We need more explicit writing instruction
Writing is hard for everyone, that’s a given.
But writing is hard in a different way for native speakers and non-native speakers of English.
Native speakers have been taught to write clearly, both implicitly for years and somewhat more explicitly in higher education. They can rely on their feeling about "what sounds good". I have spent years thinking about how we can best approach native speakers and non-native speakers differently when teaching them to write well.
First we have to acknowledge that these two populations have entirely different language experiences.
A native speaker
Here is a typical native speaker's experience of language and writing:
I have only ever spoken one language in my life-- English. I have been exposed to the rhythm and nuance of the language every day since before I was born. I learned parallelism and rhythm on my parent's knees. I have been exposed to some of the best writing that English has to offer as part of my basic education because the art of language is valued in my culture (English class in school is called “language arts” for a reason!). In short, I’ve had a lifetime to develop a feeling for what makes writing “good”. I trust my feeling. I can use many different forms easily. My vocabulary is extensive and I know the feelings that different words evoke and which words they connect with. Even at university, I am required to take at least one course in writing composition, no matter my field. I am given writing style guides to read. Everything I do and will do is in English.
A non-native speaker
And here is a typical non-native speaker´s experience (from the Netherlands, with a high level of English in society!):
I speak at least two languages, and I probably spoke a language other than English for most of my childhood. I have only been exposed to English since late childhood or early adolescence. Even then, my time learning other languages has been divided: as a teenager in the Netherlands, it was often divided between Dutch, French, German and English, not to mention Latin and Greek. And I have not learned other subjects (like biology, history, math) in English, but in my native language. When I did learn English, my teachers focused on teaching me grammar, vocabulary, and pronunciation. Then, at university, I suddenly had to start speaking, writing, and processing all the information in English. It has been exhausting, and I am constantly questioning myself. I am not taught what makes English writing “good”. Most of the what I read in English is "academic": badly written and complicated. I wonder if I am supposed to copy this style? I struggle to understand what some of these academic articles are saying. I think I must not be good enough. I think the problem is me: I need to work on my English so I can understand them. The other languages in my mind are constantly interfering with my English structure. I lack confidence. I think that I am not allowed to write in a way that makes sense to me.
Clearly, non-native speakers are at a disadvantage
They have had so much less opportunity to develop their feeling for good writing in English, simply because the course of their lives has been different.
So how can we expect them to learn to write implicitly, based on feeling, like native speakers do?
What if we teach them more explicitly?
Learning explicitly
When non-native English speakers are explicitly taught to write, they reap multiple benefits:
- They actively use critical thinking skills and logical reasoning. They do not blindly follow without understanding why.
- They feel more confident because they can recognize what makes a text objectively hard to read. In other words, they know they are not the problem.
- They play a more active role in team discussions because they can reason with their colleagues about the best solution for their situation. They do not feel confined to follow rules that may not fit their situation.
After almost 15 years of teaching highly educated non-native English speakers how to write clearly, I am convinced that explicit teaching is the way to help them improve. We cannot ask them to "use their ear". We can ask them to reason about their choices.