Collaborative Colour-coding for Academic Paragraph Writing

We report on collaborative action-research at an English programme atInternational Christian University in Japan. Specifically, the study aims to helpJapanese learners of English write a unified and coherent academic paragraph fora research essay by developing materials aligned to a pedagogical design. Wehave identified a persistent problem in students' writing, i.e. a lack of the essentialelements within a body paragraph. In order to create a more effective bridgebetween students' knowledge of how to write a paragraph and their performance,material has been developed that highlights eight essential elements of anacademic paragraph. In an attempt to assess the effectiveness of different uses ofthe material, various types of data were collected which include self and peerparagraphs, their interaction during the peer review activity, and teacherobservations. The main preliminary findings are that the material provides aplatform for an effective peer review as well as for teacher-student conferences,and it encourages students to write independently.