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teaching writing

The workshop focuses on teaching writing skills to L2 learners, addressing challenges, evaluation methods, and various writing types. Participants will learn to assess their classroom writing approaches, match writing sub-skills to a process writing framework, and analyze tasks based on audience, purpose, and context. Key elements include understanding the principles of writing instruction, evaluating student writing, and strategic planning to enhance learner engagement in writing activities.

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teaching writing to L2 learners Pateyeva Natalia, PhD Teacher trainer “Writing is a way of talking without being interrupted.” Jules Renard
By the end of this workshop participants will be able to: Assess the issues involved in teaching writing in their own classrooms. Identify the approaches involved in producing different types of writing. Match writing sub-skills to a process writing framework. Analyze writing tasks from the point of view of audience, purpose and context. To provide an understanding on the principles of teaching writing To provide a short overview on how writing is taught and evaluated by teachers to achieve certain objectives
The main points to present 1. Writing at glance and types of classroom writing performance 2. The principles of teaching writing 3. How student writing is evaluated
To communicate over distances To communicate across time To participate in society To remember and record To “make thought visible” and express your inner self
Notes emails letters essays stories Signs advertisements subtitles articles Diaries/journals magazines plays recipes Labels/brands brochures maps textbooks
Writing at glance  Writing is the last skill of language after listening, speaking and reading  Many consider that writing is the most difficult skill among the other three  To be able to write well, one should work hard to practice writing in addition to understanding writing concept and tools
Location Where do learners do most writing – in class or at home? Difficulties What difficulties do your learners have with writing? Class dynamics Do your learners work alone or collaboratively on writing tasks? Why? Results How successful are your learners at writing? Tests Do your learners do writing tests? How does this influence your teaching? Purpose For what reasons do your learners write? Challenges What challenges/frustrations do you experience as a teacher? Writing in your classroom
Using your plan and ideas to write a ‘rough’ preliminary version. Presenting the piece of writing to the readers. Checking, making alterations and re-writing. Generating ideas and planning what to write.
generating ideas and planning what to write using your plan and ideas to write a ‘rough’ preliminary version checking, making alterations and re-writing. presenting the piece of writing to the readers.
planning brainstorming re-ordering selecting/rejecting ideas structuring revising mind-mapping questioning revising re-structuring presenting finished piece to readers checking focusing on grammar and vocabulary
Pre-writing: brainstorming, mind-mapping Drafting: selecting/rejecting, structuring, questioning Editing: revising, checking, re-ordering, re- structuring, focusing on grammar and vocabulary Publishing: presenting finished piece to readers
writers need : a purpose – a reason for writing, an audience –the readers, a context – background information to make it meaningful and to motivate learners to write. Consider examples of writing tasks from textbooks in terms of how they meet the above
1. There is no audience. To make it more meaningful ask learners to write an article for an international student magazine, special issue on festivals around the world. 2. The task works as it is but could be made more meaningful by having half the class write the complaint and the other half write the manager’s response.
3. The task provides no guidance to help learners write the story. Support could be given by supplying pictures, prompt words, gapped sentences, the beginning of a story etc. If the learners work in groups, they could write the stories for their classmates.
4. This task could be contextualized, for example, “You are having a party. Your classmates are your guests. Draw a map from the school to your home, without indicating exactly where your home is. Now write directions.” The ‘guests’ then have to pinpoint the home of the ‘host’ from the directions.
5. This needs a purpose and an audience. For example:”Imagine you are at a crossroads in your life. You have an appointment with a ‘life coach’ but first she has asked you to write about yourself. What can you tell her to prepare for your meeting? Think about your plans and ambitions etc.
Takes too much time Loss of student focus / interest Not suited to some personalities Students need to be taught it (peer editing / planning / stages) Restricts spontaneity and range of writing activities.
The creation of a product Writing seen as a communicative and purposeful activity Teaches students to plan and research Student collaboration is developed. Feedback and response given.
Isn't it surprising how many things, if not said immediately, seem not worth saying ten minutes from now? ~ Arnot L. Sheppard, Jr.
Speaking Vs Writing Impermanent Permanent Immediate (unplanned) Delayed (planned) Variation / Casual Conventional / Stylized Low lexical density High lexical density High Paralinguistics Low Paralinguistics Communal activity Solitary Activity Universal Learned
Simple sentences Complex sentences Voiced Thought / Read Pronounce Spell Feedback No feedback Pause / Intonation Punctuation Speaking Vs Writing
 The evaluation of writing, especially in a process-oriented classroom is a thorny issue. In writing class, a teacher serves as a guide and facilitator of students’ performance in the ongoing process of developing a piece of written work, but at the same time he/she should also serve as a judge.  To serve this dual role requires wisdom and sensitivity.  Fairness and explicitness in what teacher takes into account in evaluation are the keys of being writing judge.
Then how to evaluate? There are six general categories that are often the basis for the evaluation of student writing 1. Content : thesis statement, related ideas, development of ideas through personal experience, illustration, facts, opinions 2. Organization : effectiveness of introduction, logical sequence of ideas, conclusion, appropriate length
next categories 3. Discourse : topic sentence, paragraph unity, transitions, cohesion, rhetorical conventions, reference, economy, variation 4. Syntax 5. Vocabulary 6. Mechanics : spelling, punctuation, citation of reference (if applicable), neatness and appearance
How is the system of weighting of each? Please note that the most evaluative feedback a teacher may give is the comments, both specific and summative of student’ work If numerical score is needed, a teacher can establish a point scale for each category (e.g. 0 – 5) and return the paper with six different scores on them. If single grade or score is needed, consider weighting the first few categories more heavily, or you may emphasize on the content based flavor of the evaluation
Examples of weighting (Brown, 2001 p.358) Content : 0 – 24 Organization : 0 – 20 Discourse : 0 – 20 Syntax : 0 – 12 Vocabulary : 0 – 12 Mechanics : 0 – 12 TOTAL : 100
What did I know about process writing before the workshop? What new information have I learnt? How will what I have learnt impact on my teaching?
Thank you very much Is there any question?
References Writing, Tricia Hedge, OUP (1998). HD. Brown. (2001). Teaching by Principles. London: Longman Simple Writing Activities (Oxford Basics), Jill and Charles Hadfield, OUP (2000). Process Writing, White R & Arndt V, pp 51–52; pp 69-77; pp108- 109; pp 122-123, and pp 137–138, Longman (1991). Harmer J, The Practise of English Language Teaching, pp255- 268 Longman (2001). Ur P, A Coursebook in Language Teaching, pp159-175 CUP (1996). http://www.teachingenglish.org.uk/think/articles/approaches- process-writing