WRITING CHAPTER 9

The need to write in everyday life… The advent and popularity of e-mail, web forums, internet messenger services and text messages has meant there is now a huge increase in written communication. This new kind of communication has its own peculiar rules and rituals because of the need to write quickly or within a limited word/character count. There are also new ways of expressing oneself (cartoon faces to express reactions). Beyond these new ways of communication, many people usually do very little writing. The need for longer, formal written work seems to have lessened, and this is reflected in many classrooms.

Writing in the Classroom Good Reasons for Writing in the Classroom: SS have specific needs, e.g. academic study, examination preparation and business English, areas where written work is still very important. At the most basic level, SS are likely to take notes in lessons. Writing involves a different kind of mental process. There is more time to think, to reflect, to prepare, to rehearse, to make mistakes and to find alternatives and better solutions. It can give you a break, quieten down a noisy class, change the mood and pace of a lesson ,etc.

From Copying to Unguided Writing 2. DOING EXERCISES 3. GUIDED WRITING SS practice forming letter shapes in a handwriting book, note down substitution tables from the board, copy examples from a textbook, etc. SS write single words, phrases, sentences, etc. in response to very tightly focused tasks with limited opportunities for creativity or getting things wrong. You guide SS to write longer texts in quite restricted or controlled tasks by offering samples, models, possibly useful language items, advice, organizational frameworks, etc.

From Copying to Unguided Writing 4. PROCESS WRITING 5. UNGUIDED WRITING SS write what they want to, with help, encouragement and feedback from you and others throughout the process of choosing a topic, gathering ideas, organizing thoughts, drafting, etc. SS write freely without overt guidance, assistance or feedback during the writing process, though a title or task may be set, and work may be ‘marked’ later.

Teaching the ‘skill of writing’ Will this scheme work?

A student can learn to become a better writer by … Being actively encouraged and helped to follow through a series of preparatory steps before the final text is produced. Becoming more aware of that preparation process so that it can be done more independently and transparently in the future.

Planning Classroom Writing Work A typical route for classroom work on helping SS to write might involve some or all of the following steps: Introduce the topic. Introduce the task. Brainstorm ideas. Fast-write Select and reject ideas. Decide on style, information, layout, etc. Plan the text. Get feedback. Prepare drafts. Edit. Prepare final text.

We need to make sure that learners mainly get practice in the range of real-life writing tasks that they will face.

Some ideas for real-life writing tasks:

IDEAS FOR GENERATING IDEAS

BRAINSTORMING Brainstorming is a way to get the ‘ideas creation engine’ running. It means ‘opening your mind and letting ideas pour out’. It seems helpful to separate the ideas collection and the critical review of those ideas.

BRAINSTORMING CLUSTERING

TEXT-STARTS Text-starts are texts whose content provides support for the writer. They contain something concrete to deal with and many ideas are already formulated and mainly need a response or opinion, rather than original thought. They can be a good way to provide useful writing work for students and to practice reading/writing skills that are useful in professional life and research.

TEXT-STARTS

TEXT-STARTS

FAST-WRITING Fast-writing can be used as something on which to base SS new writing. Even if only a word or a line is used from the first attempt makes it into the final text, it has served its purpose.

Fast-Writing In fast-writing when you say ‘start’, SS should: Start writing about the topic. Not stop writing. Not put their pen down at all. Not worry about spelling, grammar, etc. Write ‘um,um,um’ or ‘rubbish’ or something else if they can´t think of what to write. Not stop to go back and read what they have written. Keep writing till you say’stop’ (after the time you consider appropriate for your group).

IDEAS FOR HELPING WRITING

Ideas for Helping Writing “card planning.” the layout, the overall message, the organization, specific sentences and phrases used, distinctive grammatical features, the style and tone, the effect on the reader. as the writing is evolving; in pairs or groups. word processing packages. Structuring and organizing: Looking at sample texts: Getting feedback on drafts: Using computers:

Good writers need to become careful readers of – and reflectors on – their own work. The existence of audience and purpose are worth bearing in mind in class.

How Can We Provide Audience and Purpose for Relevant Writing Tasks? Base writing work on stated needs (determined by a Needs Analysis). Give SS a clear idea of the purpose of writing, which will strongly affect many other decisions they take in writing. Make sure you do not mark and give feedback only on accuracy of language. Select writings that are likely to reflect things that many SS may need to write in real life.

Ideas for real-life writing purposes that could be reflected in the classroom:

Evaluating Written Work

Traditional Correction

TRADITIONAL CORRECTION The teacher collects the papers. T underlines every mistake in red pen. T writes a mark or grade at the end.

Variations on ‘Traditional teacher marking’

Correction Codes Codes can indicate where and what type of error it is. They leave the learners to do some work in order to find the corrections for themselves. It is essential that SS understand your own set of codes. It is not appropriate to point out every error; it can be dispiriting for SS. You need to decide which errors to draw attention to.

More Correction Codes

Alternatives to Traditional Marking Use a green or blue pen. Discuss the marking criteria with SS. Write the correct answers in the margin. Use correction codes in the margin. Underline all errors of one type. Give a dictation based on sentences from their work. Write a letter in reply. Write nothing. Discuss the work with individual SS. Only write a comment about the meaning and message of the piece. Create a composite essay using good bits and problematic bids. Use errors from different SS’ writing.

Designed as a companion for “Learning Teaching” Methodology III by S Designed as a companion for “Learning Teaching” Methodology III by S. Valdivia Office of Academic Research - ICPNA