Dr. Neil Anderson

On November 12th, former TIRF Trustee, Dr. Neil Anderson, Professor Emeritus of English Language Teaching and Learning in the Faculty of Education and Social Work at Brigham Young University–Hawaii, took park in a Q&A session with colleagues in China. The session was based on a presentation he prepared for members of Chengdu Duoweimingju (DWMJ) Institute of Education, which involves language educators, researchers, and administrators throughout China.

Neil framed his presentation, entitled “Reading Effectively to Write Successfully,” by stating the following: “In educational contexts throughout the world, academic reading is the catalyst for academic writing. Indeed, Curry and Oh (2011) emphasize that academic reading is ‘a starting point for academic writing’ (p. 96). Effective classroom instruction can prepare students to read effectively in order to write successfully.”

He continued by noting that, “A central aspect of successful learning is the consistent use of a framework that engages students in healthy and critical self-assessment.” Based on the above, his session highlighted a framework that helps “to encourage students to prepare, engage, and improve in their learning.” To exemplify this approach, Neil introduced the following instructional components that can assist students with the improvement of their academic reading and writing:

  1. Identifying main ideas, supporting ideas, and details
  2. Recognizing academic writing genres
  3. Using appropriate academic vocabulary
  4. Selecting appropriate strategies
  5. Developing the ability to paraphrase
  6. Creating graphic organizers

TIRF is grateful to Neil for his presentation and for engaging with colleagues in China during the Q&A session. His work is helping TIRF meet part of its mission, which relates to offering professional development opportunities to colleagues around the world.

TIRF-delivered presentations for DWMJ will eventually be posted to TIRF’s website and promoted widely via its newsletter and social media channels. Be sure to follow future updates from TIRF for further information on its Speaker Series for DWMJ!