E-MAIL PEER GROUPS: PROVIDING STUDENTS WITH AN AUDIENCE

By Ron Corio and Christine Meloni

The Guidelines Net Projects were the result of collaborations by the two of us in other interclass projects over a period of two years. These interclasses linked ESOL students from three to nine classes in writing projects. The students and teachers exchanged self-introductions, discussed common writing topics, and peer review comments on essay drafts.

From these early experiences, we found that smaller numbers of classes and teachers were better in terms of project design and management. Fewer participating classes also make it easier to find areas of common objectives and methods for students and teachers. Planning and designing a project is much easier in a group of two or three classes (teachers). The absence of face-to-face communication requires a large number of email exchanges in order to come to agreement of all the elements of an interclass. Smaller numbers helps to make this step more manageable.

We also wanted to help students in participating classes focus on a topic by using common reading and writing assignments. To accomplish this we agreed on a common text to be used by both classes, _Guidelines: An Intercultural Reading/Writing Text_. We felt if students are reading the same material and writing to the same assignments, they will have more to talk about in their interclass communication. With this much agreed upon, we are able to write a description of the project .

The next step was to exchange students' names and electronic mail addresses (edress) and form small groups . We learned from previous interclasses that small groups gave students more opportunity to participate in discussions and were less intimidating.

The next step was to develop plan for reading and writing assignments. This step takes a lot of communication and coordination between the participating teachers, who must agree on an assignment schedule . Good planning at this stage brings later benefits as participating students from all classes are doing the same assignments and developing an authentic basis for communication.

The project began with students and teachers sending self-introductions to their group. (Teachers were members of all groups, thus receiving a copy of all email sent to the groups.)

Students, upon reading one of the essays from the textbook, wrote a reading response that they sent to their group. This would often generate responses to the reading response, thus creating and online discussion.

Essay assignments grew out of the readings. Students exchanged their first or second drafts with their groups and group members would read them and post comments for the writer (to the group).

The final group communication was a discussion and evaluation of the interclass project.

Composition teachers always stress the importance of giving students an audience for their writing. It seems, however, that students generally consider their teachers the audience and therefore tend not to focus too carefully on the communicative aspect of writing.

We'd like to show you some examples of student writing from our Guidelines Net Projects to illustrate how seriously our students took the idea of audience, how clearly they revealed that they were writing to someone while completing their assignments.

We have carried out two Guidelines Net Projects. As examples of audience-directed writing, we have chosen writing samples from our second Guidelines Net Project from the fall semester of 1996. The writings are based on an essay by May Sarton entitled "On Solitude."

Students were asked to read Sarton's essay and then send their Reading Responses to the members of their net group. In turn, each member wrote a reaction to each of his/her netmates' Reading Responses.

In her essay Sarton extolls the advantages of living alone. Her main point is that you can truly be yourself only when you are alone. She makes it clear that she treasures her friendships but time alone is essential to one's well being.

We will first look at the Reading Response of a female student from Russia to Sarton's essay and then the Reactions to her Response of three of her netmates (three male students from Taiwan, Korea, and Saudi Arabia).

From the handout

PART I. TATIANA: RESPONSE AND REACTIONS TO HER RESPONSE

A. Tatiana's Reading Response to Sarton's Essay

Date: Mon, 16 Sep 1996 15:32:58 -0400 (EDT)
From: Tatiana
To: EFL45
Cc: EFL45@gwis2.circ.gwu.edu
Subject: Group3 reading response to Sarton essay

This is a wonderful story and I enjoyed reading it. I'm glad to notice that this story reflectted some of my thoughts when I was thinking and discussing the negative and positive aspects of being alone.

The writer compared her friend's attitude and her own attitude toward loneliness. She described how her an acquaintance "found himself unexpectedly alone in New York for an hour or two" and that he discovered "that he could enjoy himself so much alone". The writer discussed that man's perception of being alone and compared it with her own "twenty years" experience of living solitary life. I like some of her thoughts. For example, she wrote, "Solitude is the salt of personhood. It brings out the authentic flavor of every experience". "Alone we can afford to be wholly whatever we are, and to feel whatever we feel absolutely". I agree with her here because it is necessary sometimes to be alone to better understand myself, to think, to make a decision or to relax.

May Sarton lived "last twenty years" alone and may be these years of loneliness changed her somewhat, but she didn't close on herself, she also had social life, she was lecturing. She really enjoyed her life, she even found that her life "becames increasingly rewarding" and she "flooded with happiness", and her picture proves that. If we take a look at the ptotograph of M.Sarton we can see the woman sitting probably at her favorite place in meadow. Her appearence, her face expresses calmness and peace. She shine from inside.

After reading this story I have a question, why this wonderful woman decided to be alone? She didn't explain that in her essay. May be she lost her relatives and had nobody to live with? or most probably she was an introvert - a person who needed to be alone to become energized. She described that after meeting people she felt lonely and needed a time to find herself and she "can converse again with my hidden powers".

B. C'S REACTION TO TATIANA'S READING RESPONSE TO SARTON'S ESSAY

Date: Wed, 18 Sep 96 0:29:02 EDT
From: a7842aa ELP013E001
To: Tatiana
cc: Group3
Subject: Re: Group3 reading response to Sarton essay

Hi, I am agree your point of view. I am the person who also enjoy being alone sometimes so I know that feeling of being alone, which relate to the author. By the way, your response is very good!!
C.C.

C. DONGHOON'S REACTION TO TATIANA'S RESPONSE TO SARTON'S ESSAY

From: Donghoon
To: Tatiana
Cc: net project
Subject: Group3 reaction on tatiana's essay

I really agree with your essay. She lived with herself for twenty years. From the her loneliness life, she may learned something really helpful to her life. Her life was different from others in our society. However, she found out and learned lessons from the her loneliness life. You wonder why she lived alone for twenty years. I think she enjoyed the her life with her solitude. Nowadays, many people wants to live in country side because cities are so crowded. They can hardly have their own privacy. She thought that she enjoyed the her solitude life.
Donghoon
George Washington University

D. MET'S REACTION TO TATIANA'S RESPONSE TO SARTON'S ESSAY

Date: Tue, 17 Sep 1996 13:26:39 -0400 (EDT)
From: Met
To: Tatiana
Cc: EFL45
Subject: Re: Group3 reading response to Sarton essay

Hi Tatiana,

I've thought in the way you wrote your Response many times. And Time after Time.....And I thought that there is some thing unique, distinctive in your thoughts. Something beyond our vision that Reflects your character. Comparing side to another side as you wrote " I was thinking and discussing the negative and positive aspects." that's indeed what I find!.

Finally, I like the question you display at the end of your Response.
YoUrS
MeTeB

>E. INSTRUCTOR RON CORIO'S REACTION TO TATIANA'S READING RESPONSE TO SARTON'S ESSAY

From: Ronald R Corio
To: Tatiana
Cc: EFL45
Subject: Re: Group3 reading response to Sarton essay

Hi Tatiana,

You ask why May Sarton chose to live alone for twenty years. Hmm . . . that is a good question. Do you think it was for other reasons than the ones she gave in the essay?

I like your point that she lived a rich life and had contact with lots of people, and your observation of her calm demeanor in the photo.

...ron

PART II. MET: RESPONSE AND REACTIONS TO HIS RESPONSE

A. MET'S RESPONSE TO SARTON'S ESSAY

Date: Mon, 16 Sep 1996 19:55:34 -0400 (EDT)
From: Meteb
To: Tatiana
Cc: EFL45
Subject: Group3 reading response to Sarton's essay

Regardless the concept of Sarton's essay, and considering the way she wrote her thoughts and her feeling in. I like it , and I notice her purpose -in my opinion - behind her style, behind her tone and last but not lest behind her theme.

In fact , I do admire the phrases she used in her essay such as "as falling in love", "we suffer from our differences of taste,temperament, mood", "he is now on the brink of adventure" and above all " music I heard with you more than music."*

I feel that her purpose of this essay might be this sentence " to those of you who are -gergarious or charming and might think that being alone, is not joyable and people who are alone such me ( me= May Sarton) don't enjoy their life or have got no life, I'm writing you such an essay". I feel that because the "evidence " she brings in the essay that is one of her acquaintance is described in the essay as " a gergarious and charming man" and this gergarious "had found him self unexpectedly alone in New Yourk." and he visited "the whitney" alone ."for him |visiting the whitney| proved to be a shock nearly as great as falling in love to discover that he could enjoy himself so much alone."

Although I agree somewhat with her thought That a person sometimes needs to be alone , I don't want to be alone for "twenty years" as an example ...And why should I ?!! I'm not a different "creature " and I'm a human being after all, I need to talk with someone . I need to share my feeling, express my ideas and Releafing my pain with whom I like and whom I love.

finally , all the above is my personal attitude toward Sarton's essay, besides we should notice the date of this essay and the age of its writer.
Thanx! :>
YoUrS
MeTeB

B. TATIANA'S REACTION TO MET'S RESPONSE TO SARTON'S ESSAY

Date: Tue, 17 Sep 1996 13:43:25 -0400 (EDT)
From: Tatiana
To: Meteb
Cc: EFL45
Subject: Re: Group3 reading response to Sarton's essay

Hi Met!

I like your reading response, your reaction is similar to mine. You are absolutely right that you noticed that purpose of Sarton's essay might be the sentence," to those of you who are think that being alone is not joyable and people who are alone such me don't enjoy their life or have got no life". People need sometimes to be alone to better understand their own thoughts, to think and make an important decision or just to relax. I also agree with you that it is impossible to be alone for twenty years, but May Sarton didn't make anybody to follow her experience, it was her way of life and she just shared her experience with her readers.

C. MET'S SPECIAL MESSAGE TO HIS ENTIRE GROUP ON SARTON'S ESSAY

Date: Mon, 16 Sep 1996 20:27:43 -0400 (EDT)
From: Meteb
To: Tatiana
Cc: EFL45
Subject: Re: Group3 reading response to Sarton's essay

Remember "music I heard with you was more than music" by which is the first line of an untitled poem by US poet Conrad Aikan.?!!

anyways ..for those of ya who haven't read it yet and want to read ..you can check out on the Web! ....Here's the address "http://www.physics.wisc.edu/~shalizi/Poetry/"

Thanx ....Enjoy the poem! :>

D. INSTRUCTOR CORIO'S REACTION TO MET'S SPECIAL MESSAGE

Date: Mon, 16 Sep 1996 22:58:16 -0400 (EDT)
From: Ronald R Corio
To: Meteb
Cc: Tatiana Beresneva,EFL45
Subject: Re: Group3 reading response to Sarton's essay

Hi Meteb,

What a nice thing you did for your group by posting the Web location of the Aiken poem that Sarton quoted in her essay.

PART III. KEVIN'S RESPONSE AND REACTIONS TO HIS RESPONSE

A. K'S RESPONSE TO SARTON'S ESSAY

Date: Mon, 16 Sep 96 17:01:11 EDT
From: a7736ak
To: EFL45
Subject: living in a solitary life
Living a solitary life.

This essay talked about a solitary life. The human is a social animal we canOt live with out any association. The first association is family and meet a friends and goes to school...... . but when we group certain age we have to independent from home that is western culture but our traditional cultureOs not. I was grew up and educated when I get marry I have response to live with my parent and take care. So we donOt have chance to living a solitary life. However this is 20th century so our culture blended with western. Still some of parent want live with their children.

In America, most people independent at age of 18. however, I donOt have any experience live by my self until came to school. The fist couple of month felt strange but I used on new situation because I have a lot of thing to do. Also, I didnOt find out not much difference live with my parent. Because I went the home every weekend. However, many of my female friend prefer solitary life from their parent. Because, parent are more strict to than son.

I don't know which one is good or bad. Because of most people have different life style and thought.

B. MIYUKI'S REACTION TO KEVIN'S RESPONSE TO SARTON'S ESSAY

Date: Tue, 17 Sep 1996 12:58:57 -0400 (EDT)
From: Miyuki Ono
To: Group4
Subject: Group4 reading response for K's reaction to Sarton

I agree with you. I believe that we can't live without other people like friends or family. But I think we also need to be alone a couple of hours. Even if we live with our family, we can get some hours to be alone. And if girls begins to live apart from her family, it doesn't mean she gets solitary life, does it? Even if we live by ourselves, we will meet our friends or family. We need to be both alone and with others.

C. SERRA'S REACTION TO K'S RESPONSE TO SARTON'S ESSAY

Date: Tue, 17 Sep 1996 13:36:47 -0400 (EDT)
From: Serra
To: a7736ak
Cc: group
Subject: group 4:Response to K's reaction

Hi;

I got your reaction.That was interesting to say that people are social animals but, I think that I read that somewhere.

I think that it's a different situation that girls like to live alone because their family are very strict. Because they just choose it to be more free. I mean they can live with friends. They don't choose to be alone for just they like to live alone.

Anyway; I can say that I mostly agree with you.Yes, people think different things. You can never know...

PART IV. EID'S REACTIONS TO NETMATES'S RESPONSES

A. EID'S REACTION TO RONALD'S RESPONSE TO SARTON'S ESSAY

Date: Tue, 17 Sep 1996 13:28:05 -0400 (EDT)
From: Eid
To: Ronald
Cc: Group
Subject: Re: Reading Response to May Sarton's short story

GOOD response Ronald. i like when you start with the positive aspect. i am going to watch the sun rise from now on ...oooh i forgot the weather is bad these days.

About the negative aspect i also agree with you. each time i be alone i feel emptiness inside me. but ronald i am telling you my friend i can't live my live alone.

your friend Eid

B. EID'S REACTION TO A'S RESPONSE TO SARTON'S ESSAY

Date: Mon, 30 Sep 1996 01:03:00 -0400 (EDT)
From: Eid
To: a7736aa
Cc: Group
Subject: Re: Response to Sarton article

hi A.:

i am really sorry that am responding to you little bit late: you wrote really a good respond. you seemed also that you read the articale very well. that is right we need people most of the time. but there is some time that the person need to be alone. about music, it really depends in the person himself and in the type of the music that you are listening to. i myself prefer listening for some music with others. frankly, i can't dance alone.

you seem to me that you are a social guy. good for you. something i would add, is that we should consider the age. i think you know what i am saying.

C. EID'S REACTION TO KO'S RESPONSE TO SARTON'S ESSAY

Date: Mon, 30 Sep 1996 01:11:13 -0400 (EDT)
From: Eid
To: a7842al
Cc: Group
Subject: Re: Response to Sarton article
ko whats up :

nice repose. i think you do enjoy being lonely sometimes especially when you take care of flowers. but think i didn't understand is your first pragraph. but i got your main point at the end.

please try to clear espacially at the beginning because it makes it easy for me to uderstand your point at the begin.

STUDENT EVALUATIONS:
THE GUIDELINES NET PROJECT #2

I. SS

We have gotten great opportunity to write about our opinion about the English language program class. This class is actually designed to improve students' ability to write better and clear. The most important part of this course is that, it is designed for foreign students, and instructor we have has a tremendous experience to work with foreign students to improve their writing skills.

In this full time semester class, our ELP class student get the great advantage of modern computer technology communication, which is Internet. Actually VCU's ELP class has collaborated with the same class in George Washington University, and I think it is the result of our instructor Mr Ron Corio's efforts and interest with his students to provide them good learning environment.

In this class we students are divided in five groups, including the students from GWU. Each group has great communication about their writings and about their experiences they are having in this class. Briefly it is the picture of great learning environment and providing opportuniy to work with other people on Internet.

During this course we have to write several papers. In usual class you have to turn in your paper to your teacher after making print outs, but in this class we are directly connected to our instructor. As a result, we have to send our writing to our teacher by sending him through internet, and in my perspective it is such a great and efficient method. I can say this is the best way to use computer communication technology.

The environment of writing in this class is like running in drizzle because if you are running in the drizzle, you can't feel that you are getting wet, but when you stop running, you realize that you really got wet during drizzle. This course is same like running in the drizzle because by the end of that course I am feeling that I am kind of wet with the knowledge of basic writing skills.

I almost like everything in this course. The thing I really like in this course is the method of In class writing and giving us in class news. This shows an enthusiasm of teacher with course and students. I had a hard time to type paper on computer because of my poor typing skills, but continuous typing really improved my typing skills also.

This activity is really great and everything in that course is really helpful and understandable, but if you can give some more in class writings, then it will be real great; otherwise, the contents of this course is extremely magnificent.

I thing I am learning a lot in this class because I read somebody's famous saying I can't recall his name, but he said that " Nothing is sacred in writing, anything you write can be improved".

II. NV

World wide communications are helpful not only for business but also for education. People can communicate and sent the information by electronic mail which is very effective and fast. >From this advantage, our instructor Mr. Ron Corio give us a chance to use electronic mail over internet for exchange our works and responses to students in George Washington University in Washington,D.C. and the another section of advance writing class at VCU.

I think this program is very helpful. I can receive the responses and comments from my instructor and my friends in my group. This program gives me a lot of optunites to make new friends, exchange ideas and I can receive the comments that other people think about my works.

The most helpful thing in this program is I can receive the opinions of other people about my works. Everytime that I write a response or essay I usually sent that work to my group. After people in my group receive my work they always give me a comment.

In this point I think this program give me more optunity to receive an opinion of the other people.

The another helpful point of this program is I can make a new friend with a person in my group. This program gives me a good optunity to know a person in my group by elm. Everytime that I response the other people work I always ask them about their class and the thing that happen in their life.Then from this optunity I have a chance to make a relation with them.

The another point that I like about this program is I can do my work at my house. This program give me an optunity to do my work from my computer over internet. I don't have to do my work at VCU I can do my work at my free time or before bedtime. I have my own file to keep all the work that I done. I think this is a good advantage of computer.

From all the helpful points of this program make me like it. I rally enjoy my work. I can receive a lot of opinion ,make more friends and I can safe my time. So I want to thank you my instructor who give me a grate program.

III. EB

One of the newest ways in communication is the electronic mail over Internet. The electronic mail is being use for many people in their work places and schools. In my school, I use electronic mail to communicate with students from a different University, such as George Washington University in Washington D.C..

When I was learning about electronic mail, I though it was difficult, and I didn't like it at the beginning, but now that I learned to use it, I have fun reading somebody else comments and I enjoy sending them my comments too.

Actually, electronic mail was new for me. I never used it before. I was very surprised when I found out all the different things that I can do through electronic mail. I couldn't believe that I was communicating with somebody who was far away from me, and not even on the phone; we were talking through the computer. Also through the electronic mail, I could turn in all my comments to students essays, and at the same time I received their comments about my essays which were very helpful to me.

Electronic mail, I think has a lot of advantages for everybody who wants to used it. I want to enumerate some of the reasons why I think that E mail is advantageous.

First, I think it save time because if you want to send a message to somebody by regular mail, it will take at least a couple of days. Second, If you want to send the message through one of those fast mail ways, for example, federal express; it may not be on time and any accident can happen to the deliver. Third, E mail goes person to person, it is private because you need to know the person's code or address to send him a message. Nobody will be able to go and check your messages without your code.

I want to tell you something that I heard in the show of Oprah, You know that in this show sometimes Oprah shows unbelievable cases. This was one of those. A couple, a girl and a boy knew to each other through electronic mail. They were sending messages to each other very often and created a good relationship. Later they became boyfriend and girlfriend through electronic mail, some months later they get engage and get married through electronic mail without knowing to each other. Actually, they meet for the first time at the Oprah's show after a month that they get married.

In conclusion, I am glad that I learned the process of electronic mail and practice with other student. Now I know how to use it and I will save time with my messages and communicate with other people. I like electronic mail. IV. MM

When I first came to VCU, I was required to take some English language classes. One of these classes was the Advanced Grammar and composition class. Mr.Ron Corio was the instructor of this class. I started late because of some circumstances, so i had to catch up.

My first day in the Advanced Grammar class was really hard, I was watching all the students working on their computers. I was confused by asking myself. Am I taking a grammar class or a beginning computer class ? Day by day I understood the purpose of working on computer in a grammar class. It is right, I had alot of difficulty in working on computers and using electronic mail over Internet. But when I learned how to use the computer, I really enjoyed working on them.

The first week in the class, I did not know that we have to share our responses to articles and stories to other students from George Washington University. Before we started sharing or share our responses to articles and stories to other students from George Washington University. Before we started sharing or responses to the articles to other students from our groups. Everybody shared an introduction on himself to every student in his group, so we can have the opportunity to know to whom we are sharing our writing assignments to. It was really interesting for me to share my responses to other students and receiving their responses too on my E-Mail address.

Right now we are close to the end of this semester and I really feel that my writing ability is improved. Because it was not a kind of class that you had to write an essay and receive your mark on it from you instructor. It makes you feel that you are learning alot of things in one class. First of all you improve your typing on the computer by learning with this system. second you will learn how to communicate with other students from other universities and from different countries. Finally you will defiantly improve your writing. I really thank who had this brilliant idea, and who had designed it.

Authors are always appreciative of feedback but how often do they receive it? With e-mail it's easy! Christine asked her students to write directly to the author of Guidelines to give their opinions of the book. Spack provided the students with some questions to answer.

A MESSAGE FROM THE AUTHOR OF GUIDELINES

Date: Mon, 2 Dec 1996 10:25:28 -0500 (EST)
From: Ruth K Spack
To: Christine Meloni
Subject: GUIDELINES NET PROJECT

Thank you for sending me a copy of the syllabus for the Guidelines Net Project. It was interesting to see which readings you decided to assign. I was wondering why you chose those particular readings (and not others) and was also curious about students' reactions to the readings you did choose. (This includes students in Ron's class.)

If students would be willing to write to me, I would appreciate hearing from them to learn their reactions to the readings. How difficult/easy were they? To what extent did the readings relate to their own lives? Did they learn something new through the reading? Did the readings take on new meaning after the class discussions? etc.

I also wonder if they read any of the readings you didn't assign, and, if so, which ones and why.

Finally, I wonder how helpful the writing instruction in the book is. In my own class, I directly teach from certain sections (e.g., quoting and paraphrasing) but for much of the book I merely suggest to students that other sections may be helpful. I think that some writers like to look at sample student writing and other students may find it distracting. Likewise, some students need specific ideas for organizing and others find that such instruction gets in the way of their creativity. What do your students think?

I hope I haven't asked too many questions. Students who want to write to me should choose any questions that are relevant to their own experience in your classroom -- or they can ignore my questions and just write to me about any subject related to the book that they want to share.

Again, thanks for the syllabus.

Best wishes,

Ruth

A sample of student responses will be posted at a later date.

You may wish to learn more about the two Guidelines Net Projects.