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FEATURES formed different types of relationships. Although the majority collaborated, others formed dominant/passive or dominant/ dominant relationships. In a dominant/passive pair, the dominant learner took control of the task and completed it as if writing alone. The passive learner contributed very little. Such relationships are not conducive to language learning. The passive learner has few opportunities to practise using the language; the dominant learner is neither exposed to counter suggestions nor receives any feedback. Pairs who formed a dominant/dominant relationship seemed to have difficulties in agreeing on what to write together. Each learner was reluctant to accept the suggestions made by the other. The end product was two parallel texts rather than one joint text. In these pairs, there was an exchange of opinions and feedback, but the learners were not receptive to such feedback and therefore its benefit for language learning was lost. Thus it is important for the teacher to observe and monitor how students interact in collaborative writing tasks, and encourage them to interact and collaborate throughout the activity. A number of strategies may encourage collaboration. One is to allow learners to self-select their partners rather than for the teacher to assign pairs. When working with partners they know, they are more likely to collaborate. Another strategy is to model collaborative interaction. This can be done using short video clips, shown to students in advance. Teachers need to make a number of decisions to ensure the success of the activity. One concerns the type of task to use. Short compositions and reports of about 250-300 words work well. An example, which I have used successfully with my ESL students, is a data commentary report where learners are asked to describe the main trends in a graph. Other tasks include summarising a short text that students have read previously and an editing task in which pairs are asked to correct a text that includes typical errors made by students in the class. The authoring of relatively short texts is manageable within the constraints of class time (45-60 minutes). Longer assignments may be more suitable for implementation using platforms such as wikis and Google Docs. However, preliminary research findings Vol/52 No/4 2013 Over time, any reluctance to participate dissipates as learners see their peers enjoying the activity suggest that learners tend to interact more readily in face-to-face collaborative tasks than in computer-mediated environments. Overcoming resistance Despite the benefits of collaborative writing, learners may not embrace the opportunity to co-author. When I first introduce collaborative writing in class, some learners seem averse to participating, preferring to write on their own. This is not unusual. The introduction of any new teaching strategy is often met with some resistance. Surveys conducted with students (and language teachers) show that their main concern is that they will 'learn the wrong grammar' from their peers. Students may also be reluctant to engage in collaborative writing because of their belief that writing is inherently an individual activity. To overcome this reluctance to participate, I suggest the following strategies: 1 Prior discussion. Before implementation, allow learners to discuss briefly how they feel about collaborative writing activities. The discussion may bring to the fore their concerns and provide the teacher with an opportunity to allay these concerns by reference to research findings and by explaining the benefits. 2 Give learners a choice. Despite my beliefs about the merits of collaborative writing, I do not impose such tasks on students. I give them a choice of working alone or in pairs. I have observed that, over time, any reluctance to participate dissipates as learners see their peers enjoying the activity. 3 Make the activities part of regular class work. If implemented regularly, learners will become more familiar and comfortable with collaborative writing activities, and therefore more willing to participate. Surveys investigating the nature of workplace writing and the kind of skills employers require of graduates suggest that the ability to work and write collaboratively is becoming a valued attribute. These results, together with the latest developments in computer-mediated collaborative writing platforms, such as Google Docs, provide a greater imperative to implement such tasks in the classroom. To maximise the success of these tasks, it is important to design and implement the tasks carefully, and to monitor how students interact during the activities. Although I advocate the use of collaborative writing tasks in the languages classroom, I do not argue that all writing tasks should be completed collaboratively. Rather, such activities have many language learning potentials, and therefore teachers should consider employing both collaborative and individual writing tasks in their classes. Collaborative Writing in L2 Classrooms (2013) by Neomy Storch is published by Multilingual Matters. Notes 1 See, eg, Fernández Dobao, A, 2012, 'Collaborative Writing Tasks in the L2 Classroom: Comparing group, pair, and individual work' in Journal of Second Language Writing 21(1), 40-58; Storch, N and Wigglesworth, G, 2007, 'Writing Tasks and the Effects of Collaboration' in Pillar, M (ed), Investigating Tasks in Formal Language Settings, Multilingual Matters, 157-177 AUGUST/SEPTEMBER The Linguist 15