Writing
Revisited
The
last time we looked at 'Writing' on the ELT Forum- (see
the Topic Archive) - the live
moderated chat generated animated discussion on a number
of issues. Why, for example, should we teach writing at
all? What are the advantages of a 'product' versus a 'process'
approach? Does the former force students into cultural writing
patterns? Is the latter teachable or too time-consuming?
And do we still need to teach letter-writing conventions
in the age of email and text messaging?
What
is writing for?
A
lot depends on what we are using writing for. There is a
huge difference between getting students to write so that
they practise a piece of grammar or use previously selected
language, and getting students to write so that they become
better writers. In the first case, writing is just the means
to an end, whereas in the second, writing itself is the
object of the exercise. A new extract in the development
pack examines this difference in more detail.
Many
commentators have drawn a distinction between 'product'
approaches (which concentrate heavily on genre) and 'process'
approaches (where students are encouraged to review and
edit written drafts). There is discussion of this in the
live
moderated chat - and articles in the development pack
look at these two approaches in some detail.
Teaching
genres
Many
teachers worry about the popularity of emailing and text
messaging since
both differ markedly from the more formal writing habits
teachers have always tried to impart to their students.
Yet most of our learners will be quite able to
see the different constraints placed on, say, a formal letter,
and the transitory
carelessness of a quick email. It is our job to remind them
of these differences and equip them to write in both these
and many other genres.
The
importance of writing
Writing
remains a crucial skill in the language classroom. Not only
does the writing process have value as a thinking-learning
process quite distinct from most other language activities,
but effective writing opens the door to influencing other
people and to personal growth. It should be more popular
as a classroom activity and we should teach it with increasing
enthusiasm.
I
hope you enjoy reading and thinking about the issues in
this month's module. Download the Development
Pack and post your questions on the message
board - go to The Forum for
details.
Jeremy Harmer
