Paper Partners: A Peer-Led Talk-Aloud Academic Writing Program for Students Whose First Language of Academic Study is Not English

Abstract

This article examines the Paper Partners program at Ryerson University, Toronto. This peer-mentoring program was developed to support the academic writing skills of students whose first language of academic study was not English. The program integrated a team of student-facilitators, a talk-aloud co-editing process, and a reflective feedback component. The article looks at (a) the process of developing a campus-wide program using a team of student-facilitators specially trained to support English academic writing skills; (b) program assessment based on feedback received from student-writers and facilitators; and (c) the contribution of the program to the language-learning experience. The article concludes with encouragement for postsecondary institutions to develop peer-led languagelearning opportunities on campus to create and celebrate a truly international learning community.