Sessions

Addressing the Reading-Writing Gap in Second Language Learning

Research shows that reading and writing are closely connected. Students who can read well can be expected to write well. However, repeated observations show that this is not always the case. Students who have developed an advanced reading ability often continue to experience difficulty when they try to express themselves in writing. In my talk, I first discuss oft-cited sources of students’ writing difficulties, which typically involve difficulties at the linguistic (e.g., grammar and vocabulary) and cognitive levels (e.g., text coherence). I will then explore the relationship between reading and writing in detail, highlighting areas that need to be linked more closely together. In the last section, I will present an instructional model that can promote more efficient processing of language by the students. The model encourages student writers to engage in writerly reading and readerly writing to further strengthen their writing proficiency. This talk will be of interest to teachers who wish to better understand the link between reading and writing and how they can help students become better writers. Dr. Willy A Renandya is a language teacher educator with extensive teaching experience in Asia. He currently teaches applied linguistics courses at the National Institute of Education, Nanyang Technological University, Singapore. He is a frequent speaker at international ELT conferences and has published extensively in the area of second language education. His publications include Language Teaching Methodology: An anthology of current practice (CUP 2002, with Jack C Richards) and Student-centred cooperative learning (Springer 2019, With George Jacobs).