Approaches to Teaching Writing: -product -process -genre

Hazrina Khalis Munzir Nor Shahidah Aisyah Xin Wei

 Challenge of writing
Writing skill more laborious and demanding than the other skills (Zheng, 1999) Enormous challenge to produce a coherent, fluent, extended piece of writing in ones 2nd language. (Nunan, 1999, 271) Rhetorical conventions (structure, style, and organization) often differ from the conventions in other language.

 Product
Focus on final piece of writing Measure against criteria of vocabulary use, mechanical considerations such as spelling and punctuation. Normal procedure:
i. Assign a piece of writing ii. Collect it iii. Return it with further revision with errors corrected or marked iv. Students make correction

 process
Focuses on skills and processes involve in learning language. Mid 1970s, replace product approach. Identify four stages:
i. ii. iii. iv. Pre-writing Composing/drafting Revising Editing

 These stages are recursive, or non-linear Can interact with each other throughout the writing process. This approach emphasizes revision and also feedback from others, so students may produce many drafts with much crossing out of sentences and moving around of paragraph. Make personal connection to the topic and come to understand the processes they follow and writing about it.

Genre
Shows how different discourses require different structures. This genre consists of 3 phases:
i. Target is modeled for the students ii. The text is jointly constructed by the teacher and students. iii. A text is independently constructed by each student.

Differences of the approaches

Product Approach
Focus: Final piece of writing
1. Assign a piece of writing 2. Collect it 3. Return for further revision

Process Approach
Revision and also feedback from others
1. Prewriting 2. Composing/ drafting 3. Revising 4. Editing

Genre Approach
Students can benefit from studying different types of written texts.
1. Target genre is modelled for students 2. A text is jointly constructed (teachers & students) 3. A text is independently constructed by each students.

Procedure

Product During

Process Learners make personal connection to the topic Understand the process they follow

Genre Writing takes place in social situation Reflects a particular purpose

Weaknes s

Ignores actual processes used by students. Requires constant error correction Affects students motivation and selfesteem. Does not effectively prepare students for real world

Views process as the same as for all writers what is being written and who is writing

Undervalues the processes needed to produce a text Sees learners as largely passive

Strength

Final draft that gives Allows students to attention to grammar, understand the steps spelling and punctuation. involved in writing. Recognizes what learners bring to classroom - contributes to the development of writing skill

Succeed - show students how different discourses require different structures. Authentic texts enhances student involvement Brings relevance to writing process.