An Integrated Approach to Using I- annotate for Academic Writing Feedback on ESAP Courses Nancy Carter and Alex Golding

Outline

• 1) Global processing and an integrated approach

• 2) I-annotate and a practical demonstration

• 3) Our research findings

Global = top-down & Local = bottom-up

•

Fodor (1983)

• ‘Input’ and ‘central’ systems

• Sensory organs perceptual modules central systems of rational thought

• Informationally encapsulated

• ‘The operations of the input systems are in certain respects unaffected by such feedback’ (Fodor, 1983, p. 66).

Psycholinguistics- Kutas (2006) • Reciprocal connections

• One square millimetre…

• Bottom-up 14,000 feedforward neurons • Top-down 11,000 feedback neurons

Coulson (2006)

• Language and vision

• Feedback neurons (or top-down connections) shape meaning

• A colour cell changes shape due to background information

Spinelli (2005)

Coulson (2006) Event- Related Potentials (ERP)• N400- semantic ambiguity

Coulson (2006)

• Dutch trains are _______ sour/ white and expensive

• Sour = semantic violation (local)• White = world knowledge violation (global)

Integrated Approach to Feedback

Top-downClarityStructure of paragraphsFlow of ideasCohesion of ideasOrganisation of whole

assignment

Bottom-up• Word choice• Word form• Spelling • Tense • Subject verb agreement• Missing word • Word order• Academic style• Referencing

Practical Demonstration and Information

Essay Feedback Questionnaire 1) Was the feedback what

you expected? • yes• no2) Which did you find most

useful?• colour coding• text comments• audio comments3) Amount of feedback:• too much• too little

4) Clarity of feedback:• too vague or ambiguous• clear5) Was the feedback

helpful for: (you can highlight more than one answer)

• overall organisation of your assignment

• clarity of ideas• linking of ideas• specific language mistakes