Abstract
Getting students excited about writing is the strongest point of publishing a class newsletter for a real audience. A newsletter of the class is a writing project of the students, by the students and for the students. The aim of this paper is to explore the idea with all the English teachers of Hong Kong. This exciting language learning strategy has made a difference in the attitude of my students as EL2 learners and in the effectiveness of myself as an EL2 writing instructor. The paper presents the actual experience of five of my classes in publishing their newsletters. It covers, in particular, the practicalities and implementation procedures. It also discusses the differences in practice and in assumptions between traditional composition classes and the new writing-publishing project.The implication of this project is fourfold. First, there is a change in the target audience. Second, the learning approach is a student-centered one. Third, the writing is purposeful. Fourth, the project is a powerful vehicle for opening up new horizons in the students. What enriches its educational value is the emergence of a new sense of learner responsibility. Such a change in learning attitude towards English is the birth of a new way of thinking. A newsletter of the class, in this sense, is definitely writing of a new kind and a new mind.
[ Chinese version | Index | New Horizons | Other Journals | Faculty Home Page | Enquiry ]
Mail any comments and suggestions to
en@fed.cuhk.edu.hk.