TESL Canada Journal, Volume 26, Issue 2, 2009

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Paper Partners: A Peer-Led Talk-Aloud Academic Writing Program for Students Whose First Language of Academic Study is Not English

Andrea Vechter, Christopher Brierley

Abstract


This article examines the Paper Partners program at Ryerson University, Toronto. This peer-mentoring program was developed to support the academic writing skills of students whose first language of academic study was not English. The program integrated a team of student-facilitators, a talk-aloud co-editing process, and a reflective feedback component. The article looks at (a) the process of developing a campus-wide program using a team of student-facilitators specially trained to support English academic writing skills; (b) program assessment based on feedback received from student-writers and facilitators; and (c) the contribution of the program to the language-learning experience. The article concludes with encouragement for postsecondary institutions to develop peer-led languagelearning opportunities on campus to create and celebrate a truly international learning community.

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ISSN: 0826-435X

TESL Canada Journal is indexed in CBCA Education (Canadian Education Index), EBSCO, ERIC, The Gale Group, and H.W. Wilson.