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I grew up in the United States where I was immersed in the English language since birth. Therefore, I took my knowledge of the language for granted and thought that it was one of the easiest languages to learn. It wasn't until I became a teacher of English Language Arts that I realized how complex the language really was. My students were mostly English speaking American-born youths and adults, and I began to wonder how an individual for whom English was a second language could possibly learn all that is needed to know in order to speak, read, and write fluently. There are four areas of language skills: Productive skills that include speaking and writing, and Receptive skills that include reading and listening. The most difficult to master is writing. Speaking and writing are important communication skills. Although ESL learners are usually eager to learn to speak and read English, they often shy away from developing writing skills. I have known foreign born individuals who have learned to read and speak effectively, but can barely write. Although many American-born individuals find writing to be difficult, it is especially problematic for those of whom English is a second language. ESL students may also be fearful of writing when they have not yet developed fluency in the language. However, writing should be taught alongside other language skills, to reassure that students are not deprived of this important skill. It is my belief that learning to write will also help to develop fluency in reading, as reading is inherent in the learning of writing. According to L. Harmer (How to teach English, 1998) learning to write includes reinforcement of language skills and language development. A study in the Journal of Education and Social Sciences (volume 4, 2016) revealed that the major problems faced by ESL students who are learning writing include an insufficient command over grammar, syntax, and vocabulary. Spelling is also a problem for ESL learners, as many of the letters of the English language have more than one sound, unlike languages such as German and Spanish. The letters of the English alphabet has 26 letters, but represents 44 different sounds (http://readandspell.com/us/I-can't-spell). This can make both reading and writing confusing. Another difficulty in learning both reading and writing are letter groups such as “ough” that cannot be spelled or pronounced by the sounds of individual letters. In addition, letter groups may have more than one pronunciation, as in the words “rough” and “through.” Students whose native language have different alphabetic symbols, such as Russian and Chinese, have the additional burden of needing to learn to write the English alphabet. Some of the challenges faced by ESL learners in writing may be caused by lack of reading and writing practice, as well as low motivation. Students should be taught the rules of spelling and commonly used exceptions. Increased reading, conscious and incidental vocabulary teaching, and writing practice would help produce better writers. Teachers can increase motivation by helping instill in her students an understanding and feeling of the importance of writing as a form of communication. Writing tasks should be uncomplicated and not go beyond students abilities in order to allow for feelings of accomplishment in the students, which will increase confidence and the motivation to learn and to practice their developing skill.
