2.1 课后作业一：写作
大学英语教师布置书面作业，尤其是写作训练，是每个学期的一项重要的课后作业。配合学生消化精读教材的内容，笔者会在一个学期布置3～4篇作文。由于所教学生一般来自3～4个班级，加起来大概是100名学生，所以为了便于作业的有效批改，笔者会让学生们在规定时间内在“批改网”（http：//www.pigai.org）提交自己的作文。批改网可以在第一时间让学生了解一些基本的语法错误并进行相似度问题的检测。当然，机器的检测和批改毕竟是有限的，而且无法对主题和内容的相关度做出客观的评估，所以老师的批改显得尤为重要。根据笔者自己的教学经验，笔者认为学生非常重视作文的批改和反馈。由于作文批改非常费时，笔者基本上需要2～3周时间才能完成所有学生的作文批改以及在课堂上进行反馈。批改网也会在笔者完成批改后第一时间通知学生，让他们去查看老师对其作文的反馈。
完成对每个学生作文的细致批改确实非常耗时，很多时候笔者自己也在思考，教师是否需要事无巨细地纠正作文中的拼写和语法错误，还是只需要在宏观上对语篇及文章结构进行整体评价。这样的批改对学生是否真的有帮助？尽管国内外同行及进行二语习得研究的教师们都给出了各种实证研究结论，尽管有部分文献显示，教师的批改反馈对学生的语言能力的提高并没有实质性的帮助，但是作为教师，尤其是对于自己给学生布置的作业，还是应该认真负责地批改。当然，在批改策略上也需要“抓大放小”，在批改过程中需要把学生作文中的普遍问题（语言、结构和内容）及时记录下来，同时对批改中出现的“模范”作文也做好标记，这样在课堂反馈时就可以让学生学习范文。
为了让学生们能够直观地了解自己与他人的写作差距，笔者一般都是将范文及表达地道的句子整理出来，用Word文档保存后，让学习委员打印出来，课堂讲解前分发给学生们。因为作文的讲解相对比较枯燥，为了提升学生的兴趣，笔者会给每个小组分配不同的任务，给他们几分钟的时间来讨论，然后每组派一个组员来分享他们的点评。个人觉得，小组讨论比较能够活跃气氛，同时每个人的着眼点都不一样，这样在班上分享的时候大家就有很多收获了。笔者曾经还实践过另外一种方式，就是把每个学生的作文与范文整合在一个Word文档中，这样学生可以直接对照，发现自身的问题。这个整合工作比较繁琐，加上时间比较紧，也就没有每次都这样来准备作文的讲解了。在每次作业批改完成后，笔者都会在QQ群提醒他们去电脑端查看老师的批改反馈。
例如，笔者曾经给大一刚入校的新生布置过一篇名为A New Life in HUST的作文。写作要求是让学生根据精读课文（Mr.Doherty Builds His Dream Life，American Family Life：The Changing Picture）中所学的关于对比的写作方法，结合自己作为大一新生入校的体会和感受，与高中的学习生活相比较，来完成这篇作文的写作。笔者给了学生一周的时间在批改网上提交并多次修改，根据批改网给出的修改意见来总结自己作文中的问题，将疑问及时反馈给老师。到了提交作文的截止日期，老师开始在网上批改学生的作文。关注点为学生的作文整体架构及写作中的衔接问题和语言问题。4个班的学生总共约110人，老师在批改网进行“人工批改”的时间会持续7～10天，好处是学生可以在第一时间看到老师批改的整体意见和具体修改方法，同时老师在批改过程中会及时总结出学生写作中的普遍问题，并把优秀范文挑出来。以下就是对该题目下学生作文的评价总结及范文的梳理。
作文评价总结
①主题或内容部分的问题：突出“difference”，不是面上的不同，而是“质”上的区别（而不是校园大，食堂多，食物品种多，上课要去不同的教室），不仅仅在生活和学习方面，你在个人成长及心智方面有变化吗？对学习有全新的认识吗？每个方面都不具有个人化的特点，没有突显你与别人的不同。文章主体部分的内容方面，切换/衔接问题：选取的支持性细节（supporting details）要有代表性，服务于你的小话题（sub-topic），而不是随意铺陈和罗列任意想到的内容。时间自由，与同学相处等，这些仅仅是享受自由的时间和学习氛围，其他不能享受的是什么？描写校园景色就跑题了，对例子进行解读和说明时，为什么会用这个支持性细节？可以从几个方面进行调整：概括性文字+实例+你的个人感受/感悟。
②语法错误较多。时态混乱（对过去与现在情况的描写），关于时间管理、学习、课外活动、饮食、朋友圈，则可以按照重要性依次递减的顺序来展开叙述，总述、分述等内容层次条理不清晰。有部分中式英语。
③开头与结尾比较平淡，没有提升或烘托气氛或心情。开头与结尾可否呼应，或保持一致？开头部分可以强调画面感，结尾部分可以加上你目前的状况或心情描写，以及对美好校园生活的憧憬。
④可以对“difference”进行解释，如“dramatic changes have taken place since I stepped into HUST.It is out of my previous expectation.It has totally shocked me.I have never expected such a life before.I used to...now it's been replaced by...”。
⑤敲键盘时，每个单词的结尾要敲空格键，句子结尾的标点后也要加空格键。每段之间也不要空很多行。
⑥文章主体部分的内容衔接不够自然，过于生硬。
⑦选词方面：避免生僻词，或根据不同情景选词，注意词汇的多样化表达。
⑧句子结构要多样化。避免单一句式；注意修辞手法的运用；注意段落和句子之间的逻辑联系，保证语义连贯。
⑨存在个别拼写错误。
⑩巧用课文词汇和表达，如get by、on balance、a gentle breeze、intent on、contentment、generate、swamp，避免语义表达含糊不清。
范文一
A New Life in HUST
Burying my head under the quilt，I was wondering how can I sleep tight with continuous snore surrounding around me.My first night in a dormitory brought me dark circles under my eyes while it also started my unforgettable and meaningful days in HUST.
Unlike what is going on in high school，where there seems to be a halo around you，the life in a university will make you feel smaller than ever.Wandering around the campus，I occasionally feel an invisible breeze blowing over me with unspeakable loneliness.
Maybe it's the irony of fate.I somehow became a freshman in HUST，a university I've never heard of before.I had to confront my dismal grade of college entrance examination.However，the more I know about this“humble”university，the more enthusiastic and diligent I am to study hard for the future I am looking forward to.
No one will regret becoming a new HUSTer，as far as I am considered.If the canteens all over the campus cannot easily make you surrender with their various food，the shade of those trees will definitely impress you.It's such a dynamic and enormous campus that I don't even know how the dormitory in the west looks like as a student living in the east.From Students'Union to diverse associations，fascinating activities to challenging contests，HUST is the university that will fulfill all your vision for college life and satisfy your need of self-f ulfillment.
Despite the unbearable temperature in September of Wuhan，I gained something much more precious than the darker skin after military training—the faith to improve me a better man.There will be tasks to complete，difficulties to overcome，and loneliness to tolerate.And more importantly，there are the ones who love me and those who I love.I was like a frog at the bottom of a well，being overconfident about my ability.Thankfully，my life in HUST taught me a lot more than what is written on the book.
On an unknown path am I going forward.“How will tomorrow be？”Wondering，I fall into a sleep with earphones to prevent the snore.
教师给范文一的评语如下。
①整体内容和结构：该学生语言生动，用词丰富，笔调细腻。以首尾呼应的方式把新入华中科技大学校园的一名大一新生所感受到的冲击和彷徨很生动地展现出来。从一名大一新生感受到作为个人的渺小（校园之大及高手如林的校园），到受到激励而希望奋发向上，有了努力追求上进的愿望（用了dynamic和enormous），然后再具体到新入校园所感受到的多样化的校园生活（包括丰富的食堂菜品和社团活动及竞赛带来的挑战等），以及被军训的历练所激发出来的进取心。最后落脚到感恩朋友、亲人及生活，成为一名华科人的满足和自豪之情，为进一步的努力奠定基调。
②问题：有些许语法等错误，例如“I was wondering how can I sleep tight”应改为“I was wondering how I could sleep tight”，“the faith to improve me a better man”应改为“improve me to be a better man”。“Unlike what is going on in high school，where there seems to be a halo around you”，这里的halo语义不详，需要再具体化其所指。
范文二
Leaves haven't turned yellow from green yet，but I have become a freshman from a high school student.The anxiety and excitement at the beginning of the term have gradually disappeared with the weather turning cold.HUST has shown me a world that I had never seen before and given me a new life that is totally different.
When it comes to the most apparent difference between lives at college and high school，I always recall the word“you will be relaxed after entering college”，which relatives had all said.But when the word has become a joke in HUST，I started to consider why people say so.From the time when I sat on my father's laps learning to write to the time when I prepared for College Entrance Examination busily，all what I do are under the careful guidance of parents and teachers.I just do what adults let me do and even think what adults let me think.But all those have changed at college.There is no one that tells me how to figure out many details but a requirement that gives me a target that I should meet in a month or even several months.No one supervises me when I am lazy or correct me when I am wrong.I am seemingly relaxed because of the freedom I own with no one dominating me.But I would rather say it as“self-reliant”than“relaxed”.I am busy considering，arranging and creating and take the consequences，all by myself.
When life becomes self-reliant，I have enough opportunities to interact with classmates.Not so long ago，I was surrounded with parents and teachers and classmates are just goals that I wanted to surpass.I never thought of cooperating to address a problem.On the contrary，at college，solving problems is not a thing for a single person anymore.Existent as the competition is，the work that requires cooperation became the majority.As a consequence，we communicate and acquaint ourselves with others more，and begin to recognize and learn teamwork.
The self-reliant life at college not only brings along teamwork，but also permits me to do what I want to do，which makes the life colourful.During the past 18 years，there has been nothing except study in my life.I didn't have chance to do and even didn't know what I liked.After the College Entrance Examination came to an end，I，nevertheless，can pursue my hobbies to my heart's content.There are a variety of clubs for me to join where I can exploit my potential，determine my direction and create endless possibilities of the future.
HUST is like a new world.The self-reliant life met hod，t he interactive life altitude and the colourful life experience establish my new life in HUST.Hard as the adaptation is，I have never felt so clear that I am growing up.When the leaves turn yellow from green，I will hug my new life in HUST with joy.
教师给范文二的评语如下。
①出彩之处：整体上内容高度统一，高度概括了几个方面（华科校园新生活的几个特点：self-reliant，team work，colorful campus life），这三部分内容之间的衔接非常自然。对高中生活与华科新生活的对比和个人的反思展现得淋漓尽致，也体现出个人的成长心路历程：从在父母和老师的羽翼呵护下到独自开始大学新生活的彷徨和期待。语言的提炼也很到位。
②问题：少许语言问题，例如“most apparent difference”应改为“the most apparent change”；“relatives had all said”应改为“used to say like that”；“Not so long ago，I was surrounded with parents and teachers and classmates are just goals that I wanted to surpass”，这里的goals指代不清晰，需要再具体化；“After the College Entrance Examination came to an end”中要将After改为When或As。
在评阅结束之后，老师还需要一定的时间来总结该篇作文的问题，并进行范文的挑选。整理出上述内容的电子文档，提前让每班学习委员打印出纸质版，在课堂点评之前发给全班同学。课堂讲评之前，笔者会在课堂上留出5～10分钟，让学生们快速阅读纸质版内容，在手机上打开批改网App，对照自己的作文来进行比较。这样再来点评时，学生们就可以清晰地了解自己写作中存在的问题。
从老师的批改到范文的提供和课堂讲评，学生能很清晰地了解各自写作中的具体问题，而且范文可以让学生们直观地进行对比，从而加深印象，为以后写作问题的改进提供了方向。