Responding to ESL Students' Texts: The Myths of Appropriation

Abstract

Responding to students' texts is central to successful composition teaching and learning, yet many ESL writing teachers are fearful that their responses to students' academic prose may appropriate student texts and thereby disempower their students. This paper reviews the historical bases for the appropriation issue in native English speaker (NES) and ESL writing classrooms, then focuses on the reasons for the development of myths of appropriation: the exclusion of the social context in writing, both in the classroom and in academic discourse communities, as well as a tendency not to differentiate intervention from appropriation. As a direct result of these myths, many teachers have stepped outside the communication processes of their students. Instead of entering the conversation of composing and drafting, instead of helping students negotiate between their interests and purposes and the experiences and intentions of their academic readers, many teachers have retreated into a hands-off approach to student writing. This article concludes with suggestions that encourage teachers to use their roles as writing experts and cultural informants to empower students in their writing.