1. Citation

Hirsch, Linda, and Carolina DeLuca. WAC in an Urban and Bilingual Setting: Writing-to-Learn in English y En Espanol. p. 13.

2. Summary

WAC in an Urban and Bilingual Setting focused on the class of Professor Carmen Marin and how she and a writing fellow developed a former humanities course, taught in English, for second language learners who spoke primarily Spanish, but with little writing background. This class was done through the Hostos Community College in conjunction with the City University of New York (CUNY). Part of the system at Hostos is that language is not a barrier to knowledge, and they provide ESL classes to help any students transition to taking full time English courses (62). The goal became using writing in the student’s native language (L1) to begin making connections between their L1 and the language they seek to acquire (L2). Professor Marin’s class proceeded following the idea that proficiency in acquiring an L2 would be helped by better proficiency in an L1. (Supported by Shaw Gynan’s studies in Paraguay. Gynan retired last year from the MCL department here at Western.)

Much of Professor Marin’s assignments tended to focus more on engaging the students personally rather than providing a yes/no dichotomy for answers, which allowed them to write longer and engage thoroughly with the material presented. This ties in well with the way we encourage English 101 students to ask “how” or “why” questions in formulating their research questions, as these create fundamentally different questions. Her grading presentation was low stake, but the assignments were difficult, similar to the culture we’ve created in 101 with the grading contract and this RAB bibliography (65). Further examples of questions and student work are provided, as well as an examination of assumptions instructors make of students on occasion and how those were combated in Professor Marin’s classroom.

The article concludes by touting the successes of this bilingual class, making the argument that bilingual education has a definite role to play in WAC (71).

3. Quote Bank

“Recognizing our bilingual mission and desiring all students to use writing not merely to demonstrate knowledge, but to create it, we began to explore the use of WAC principles and practices in courses taught in Spanish. Our goals were to: 1) provide writing practice and improve writing proficiency for students in their native language; 2) use writing as a means of learning and making sense of course material; and 3) contribute to research on the connections between proficiency in the native language and the acquisition of the second language (Cummins, Roberts).” (62)

“Portions of assignments written in Spanish have been translated into English, and full-length copies of all assignments are available on the Hostos WAC website: www.hostos.cuny.edu/wac. From our perspectives and hoping to convey some of Professor Marin’s enthusiasm, intellectual curiosity, and self-reflective teaching practices, we consider the effects of writing in these classes as well as the implications for WAC in a bilingual setting.” (62-63)

“One of the more difficult hurdles in teaching a class united by language yet radically diverse in cultures, dialects and experiences, was to find appropriate textbook materials that spoke to these different backgrounds. This was particularly difficult to do as there were few course materials written in Spanish. Professor Marin located a general reader with primary sources (Obras Maestras) and a cultural/ historical textbook (Fernandez, et al.), both edited in Spain. Each inevitably read culture and history through an essentially Iberian slant. The paucity of appropriate materials and the narrow, cultural visions of both readers resulted in instructor-generated materials and the need to create a series of low-stakes, informal assignments that would make sense to a culturally diversified, yet linguistically unified student population.” (64)

“For the revision of this assignment for her Spanish-speaking class, Professor Marin decided that nothing was to be assumed: No previous contact with art, no familiarity with the Upper East Side of Manhattan, and certainly no knowledge of the physical space of the Metropolitan Museum. The assignment’s goals were to provide: 1) exposure to art, 2) more opportunity for writing in Spanish, 3) an awakening of the senses and initiation into an aesthetic process, 4) an articulation of feelings deriving from aesthetic observation and analysis, and 5) opportunity for individual student work.” (67)

“Before distributing the project, both Professor Marin and the Writing Fellow tried it themselves, a key step, they had discovered, in creating effective assignments. This preview of responses allowed Professor Marin to organize the assignment logistically and to assess its manageability.” (67)

“For Professor Marin, the humanities were a fundamental part of everyone’s education. Responses to the class assignments demonstrated that aesthetic experience reported and translated into writing allowed the work of art to become tangible and relevant. Grappling with artwork was no longer an abstract assignment to be rushed through and submitted for a grade, but was rather intended to be a meaningful process of growth and discovery. Art was not a means to the end of expressing judgment, but the beginning of a process of inquiry—a process of discovering meaning, a process of discovering self. Writing was a means of engaging in this exploration. For the students in both these classes writing-to-learn and learning to write were part of an ever-evolving process. Our examination of the pedagogical practices undertaken in these classes indicates that in a bilingual setting, there appears to be a place for bilingual WAC.” (71)

4. Reflection

I find quite a bit of common ground with the goals of Professor Marin in integrating bilingualism into a writing studies program. The focus on teaching students in their L1 to improve proficiency is their L2 (62) connects well to research that was not available in her time, and gives me a new level of respect for her instinctual ability in teaching. I was surprised at the advanced level of understanding for second language learners reflected in a classroom from 2002.

One area that I questioned was the introduction of Shakespeare to the students. While I understand the desire not to ostracize anyone by having primary sources from Spain that are slanted against people who come largely from what used to be Spanish colonies (64), authentic texts are often recommended in language courses, and substituting English colonialism for Spanish colonialism feels like a weak gesture. However, I do wonder what research could be done in teaching students translated version of the L2 in their L1, and how that can benefit them. I have personally found it helpful when I can read a Spanish text in the original Spanish, read a translation, and then reread the original to make sure I have a full understanding of the text. I have not seen any research into this, and would wonder about the effectiveness of teaching texts that are authentic in the target language, but have been translated into the student’s L1.

While we didn’t see any of the pre-revised questions that perpetuated a binary yes or no response, I enjoyed the personal nature of the questions and the level of effort that Professor Marin put into preparing her lessons. I found her willingness to do her own assignments an inspiration that I’m not sure I could follow with English 101, given the time constraints all graduate students have.

In general, at the end of this article, I regret that we do not have a second language requirement in the masters program that has an appropriate testing method, and I regret the speed at which we are expected to learn. The force of the quarter system doesn’t allow for the kind of full education that allows for a tangible and real grasp of the material we cover (71).