Teaching English as a Foreign or Second Language, Second Edition: A Teacher Self-Development and Methodology Guide

11. Teaching Students How to Process Writing

We cannot teach students to write by looking only at what they have written. We must also understand how that came into being, and why it assumed the form it did. . . . We have to do the hard thing, examine the intangible process, rather than the easy thing, evaluate the tangible product. —Hairston 1982, 84 11 Teaching Students How to Process Writing • What does writing include? • How do EFL/ESL teachers teach beginners to write? • What kind of writing activities do EFL/ESL teachers use with post-beginners? • What problems do some EFL/ESL teachers have as writing teachers? What Does Writing Include? The usual things associated with writing are word choice, use of appropriate grammar (such as subject-verb agreement, tense, and article use), syntax (word order), mechanics (such as punctuation, spelling, and handwriting), and organization of ideas into a coherent and cohesive form. However, writing also includes a focus on audience and purpose, as well as a recursive process of discovering meaning. 211 Audience and Purpose When we put pen to paper or fingers to keyboard, we usually have a specific audience in mind who will read what we wrote. On a personal level, we write notes and letters to friends, relatives, and lovers. We also write diary entries to ourselves. As teachers, we write memos to colleagues, notes to students, and reports to parents and administrators. We might also write articles and newsletter items about teaching and learning for other teachers; conference papers to deliver at professional meetings; reading materials for students; and grant proposals to government agencies, corporations, or a private funding source. A Recursive Process of Creating Meaning When we write, especially something that is fairly complex, we do not ordinarily write a perfect letter, memo, essay, or proposal in a single draft. Rather, we go through a process of creating and recreating this piece of writing until we discover and clarify within ourselves what we want to say and until we are able to express this meaning in a clear way.1 To prepare to write, some of us make lists, sketch, cluster our related ideas, or outline our thoughts. Some of us prefer to think about our topic, create mental notes and images, then begin to write. As we write, we put ideas into draft form, and as we do this, we create meaning. As we write, we also take breaks to read the draft, reflecting on whether our writing reveals our intended meaning. We might also consider our purpose and audience, and as we read what we wrote, we cross out paragraphs, sentences, and words; reorder the way we present ideas; and make notes about how to revise our writing. We continue to write and read and draft changes until we are satisfied with the piece of writing. If the piece of writing is important enough, we ask a trusted friend to read it and give us feedback. We then use this feedback as a way to further revise our writing. How Do EFL/ESL Teachers Teach Beginners to Write? Teachers generally agree that beginning-level EFL/ESL writers need to learn the basic conventions of writing. This includes being able to identify and write letters, words, and simple sentences, as well as learning to spell and punctuate. Teachers use a variety of activities to teach these conventions.2 212 TEACHING ENGLISH AS A FOREIGN OR SECOND LANGUAGE One basic activity is tracing letters, words, and sentences. Although such a task may seem trivial, it can teach students letter recognition and discrimination; word recognition; and basic spelling, punctuation, and capitalization rules. Students, for example, can use pencils to trace letters and words written in an appropriate size and shape on tablet-style sheets used to teach American children. In addition, students can use their index finger to trace letters and words cut from felt. This can be especially useful for those whose learning modality is more kinesthetic than visual. Some students also benefit from saying the letters and words aloud as they trace them. Another widely used activity is called Copy and Change. Students are given a passage and asked to copy it. But they are also required to change one aspect of the passage—for example, to change the subject from he to she and make accompanying changes (for instance, all references to him need to be changed to her). This activity can be done using other grammatical features, such...