SLW News is soliciting articles on second language writing theory, research, and pedagogy in all ESL/EFL settings.

SLW News welcomes articles that focus on multilingual writers and characteristics and text features, classroom materials and practices, placement and assessment issues, writing program administration, teacher development, and other related areas. SLW News encourages submissions related to any educational setting, especially traditionally underrepresented contexts (pre-K–12, 2-year colleges, community programs, international settings, and writing centers in those settings). In light of the newsletter’s electronic format, authors are encouraged to include hyperlinks and use an array of multimodal features.

Deadlines

Deadlines are 1 September for the November issue and 1 March for the May issue.

General Submission Guidelines

Articles should

• be no longer than 1,750 words (including the 50-word abstract, tables, bios, and references)
• contain no more than five citations
• include a 50-word (maximum 500 characters) abstract and two- to three-sentence author biography
• be accompanied by an author photo (.jpg)
• follow the style guidelines in the latest edition of the Publication Manual of the American Psychological Association (APA style)
• be in an MS Word (.doc/.docx) document

All tables, graphs, and other images should be submitted as separate .jpg files.

Please direct your submissions and questions to Svetlana Koltovskai, SLW News Managing Editor

E-mail: slwisnewsletter@gmail.com

See the following for more information concerning book reviews and submissions related to specific topics and contexts.

Bridging Research and Pedagogy

SLW News welcomes compelling and insightful reviews of a current journal article that explores the teaching and learning of writing to multilinguals. Anyone interested in writing a review for SLW News may choose a recently published peer-reviewed article or book chapter in the field and contact one of the editors for approval. The chosen article or book chapter should offer a fresh perspective on researching multilingual writing, and highlight its implications for pedagogy in a clear and concise manner. Submissions should include the following items:

• Summary of the article
• Implications for writing instruction
• Anecdote or personal reflection on how the article’s insights influence own teaching/learning experiences

Research Briefs

SLW News welcomes summaries of research projects that summarize an ongoing or recent study on multilingual writing/writers in the field of SLW or that deal with multilingual writers. Submissions should include the following items:

• statement of the problem
• research design
• proposed solutions
• analysis of results
• significance to the field of SLW or multilingual writers
• final reflections

SLW News encourages submissions from both established and emerging researchers in various fields, including but not limited to education, composition studies, applied linguistics, etc. These briefs should be accessible to a wider audience (not academic), and written in a style that engages and informs practitioners. Researchers from the global south and understudied contexts are encouraged to apply.

Advice from Practitioners Corner

SLW News invites practitioners who teach writing to multilingual students to offer their best tips and strategies for effective instruction in a multimodal way. This means that entries should be multimodal, incorporating a range of media such as video, audio, images, text, and hyperlinks. We encourage submissions that provide examples of multimodal writing assignments and activities that engage and support multilingual students. Submissions can take the form of:

• Podcast (5 min. max.)
• Videos (5 min. max.)
• Infographics
• Mind maps/concept maps
• Comics
• Video reels (1-2 min. max.)
• Slides

We welcome submissions from teachers, scholars, and researchers who have experience working with multilingual students and who can share their practical insights with a wider audience. These entries are shorter in nature, and they must include the target audience, the writing focus, and the levels for which the activity(ies) presented are for.

Technology-Enhanced Language Learning Submissions

SLW News welcomes technology-enhanced language learning (TELL)-related articles, announcements, reports, and reviews in the following categories:

• AI and immersive technologies (e.g., using ChatGPT for assessment or creation of assignments, using Google Translate to learn more about vocabulary).
• Software/Hardware (e.g., AI and immersive technology, organizing systems or integrating software/hardware in learning environments to enhance writing instruction, assessment, or program evaluation)
• Materials Design (e.g., using software such as Flash or MonoConc to design language-learning activities or materials that address specific language-learning goals, including discovery activities, practice exercises, storybooks, quizzes, or games)
• Curriculum Design (e.g., using course management software such as Blackboard or eCollege to design e-courses, e-programs, or hybrids for second language writing)
• Applied Writing Research (e.g., writing computer programs to identify lexicogrammatical features, discourse patterns, or errors/learner variation in writing, i.e., corpus linguistics).