| What is meant by the process approach to teaching writing? A process approach
Process approaches to writing tend to focus more on the varied classroom activities which promote the development of language use; brainstorming, group discussion, re-writing. Such an approach can have any number of stages, though a typical sequence of activities could proceed as follows; Stage 1
Generating ideas by brainstorming and discussion. Students could be discussing qualities needed to do a certain job, or giving reasons as to why people take drugs or gamble. The teacher remains in the background during this phase, only providing language support if required, so as not inhibiting students in the production of ideas.
Stage 2
Students extend ideas into note form, and judge quality and usefulness of ideas.
Stage 3
Students organize ideas into a mind map, spidergram, or linear form. This stage helps to make the (hierarchical) relationship of ideas more immediately obvious, which helps students with the structure of their texts.
Stage 4
Students write the first draft. This is done in class and frequently in pairs or groups.
Stage 5
Drafts are exchanged so that students become the readers of each others work. By responding as readers, students develop an awareness of the fact that a writer is producing something to be read by someone else, and thus can improve their own drafts.
Stage 6
Drafts are returned and improvements are made based upon peer feedback.
Stage 7
A final draft is written.
Stage 8
Students once again, exchange and read each other’s work and perhaps even write a response or reply. The approach process include most of the following: - Focus on the process of writing that leads to the final written product:
- Help students writes to understand their own composing process;
- Help them to build repertoires of strategies for prewriting, drafting, and rewriting;
- Give students time to write and rewrite;
- Place central important on the process of revision;
- Let students discover what to say as they write;
- Give student feedback throughout the composing process9not just on the final product) as they attempt to bring their expression closer and closer to intention;
- Encourage feedback from both the instructor and peers;
- Include individual conferences between teacher and student during the process of composition.
How do writing conventions differ between or among cultures that you are familiar with?
Conventions are the punctuation rules that are used in writing. Writing Conventions include spelling, punctuation, capitalization, grammar, and paragraphing. The writer should use conventions to enhance the readability of the paper. Spelling should be correct on all words. Punctuation should be smooth and guide the reader through the paper. Capitalization should be used correctly. Paragraphing should reinforce organization. The writer may manipulate conventions for effect. When it come to other culture that I am familiar with writing convention is not that different compare to English. They follow the same procedure. For instance in French we use period, question mark, exclamation and many more punctuations the same way as we use them in English. Some word in French have the exact spelling as English word but the pronunciation is different. The meaning of those types of words is most of the time similar. For example those words: correct, example, information, ect. In French there is a lot grammatical rule you have to follow especially with verb tense. Capitalization is very similar with the English. Compare the following four stages of classroom writing performance described by Rivers and Temperley (1978) to the five steps of written performance listed in the book (pp.343-46). Are they compatible? combinable? Are there omissions in either list? The four types of or stages of classroom writing performance writing by Rivers and temperley91978) are: - Writing down (learning the conventions of the code)
- Writing the language (learning the potential of the code)
- Production (practicing the construction of fluent expressive sentences and paragraphs)
- Expressive writing (using the code for purposeful communication)
1. Imitative or writing down; at the beginning level of learning to write, students will simply “write down” English letters, words, and possibly sentences in order to lean the conventions of the orthographic code. Some of dictations fall into this category, although dictations can serve to teach and test higher-order processing as well. Dictations involve the following steps: - Teacher reads a short paragraph once or twice at normal speed
- Teacher reads the paragraph in short phrase units of three or four words each, and each unit is followed by a pause.
- During the pause, students write exactly what they hear.
- Teacher then reads the whole paragraph once more at normal speed so students can check their writing.
- Scoring of students written work can utilize a number of rubrics for assigning points. Usually spelling and punctuation errors are not considered as severe as grammatical errors.
2. Intensive, or controlled: writing is sometime used as a production mode of learning, reinforcing, or testing grammatical concept. This writing typically appears in controlled, written grammar exercise. This type of writing does not allow much, if any, creativity on the part of the writer. The type of controllers: A common form of controlled writing is to present a paragraph to students in which they have to alter a given structure throughout. - Guide writing loosen the teacher’s control but still offers a series of stimulators. For example asking students question of a story viewed on a vide tape.
- Dicto-com:is here a paragraph is read at normal speed, then the teacher asks students to rewrite the paragraph to the best of their of the reading.
3. Self-writing: Is when the classroom writing is devoted to self-writing, or writing with only the self in mind as an audience. Example can be note taking, diary or journal. 4. Display writing: For all language students, short answer exercises, essay examinations, and even research reports will involve an element of display. 5. Real writing: It includes the following subcategories - Academic. The language Experience Approach gives groups of students opportunities to convey information to each other. Content-based instruction encourages the exchange of useful information, and some of this learning uses the written word.
- Vocational/Technical: involve: Is where a variety of real writing such as letters, genuine directions for some operation or assembly might be given.
- Personal. It can be a diary, letters, post card, notes, personal messages, and other informal writing that can take place, especially within the context of an interactive classroom.
I believe they are combidable as well as compatible. There is no omission. all the stages described by Rivers and Temperley (1978) correspondent to a stage in the five steps of written performance list. List and describe the nine principles (pp.346-48, 355-56) for designing writing techniques to evaluate what you see. 1. Incorporate practices of “good” writers. This first guideline is weeping. For example good writer · focus on a goal or main idea in writing · perceptively gauge their audience · spend some time (but not too much!) planning to write · easily let their first ideas flow onto the paper · follow a general organizational plan as they write · are not wedded to certain surface structures, · revise their work willing and efficiently, · Patiently make as many revisions as needed. 2. Balance process and products. The fact that writing is a composing process and usually required multiple drafts before an effective product is created, make sure that students are carefully led through appropriate stages in the process of composing. This includes a careful attention to your own role as a guide and as a responder. 3. Account for cultural/literary background. Make sure that your techniques do not assume that your students know English rhetorical convention. If there are some apparent contrast between student’s native traditions and those that you are trying to teach, try to help students to understand what it is, exactly, that they are accustomed to and then, by degrees, bring them to the use of acceptable English rhetoric. 4. Connect reading and writing. By reading and studying a variety of relevant types of text, students can gain important insights both about how they should write and about the subject matter that they may become the topic of their writing. 5. Provide as much authentic writing as possible. Provide writing that is related to real life such as publish a class newsletter, writing latter to people outside of the class, writing script for a skit or dramatic presentation, writing a resume, writing an advertisement. 6. Frame your techniques in terms of prewriting, drafting, and revising stages. Process writing approach is framed in three stages of writing 1. Prewriting: This stage encourages the generation of ideas, which can happen in numerous ways: - reading (extensively) a passage
- skimming and/or scanning a passage
- conducting some outside research
- brainstorming
- listing(in writing-individually)
- clustering(begging with a key word, then add other words, using free association)
- discussion a topic or question
- Freewriting
The two other stages are the drafting and revising stages, which are the core process writing. In a process approach, drafting is viewed as an important complex set of strategies, the mastery of which takes time, patient, and trained instruction. The following strategies and skills can apply to t e drafting/revising process in writing: Getting started (adapting the free writing technique) “Optimal” monitoring of one’s writing (without premature editing and diverted attention to wording, grammar, ect.) peer-reviewing for content (accepting/using classmate’s comments) using the instructor’s feedback editing for grammatical errors “read aloud” techniques (in small groups or pairs, students read their almost-final drafts to each other for a final check on errors, flow of ideas, ect.) proofreading 7. Strive to offer techniques that are as interactive as possible. Process-oriented approach to writing instruction is by definition, interactive (as students work in pairs and groups to generate ideas and to peer-edit), as well as learner-centered (with ample opportunities for students to initiate activity and exchange ideas). Group collaboration, brainstorming, and critiquing are successfully a part of many writing-focus techniques. 8. Sensitively apply methods of responding to and correcting your student’s writing. Error treatment in writing can begin the drafting and revising stages them. Their errors can be also corrected through peer correcting and the instructor-initiated comments or self- correcting. 9. Clearly instruct students on the rhetorical, formal conventions of writing. Rhetorical discourse that writers use to explain, propose solutions, debate, and argue are as follows: - A clear statement of the thesis or topic or purpose
- Use of main ideas to develop or clarify the thesis
- Use of supporting ideas
- Supporting by “telling”: describing
- Supporting by “showing”: giving evidence, facts, statistic etc.
- Supporting by using comparison and/ or contrast
Comment form professor Author: Gomez-Wilson, Isabel
Creation date: Tuesday, February 21, 2006 10:18:24 AM EST Excellent response, Marie. Your explanations are so thorough. They are very impressive. | 
