Learning journal 6 - I\'ve opted to talk about the challenges of being an ESL student in this week\'s PDF

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I've opted to talk about the challenges of being an ESL student in this week's learning journal. According to Harris and Silva (1993), Standard writing classrooms cannot provide all the instructional assistance children require to become proficient writers if their first language is not English. It'...

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Learning Journal 6 I've opted to talk about the challenges of being an ESL student in this week's learning journal. According to Harris and Silva (1993), Standard writing classrooms cannot provide all the instructional assistance children require to become proficient writers if their first language is not English. It's critical to recognize that ESL students have a variety of difficulties that can only be handled in a one-on-one setting. The focus is on that particular student's questions, concerns, cultural assumptions, writing processes, language learning experiences, and concepts of English writing. I can connect to the situation because I am an ESL student. I've been in circumstances where I've been requested to write about a particular subject and have struggled to find the right words to explain my thoughts. I've also had to read the same page multiple times on reading assignments because I couldn't figure out what the author was trying to say. Many professors and writers have decided to write literature expressly for ESL students to address this issue. Nicola Prentis, a double award-winning EFL writer, is an excellent illustration of this. She has decided to leave teaching to create short fiction for the British Council's ESL pupils (The World, 2018). I will study one of her stories in this learning diary, titled "The Devil's in the Details" (Prentis, n.d.). The story's protagonist is Victoria, a young office worker frequently late for work and struggles to pay her rent every month. Victoria has a sister named Charlotte. After a tragic accident, life has bestowed only delights and happiness: a successful career, a loving husband, a magnificent home, and two darling daughters. Victoria wishes she could share her sister's satisfaction and good fortune, but she is dissatisfied because life has only brought her suffering and despair. One day, while she is running late for work, a strange salesperson knocks on her door and offers her the choice of extra time or complete bliss in exchange for her forever. (Principles, n.d.) Victoria is initially confused about who the man is or what he wants, but as she watches him floating and stroking his horns, she realizes he is a demon who has come to buy her soul. Victoria tries to send the man away, incredulous and shocked at the same time, by claiming that she is happy and does not believe in such things, let alone demons. "Neither did your sister, [...] Not until she had her accident of hers. My card if you change your mind." The demon answers (Prentis, n.d., para.40), leaving Victoria stunned. This narrative captivated me and provided an excellent illustration of how levels might be written to be comprehended by various learners.

References Harris, M., & Silva, T. (1993). Tutoring ESL students: Issues and options. College Composition and Communication, 44(4), 525. https://doi.org/10.2307/358388

Prentis, N. (n.d.). The devil's in the details. British Council. https://learnenglish.britishcouncil.org/general-english/story-zone/b2-c1stories/thedevils-in-the-details-b2c1 The World. (2018, March 28). Nicola Prentis. https://www.pri.org/people/nicola-prentis...