This is for all teachers at the tertiary level of education in all English as a Second Language countries. It can also be used in First Language situations for English Language Learners.

1. HOW TO HELP UNDERPREPAREDCOLLEGE FRESHMEN SUCCEED IN COLLEGE COMPOSITION
Most studentsof EnglishLanguage alwaysindicate that theydo notlike to like towrite when
askedto rate themselvesonthe fourlanguage skillsof Reading,Writing,SpeakingandListening.Thisis
a commonphenomenonamongstudentsatall levelsinthe educational system.Some College freshmen
transitingfrom High School therefore come underpreparedforthe writingdemandsthatCollege
coursesmake . Many factors have beenadducedforthis, among whichpoorteachingbyteachers, poor
readinghabitsof studentsare prominent..Whateverthe causesof the unpreparednessof Freshmen
for College Composition,itisthe duty of teachersandthe schoolstoremedythe situationandensure
studentslearntowrite well intheirEnglishclassandwrite tolearnintheirothercourses tosucceedin
college.
The knowledge of whatconstitutesthe students’weaknesses whentheywrite, canbe gottenby
givingunderpreparedfreshmenwritingneedsanalysistestsinthe formof critical analysis,
argumentative essaysandexpositoryessays.Thisshouldbe atake home assignmentwhichwill give
themample time towrite andshowcase whateverskillsorweaknessestheyhave inwriting..Error
analysiscanthenbe usedto ascertainstudents’ individual aswell as group writing weaknesses.
These will thenformthe basisforcritical classroomandcurriculumdecisionsthatwillenablethe
teacherto prepare studentstobe successful writers
The writing course contentandmethodologyof teachingit, are alsovital toteachingstudents
to write well. Usingthe recommendedtopicsinthe syllabusinadditionto those suggestedbythe
studentsthemselves, will stimulatestudentstowrite better, astheyare motivatedtowrite onthings
that have meaningintheirlivesandonwhichtheyare likelytosucceed.Moreoverthe incorporationof
activitiesthatinvolve the use of the otherthree language skillsof Reading ( writingmodels)Speaking
(oral compositioninclass) and Listening( use of experts,studentsthemselvesandthe teacher to
lecture studentsonthe topicunderfocusinthe writingclass), are essentials thatcan stimulate
studentstolearn to write well.
More than anythingelse, the dominantapproachthatinvolvesstudentsin collaborative
cooperationastheylearnto write isessentialtofosteracommunityof writerswhere students help
each othersto learnandsucceedfromone writingexercisetoanother.Suchapproachoughtto be
researchbasedandstudent- centered.ThisiswhyIrecommendthe enrichedProcessApproachthat
reflectswhatcompetentwritersdo, that make themgood writers.Manyresearcherslike LindaFlower
and JohnHayes(1981), VivianZamel (1982) andJanetEmig (1971) have foundthat competentwriters
infirstlanguage andsecondlanguage gothroughthe general stages of writing,revisingandrewriting -
the writingprocess .This hasgivenbirthto the currentparadigmshiftfromthe product- oriented
approaches to process-oriented approachestoteachingwritingskill.Itishoweverpertinenttosaythat
writingskill istoocomplex tobe taughtusingone approachonly, inas much as possible we shoulduse
an eclecticapproachthat borrowsfreelyfromthe two approachestoempowerourstudentstowrite
well andsucceed intheirCollegecourses (Adewumi Oluwadiya 1995). Thisiswhy I recommendusing

2. the writingprocessworkshopmodel of:prewriting,writing,sharingandresponding,revising,editing,
evaluating(formative) andpublishing inactual classroominstructional practices
Modelingthe skill of writingforstudentsisalsoessentialtohelpingthemtolearnandgrow as
writers. If the Potteryteachersmodel theircraftfortheirstudents,the football coachesplaysoccer
withtheirstudents,the onusison the teachersof writingtowrite andbe part of the classroom
communityof writerswhere writingisdone ,sharedandrefined.I write withmystudentsandshare
and respondtotheirwritingand allowthemrespondtomine also.Thiswaywe become partnersinthe
businessof learningtowrite andwritingtolearn.Since writingskillisusedinall coursesinthe College ,I
teachwritingwithteachersof othercoursesandencourage writingacross –the – curriculum.ThiswayI
ensure that good writingisalsotaughtand demandedinthe students’othercoursesof studyto
reinforce the workIdo withmystudentsinthe writingclass.
Writinginthisdigital age hasgone beyondthe pagesof paperand is beingimprovedwithdigital
toolslike the personal computer.Itherefore solicitthe ICTDepartment’shelpintrainingmystudentsto
write usingthe computer. AccordingtoCathy Dauite , the use of computersinwritingtakesoutthe
cognitive ,social andphysical constraintsthatmake studentsfearwriting. Because of the facilityfor
revisingand editing, the thesaurus,and the two windowsoptions, studentswrite andrevise with
ease andtackle the problemsof linearityof the paperpage.Theyare well able tomove fromdraftingto
revisingtoeditingandbackto prewritingtogenerate more ideasforwriting.The laptopistherefore a
writingtool Iencourage mystudentstoown anduse daily, as theylearnto write goingthroughall the
stagesinthe writing process.
The use of PeerEvaluationhasbeenhighlightedinthe literature andIcan vouchfor its
usefulnessof teachingstudentstolearnrevisionandeditingskillswhile respondingtotheirpeer’s ,
skillstheycanbegintouse inrefiningtheirowntexts. Moreover, thistechniqueensuresstudentsget
neededformative evaluationastheycreate theirdraftswithoutthe teacherbeingboggeddownand
overwhelmedwith respondingtostudents’ first/initial drafts , thusconservingtime thatcan be
utilizedforpreparing lessonsandgrading final draftswhenneeded.Forme ,evaluationmustbe usedto
ensure studentssucceedratherthantofrustrate them. Soformative evaluationthatenablesstudents
re-see andreworkandrewrite theiressayswhile draftingandrefining theirtextsisadvocated..
Summative evaluationshouldbe keptstrictlytowardsthe endof the writingepisodetoshow students
howtheyhave progressedfromone writingassignmenttoanotherandhow theystandinthe writing
abilitygraphof the class.
In actual life situations,writersdonotwrite forthe sake of writingalone , all the time, butuse
mostof theirtextsto transactcommunicative interactionswiththeiraudiences.Thisiswhyitis
essential tocollectstudents’bestessaysandgopublicwiththem.Classwriting journals,classroom
displayboardsfor bestwriting , use of students’ textsto transactbusinessinreal life ,( forexample ,
jobapplications,letterstothe editors,etc.) , are some such publicationavenuesforstudents’ writing.
Publicationgivesstudentsasense of achievementandfurthermotivatethem towriterbetterasthey
begintosee themselvesas writers.
References

3. Dauite , C. 1985 . Writing and Computers. Reading ,Massachusetts, AddisonWesley.
Flower,L. andJ. Hayes 1981. “A Cognitive ProcessTheoryof Writing”.CollegeCompositionand
CommunicationVol.32,No.4 Dec. 1981 , pp.365- 387.
Jane Emig 1971 . The ComposingProcessesof TwelfthGraders, NCTE ResearchReportNo.13 .Urbana
, IL: National Council of Teachersof Englishpp.98
Oluwadiya,A.O. 1995. Some PrewritingTechniquesforStudentWriters. In CreativeClassroom
Activities , Thomas Kral (ed) Office of Language Programs,UnitedStatesDepartmentof State ,
WashingtonD.C. USA 20547 . p128
Zamel , V. 1982 “ Writing: The Processof DiscoveringMeaning” TESOLQuarterlyVol.16,No.2 june .,
1982 pp. 195-209