The Importance of Revision in the English Language Writing Classroom
Speaker: Dr Anitha Devi Pillai, National Institute of Education, Nanyang Technological University
(Profile link: https://www.nie.edu.sg/profile/pillai-anitha-devi)
Time: 1.30-4.30, Monday 18th March, 2019
Venue: The University of Languages and International Studies, 144 Xuan Thuy, Cau Giay, Hanoi.
Registration link (opens until 16 March 2019): https://goo.gl/forms/FAYbbKLxkTWz4bdk2
Abstract:
Have you ever wondered why your students are reluctant to revise their texts? Why does everyone agree that they need to plan, draft and revise their writing, but fail to do so? This 3-hour workshop focuses on the importance of revision in the English Language writing classroom and explores various ways in which teachers can facilitate the revision process for their students. You are invited to put yourself in your students’ shoes during the workshop where you will write and revise your texts by using strategies that you can implement in your writing classroom. As part of the course assessment, participants will reflect, evaluate and review the usefulness and effectiveness of current practices in their schools in the writing classroom. Participants will be invited to reflect on, evaluate and review the usefulness and effectiveness of current practices.
Biodata:
Dr. Anitha Devi Pillai taught General Paper and Project Work at a junior college before joining NIE in 2006. She teaches courses on writing pedagogy, academic writing, language and literacy, language teaching methods and communication skills.
She is the recipient of the Singapore University of Social Sciences Teaching Merit Award in 2013 and 2014. In 2017, she received the Research Excellence Award from Pravasi Express for her research on the Singapore Malayalee community. Her doctoral thesis focused on the discourse structures of student research papers and the acculturation practices of students to academic writing. She has published books, book chapters and journal articles on writing pedagogy, teacher education and community literacy practices. She has also delivered keynote addresses at international conferences in Singapore and the Asian region.
She is a Cambridge-certified International English Testing System (IELTS) examiner for IDP Education (Australia) and the Chief Examiner for English Proficiency Test (Writing component). She also developed tests to assess the written language proficiency of teachers from China seeking entry into NIE’s Postgraduate Diploma in English Language Teaching program. She is effectively bilingual in English and Tamil, and speaks Malayalam fluently. In addition to her academic and professional publications, she has also written poetry, short stories and newspaper articles that have been published locally and abroad. She believes strongly that writing teachers need to be readers and writers themselves, and this belief guides her in everything she does.
