TOPIC 3APPROACHE

S TO TEACHING WRITING (PART 1)

Genre Approach

Process Approach

Product Approach

Product Approach (Imitation)Stage 1• Model texts are read, and then

features of the genre are highlighted. – Ex: studying a story, the focus

may be on the techniques used to make the story interesting, and students focus on where and how the writer employs these techniques.

Product Approach (Imitation)Stage 2• This consists of controlled

practice of the highlighted features, usually in isolation. – Ex: formal letter to practise the

language used to make formal requests, practising the 'I would be grateful if you would…' structure.

Product Approach (Imitation)Stage 3• Organisation of ideas. This

stage is very important. Those who favour this approach believe that the organisation of ideas is more important than the ideas themselves and as important as the control of language.

Product Approach (Imitation)Stage 4• The end result of the learning

process. Students choose from a choice of comparable writing tasks. Individually, they use the skills, structures and vocabulary they have been taught to produce the product; to show what they can do as fluent and competent users of the language.

Process Approacha process “in which students are

given time to think about and discuss their ideas on a specific topic, write a draft or framework of what they want to say, discuss

this again and then to write a detailed account.”

(Kilfoil and der Walt, 1997:252)

Process Approach• Prewriting: selecting a

topic and planning what to say

• Writing: putting a draft version on paper

• Revising: making changes to improve the writing

• Evaluation: assessing the written work

DifferencesProduct Approach Process Approach 

imitate model text text as a resource for comparison 

organization of ideas more important than ideas

ideas as starting point

one draft more than one draft controlled practice of

focus language structures / features

more global; focus on purpose, theme, text type

individual collaborative emphasis on end

product emphasis on creative

process

Genre Approach • emphasize that writing varies

with the social context in which it is produced.

• range of kinds of writing—such as sales letters, research articles, letters of apology, recipes, and reports—linked with different situations.

StrengthsProduct Approach Process Approach Genre Approach

  the need for

learners to be given linguistic knowledge about texts (grammar, sentence structures, punctuation)

emphasis on the skills

in writing (brainstorming, drafting, review, editing)

writing takes place in a social situation, and is a reflection of a particular purpose.

imitation is one way in which people learn.

learners background knowledge and experiences contribute to the development of writing ability

active participation of learners in the process

learning can happen consciously through imitation and analysis

WeaknessesProduct

ApproachProcess Approach Genre Approach

  process skills of

writing, such as planning a text are less emphasized

does not provide learners with adequate linguistic knowledge to write successfully

does not provide learners with adequate linguistic knowledge to write successfully

learners’ knowledge and experiences are undervalued; passive learners

focus on writing as mere process with the same set of steps to follow through, insufficient importance to the kind of texts writer’s produce and why such texts are produced.

learners are largely passive

Other Considerations• The importance of feedback– will sustain the learners’

motivation and interest to continue to write.

• Writing as communication– not merely to test their language

skills but it is a form of communicating their thoughts, ideas, feelings and experiences.