and not just on the final product. If writing is done correctly, the majority of the work happens long before the final copy is submitted. When a teacher only offers feedback on the final paper, the window to teach and shape writing has passed, since the student has moved onto the next assignment.

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[ELTWeekly Volume 8, Issue 7 | March 14, 2016 | ISSN 0975-3036]

Among all the links and downloads out there, it can be hard for teachers to know which ones work best. Google has made it easier by creating Google for Educators, which compiles some of the search engine’s most useful features in one place. Whether you’re teaching Spanish or social studies, mathematics or music, there’s a free Google feature that will make your lessons more dynamic and your projects more organized. The lively, informative website offers step-by-step visual tours and even videos to help you get set up. Below are some of the most useful features that the site has to offer.

Google Search

Google Search is at the heart of it all. It’s where many of us go multiple times a day to locate information. Google provides excellent resources for teachers and students to become effective searchers and build essential digital literacy skills for finding quality, credible resources on the web. Here you can find lesson plans, an online course to become a Power Searcher, and challenges such asA Google a Day. In my opinion, it all starts here for our students — helping them to become digitally aware of the information that they’re intaking is of utmost importance.

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