Transcript Unit 11 Teaching Writing

Teaching Writing
Wang: Unit 12
Davis, P. & Pearse E.: Chapter 6
Spratt, et al: Unit 6
Teaching Writing (Wang: Unit 12)
Topics for discussion:
1. The nature of writing in reality
2. A communicative approach to writing
3. Problems in writing tasks in existing textbooks
and classroom teaching
4. A process approach to writing
5. Motivating students to write
6. Designing writing tasks
7. Writing through the internet
8. Three approaches to writing
12.1 The nature of writing in reality
Differences of teaching writing in the
classroom and in reality:
• In ELT classroom, writing is often seen as a
means to consolidate language that is
recently studied, as “writing as language
learning”, and thus is pseudo writing.
In reality, most writing is for
communication, i.e., to convey messages
or for self creation, e.g. writing poems.
• In ELT classroom, especially in traditional
pedagogy, writing often goes this way: the
teacher gives a topic or a selection of topics,
a set of requirements, and a time limit.
Accuracy of the final product is stressed
and the process is ignored.
• In reality, we may have some ideas long
before we put them on paper. We often plan,
draft, and rewrite.
• If writing tasks lack authenticity, they
do not motivate students. If writing
tasks focus on the product rather than
on the process, they do not help
students to develop real writing skills.
• Therefore we should advocate
authentic writing, and we should
advocate the process approach to
writing.
12.2 A communicative approach to
writing
To motivate students, it is necessary to engage
them in some act of communication.
• Either writing for a specific recipient (e.g. a
letter to a friend), or:
• Engaging in an act of creative writing where
their work is intended to be read by other
people.
• In short, students can be motivated
by authentic writing tasks that have
some communicative elements.
• However some writing activities
can be between “writing for
learning” and “writing for
communication”.
• Some examples of writing tasks: are
they for consolidating language, or are
they for communication? (see pp.209211)
e.g. 1 (p. 209)
e.g. 2 (p. 209)
e.g. 5 (p. 210)
12.3 Problems in writing tasks
in some textbooks
Deficiencies of writing tasks in existing
English textbooks:
• They are mainly accuracy-based.
• They are designed to practise certain
target structures.
• There is insufficient preparation
before the writing stage.
• -
• There is no sense of audience.
• There is no sense of authenticity.
• Students are given ideas to express
rather than being invited to invent their
own.
• There is no opportunity for creative
writing, particularly for expressing
unusual or original ideas.
Compare two examples:
Which one has specific audience?
e.g. 1 (p. 212)
Writing
Write about the sports which you like. Use
phrases like these:
I don’t like … I enjoy …
My favourite sport is …
I quite like … I prefer … to …
I like … because …
e.g. 2 (p. 213)
An E-friend has written to you and has
described the sports he likes most. Write
an Email to him and tell him your
favourite sports too.
(A sample letter is presented here.)
12.4 A process approach to writing
Features of process writing:
1. Focus on the process of writing;
2. Help students to understand their own
composing process;
3. Help to build strategies for prewriting,
drafting, and rewriting;
4. Give students time to write and rewrite;
5. Place central importance on the process of
revision;
• -
6. Let students discover what they want
to say as they write;
7. Give students feedback throughout
the composing process to consider as
they attempt to bring their expression
closer and closer to intention;
8. Encourage feedback both from the
instructor and peers;
9. Include individual conferences
between teacher and student during
the process of composing.
Main procedures of process writing
include:
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.
9.
Creating a motivation to write,
Brainstorming,
Mapping,
Free writing,
Outlining,
Drafting,
Editing,
Revising,
Proofreading and conferencing
Creating a motivation to write
• The first thing a teacher needs to do to teach
writing is to create a clear purpose or a
reason to write.
• Therefore, the topic for writing should be
familiar, meaningful and relevant to
student’s life and interest.
• e.g. Smoking
Brainstorming,
• Students can list all the ideas related to
topic on a piece of paper or on the
blackboard.
• The important thing is to get students to
think freely and put down all possible ideas
that come to their minds.
Brainstorming
Smoking
• Bad for health
Expensive
• Pollute the air
• Dangerous
• Waste money
•
•
•
•
cause lung cancer
Bad for non-smokers
Cause fire
…
Mapping,
Smoking
3. pollute the air:
1. Bad for health:
Cause lung cancer
indoor smoking
Bad for non-smokers
smoking in public
places
2. Expensive:
4. dangerous:
Waste of money
Cause fire
…
Free writing
• Refers to the stage when students start
writing freely about the topic following
mapping.
• Usually students are given 10 to 15 minutes
during which time they are asked to write
anything that comes to their minds as
quickly as possible.
• They do not need to care too much about
spelling or grammar. This stage can develop
fluency in writing.
Outlining
• The students need to write a more detailed
outline.
• It may include the main idea of each
paragraph with topic sentences and notes
for supporting details.
• It may also include an introduction and a
conclusion.
• The outline can be changed.
Drafting
• The development of ideas are more
important than getting grammatical
structures, punctuation or spelling correct.
• Students should be given enough time to
write the first draft.
Editing
• The students read through their writings and check
the clarity of ideas or the logical development of
their arguments.
• They also check carefully the grammar, spelling
and punctuation of their writings.
• Editing may take two forms: peer editing and selfediting.
• Editing is not simply to find errors about one’s or
others’ writing, but to negotiate meaning and
improving writing. (pp.216-7)
Revising
• The teacher guides the students to make
necessary improvements in both
organization and contents based on either
self-editing or peer editing.
e.g.
adding new points or deleting irrelevant
facts, and correcting errors in spelling,
punctuation, grammar or choice of words.
Proofreading
• Students should be guided to read their
writings again carefully for any mistakes in
grammar, spelling, punctuation, or
capitalization.
• The teacher should limit his/her
involvement in making corrections for the
students.
• He/she can underline those problematic
items and leave them for the students to do
the correction themselves.
Conferencing
• It refers to a private meeting between the
teacher and each individual student.
• In big classes, it can be a class conference
focusing on the main problems and features
of good writings
• One point which is extremely important for
teachers is that a teacher’s attitude can
influence students’ confidence and
motivation to write.
An example of teaching writing
• Step 1: raising a question: what
problems is our city confronted with?
• Step 2: a brief discussion on the
problems;
• Step 3: group discussion on solutions;
• Step 4: individual composing: My
Solutions to the Problem of …;
• -
• Step 5: reading one’s own composition,
making suggestions on how to make
improvement, focusing on ideas rather than
on language;
• Step 6: rewriting, selecting and organising
ideas, keeping an eye on language;
• Step 7: grouping students based on the
topics, letting students read their own
composition;
• Step 8: making a list of optimal solutions,
producing a product of the whole group;
• Step 9: creating a Class News Letter like
“Problems and Solutions in Our City”;
12.5 Motivating students to write
1. Make the topic of writing as close as
possible to students’ life. (A few topics
can be given to students to choose.)
2. Leave students enough room for creativity
and imagination.
3. Prepare students well before writing.
4. Encourage collaborative group writing as
well as individual writing.
Motivating students to write
5. Provide opportunities for students to share
their writings.
6. Provide constructive and positive feedback.
7. Treat students’ errors strategically.
8. Give students a sense of achievement from
time to time.
Writing a Journal
学生写：Yesterday, I see a film. The film is
Titanic. It is very good. …
教师读后批注：Really? I saw it too. But I saw
it last year. I quite agree with you. It was
really a wonderful film!
批改的特点：
• 批注简短，但引起学生的注意和兴趣。
• 把重点放在情感的交流上，而不是语言的
形式上。
• 语言的改正采取隐性的指引。
Make your students happy!
12.6 Designing writing tasks
• The examples are on pp.224-5
Sample task 1
Topic: write an invitation letter and a reply
Procedures:
 Write each student’s name on a small piece of paper, and
fold the paper.
 Put the pieces of paper in a box and walk around in the
classroom.
 Ask each student in the class to pick up a piece of paper.
Tell them not to show it to the other students.
 Ask students to write an invitation letter to the person
whose name is on the paper they picked.
 After 20 minutes, ask each student to present their
invitation letters.
 Then the student who is invited should write a reply to the
invitation, either as a letter of acceptance or refusal.
Sample task 2
Topic: Describing an object
Procedures:
Read an extract of Gulliver’s Travel.
Imagine that you are 20 centimeter’s tall,
like the Lilliputians in Gulliver’s Travel.
Choose an object from your schoolbag and
describe it from the point of view of a person
of 20 centimeter tall. Try to use as many
adjectives as possible.
Sample task 3
Topic: Describing people
Procedures:
 Brainstorm words for describing of people and
learn some new words.
 Read a few samples of descriptions of people.
 Ask each students to choose a classmate to
describe without mentioning his/her name.
 Ask a few students to read their descriptions in
class one by one and other students guess who the
person is according to the description given.
12.7 Using the internet to promote
process writing
• An e-mail based writing scheme help
promote the application of the process
approach to writing in ELT classroom.
• Students not only received comments from
the teacher but their peers as well
• Students have a feeling of real-time writing.
• Blogs and BBS are also very useful ways in
teaching writing.
12.8 Conclusion
• Two approaches to writing: the
communicative approach and the process
approach. The teaching of writing should
focus on the process rather than the product,
and that all the writing tasks should have
communicative purposes.
• Some principles for teaching writing and
how teachers can motivate students to write.
Three approaches to writing
1. The Traditional Approach:
The accuracy is emphasized.
2. The Process Approach:
The process is emphasized.
3. The Genre Approach:
The effect is emphasized.
ETT-4
• Reflect on your own microteaching or comment on one of
the micro-teaching lessons taught
by your classmates. The type of
lesson can be listening and
speaking or writing.
Three more assignments to do
out of class
Task 1:
• Watch the 2 videos of Process Writing taught by Deng and
Lin (邓宁霞 &林爽). Think about the merits of the two
teachings. Then imagine if you were to teach the lesson,
what change(s) would you make?
Task 2:
• Read Unit 13 &15 of Wang’s book. It will be included in
the final test.
Task 3 （Learning the National Curriculum） :
http://cs.gzedu.com/jiaoshijixu/09/tkc013a/default.
htm
It will be included in the final test.
优酷视频
• 执信中学林爽写作课:
http://v.youku.com/v_show/id_XMTgwMj
U1NTA0.html