Summary of the article
The article I reviewed is written by Volker Hegelheimer and David Fisher from Iowa State University, entitled “Grammar, Writing, and Technology: A Sample Technology-supported Approach to Teaching Grammar and Improving Writing for ESL Learners”. This article describes how, by exploiting the capabilities of technology and implementing the principles of computer-assisted language learning, learner texts can be transformed and integrated into an effective online resource. The article first introduces the readers to the topic at hand by revealing how the technology can help improve the learners’ grammar in writing. Moving into the next chapter, the authors restate and highlight the need to include grammar instruction as part of English as the second language (ESL) writing courses. The third chapter discloses review work that has been done using learner corpora to assist with grammar instruction. The following chapters suggest several features to be included in a Web-based resource based on information derived from the interactionist theory of second language acquisition (SLA), and review existing writing systems such as the Daedalus Integrated Writing System and Prep Editor and the Intelligent Web-based Interactive Language Learning (IWiLL) system. The authors then outline four stages used in the development of the Internet Writing Resource for the Innovative Teaching of English (iWRITE), describe the system's components, and give examples of its pedagogical uses. In the last chapter of the paper, the authors propose an interactivity dimensions and ESL considerations table to evaluate the usefulness of this Web application.
Critical reflection
The introduction chapter of this article provides the readers with a clear view of what to expect from the authors. The fact that the authors provide a brief summary of information at the end of the introduction for the readers, has resulted in the inclination and interest to further read the article. In this chapter, the authors also briefly outline the reason and need to explore the technological ways to help improve grammar in writing and thus, cater to the learners’ needs. The next chapter of the article, basically the literature review, offers readers with useful and prominent literature on writing and grammar. It discusses how grammar in writing has progressed over the decades, and points out to readers the views and findings of previous research which have become the foundation for the design and creation of the resource material presented in the article. The following chapter describes about learner corpora, a collection of learner’s written or spoken texts, particularly in ESL writing. This part of the article offers previous approaches and insights on various grammar errors based on the learner corpora. Furthermore, this chapter stresses the need to transform the learner corpora into useful learning and teaching tools using CALL and online interactivity. This is linked well with the subsequent chapter of the article, discussing on CALL, writing systems and web interactivity. The authors offer several views and discuss a few types of writing systems developed to improve learning and teaching in grammar writing, however, one the most significant part of the paper, the interactionist theory, is pointed out at the end of this chapter. This theory is the theoretical framework that serves as a basis for the development and assessment of an online resource, integrating grammar, writing, and the use of learner corpora, hence becoming the foundation of the article. The hypothesis in the interactionist theory states that acquisition occurs only when linguistic input becomes intake, comprehended syntactically and semantically by the learner. Guided by this, researchers came up with criteria and interactivity dimensions to assess a system’s level of interactivity. Although the authors could have included more researchers to support the interactionist theory, the few existing accounts are credible for readers to start with. The authors then provide readers with an overview of the iWRITE system, developed based on the interactionist theory, including descriptions on four stages of the system. All four stages are explained briefly and clearly, offering readers smooth reading on the topic. Moreover, the stages are supported with related literature and presented with simple tables and figures, which help sustain the readers’ attention and interest reading the article. The stages presented assist the readers to further understand the iWRITE system developed by the authors. In addition to this, the authors do not only mention the advantages of the application, but also the need to include more text thus improving the system over time. In the conclusion, the authors outlined the benefits of the system in relation to each stages described, building stronger understanding of the topic. Besides that, the authors provide readers with an Interactivity dimensions and ESL considerations table which readers can use to eavaluate the system and other Web-based application. In the end, readers are led to view iWRITE as a prototype of smart, dynamic, and learner corpus-based application that will enhance language learning in the future.
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