A Toolkit to Assist L2 Learners Become Independent Writers

Abstract

This paper describes a resource-rich toolkit that assists EFL writers take a discoverybased approach to writing accurate and fluent English. The system helps learners identify lexico-grammatical errors by matching patterns gleaned from a very large corpus of learners ’ texts. Users are guided to appropriate language patterns as they write and revise through online declarative and procedural resources. Even as more robust and fully automatic feedback technologies evolve, comprehensive resource-rich support will remain necessary for second-language (L2) writers who must develop practical life-long language learning strategies. To assist language tutors support novice L2 writers, we have also produced tools that help tutors reinforce their students ’ independent writing and proofreading strategies. The operation and rationale of this approach have been implemented and evaluated in several Hong Kong universities and secondary schools. 1