Sunday 11:15 - 12:05 
Rose
Learning to Write in English: Rethinking Written Discourse Pedagogy

In this presentation, the establishment of a university writing center in Thailand and the pedagogy that developed when teachers began asking themselves difficult questions about their beliefs and theories will be described. Using reflective practice and collaborative inquiry as a basis, a framework evolved that adopted a consultant/process approach for the center. In application, though, a schism developed between the theory and the practice. Even though practitioners wanted to move beyond the traditional approaches of the university, some found themselves teaching as their teachers taught them. Others found that their teaching practice had changed, but that they had succumbed to teaching the monologic voice, restoring the standard, and pushing for texts in unaccented English. 

The theoretical framework of the writing center, which win be discussed in this presentation, promotes reflection, questioning, and dialogue about the writing process as wen as the product. It affords students, through collaboration on their own texts grounded in their experiences, opportunities to challenge the standard even when they need to use it. The framework can foster writers who construct and create their own texts and team. Most importantly, it encourages teachers to explore their practices and expectations for writers. Ultimately, this presentation will recount a story of transformation and the theory and practice that developed.