Olaide WaheedNot many people know that one can encounter more than 525 native languages that are spoken in Nigeria! Although the official language of the country is English, we also have over 60 million people who use Nigerian Pidgin in their daily communications. Since it poses a certain mental barrier, teaching effective writing skills to Nigerian students can represent a problem even though most of them will have perfect English skills. The challenges relate to the mental block many learners have as the very nature of the English-speaking world culture is often unknown and confusing to the learners, especially the youngsters. Therefore, educators, both in Nigeria and beyond, implement various practices and strategies to achieve success.
Teaching Effective Writing Skills to Nigerian Students: Best Practices and Strategies
– Focusing on Reading Skills.
It is not a secret that children all over the world can only improve their writing skills if they gain access to more books and master the art of reading. The surveys that have been conducted among Nigerian schools and colleges prove that reading is the most critical element worth exploring as it is the best way to improve one’s grammar, spelling, structure, and text comprehension skills. As a great solution, you can offer your students to start writing short stories as it will help to improve their imagination and creativity.
– Introduction of Gamification.
Adding more games to the curriculum is another way to improve writing skills efficiently, as children can take notes and improve their reaction skills. Starting with the basic board games to the use of word quizzes, most teachers will be able to achieve success by keeping the young learners inspired. If you are unsure about how to structure instructions for a specific game or what you have is overly complex for your age group, consider reading the best essay writing service reviews and finding an expert who can understand your situation. Ask them to get things simplified for your learners, and they will happily assist you with the task or provide you with helpful suggestions!
– Blogging and Journaling Practices.
Depending on the use of technology and available resources, writing skills can be improved by turning to online blogging and social media, where the learners can start a class journal and always contribute there. It also helps to learn more about how to structure one’s writing and narrow down the list of ideas. If technology is not available, it is possible to create classroom newspapers by using drawings, photographs, or any creative elements to make things vivid and impressive. It is also possible to work the old way by keeping a classroom diary in writing where students can stick their notes or handwritten additions.
– Global Cooperation Projects.
The majority of schools in Nigeria may consider online, or postal cooperation with schools in England as the curriculum content and specifics are mostly similar. The youngsters can exchange information and share both online and handwritten correspondence based on the age group and the school’s progress. It will introduce an element of inspiration to the total equation and help students to learn differently as they also improve their social communication skills. When you cooperate with schools in England or elsewhere, your students can exchange ideas, and you will see many new solutions as an educator looking for help. After all, when you establish cooperation and work on some global project, you always learn new things and learning methods.
The Limited Use of Technology
Most teachers in Nigeria are limited in terms of available technologies and the use of the Internet in schools. It is a reason why they tend to use more creativity and focus on the improvement of cognitive and artistic skills of the learners by turning to creative newspapers and presentations where students can express themselves. The practice shows that students are not simply getting their writing skills improved but also learning how to implement them in practice. It shows that even with limited use of modern technology, it’s still possible to improve one’s writing skills and achieve success as one explores different cultures and learns.
Author BIO
Andrew Mazur loves to travel the world as he explores different cultures and the use of technology in education. As an educator and online learning content developer, Andrew loves to share his thoughts and helpful tips. Follow Andrew to take your learning process to another level, and always stay inspired.