Writing Approaches

Behaviorist theorists stress on the idea that learning is a mechanical process or habit formation. The use of language, the manipulation of fixed patterns which are learned by fixed patterns, which we learn by imitation and not until they have been learned, can originality occur. Writing has been described as fitting within that category. It is a process which requires habit formation. Since the 1990’s, writing has been regarded as a process which allows students to engage in mental processes through stages. It allows critical thinking and careful thought analysis, as well as freedom of thought exploration and creative expression. 

Writing has been categorized as falling within two distinct categories or approaches: the product approach and the process approach. When used within the classroom, both approaches are beneficial to the student, however, what must be considered is what genre are the approaches been used to explain or instruct.

The product approach, as postulated by Nunan (1999), allows the learner to imitate, creating a piece of work and transform teacher supplied models. it focuses on the steps in creating a piece of work. Moreover the product approach reflects traditional teacher centered approaches to teaching in general, emphasizing an imitation response evaluation pattern of discourse between teacher and student. Generally speaking, the product approach does not allow for critical thinking as all it requires is for students to regurgitate a model presented to them. The focus is not placed generally on the content but on how well the structure is adhered to. The idea is to see how well a student can imitate a certain piece of writing. 
The product approach to writing was a measure that I took comfort in whilst at the secondary level of education. Not because I wanted to but because it seemed the ideal thing to do, the simplest way to get to the finished piece and it seemed favorable to the teacher. Thinking back, I think this approach was favored because it required very little explanation or teaching and was indeed a lot less strenuous, as opposed to other approaches. What was required was that I follow a simple format/ structure and voila..I was done. The product approach allows students to read to highlight the features of a specific genre of writing. For example, a teacher may decide to ask students to turn to a specific page and briefly describe the features of a letter or focus on the format and differentiate with other formats of writing. In applying these strategies, the students have an idea as to the different structures, techniques and how they are used to make a published piece interesting.

Writing however, is a process which requires a lot of thought and application and in as much as I would love to be spoon fed and get the A’s that are so highly favored, my views pertaining to the product approach are somewhat unsurprisingly in support of what Eschholz (1980) postulated about the product approach: it has been criticized as a mindless repetitive, anti intellectual copy of a particular organizational plan or style. Although writing has been described as a process of habit formation, the product approach does not allow, from my stance, a freedom of expression that most writers like to exercise. Moreover, it takes for granted the importance of the writing process and encourages a careless attitude toward the whole idea of writing.

The process approach on the other hand, is more student centered. As opposed to the product approach, which more or less focuses on the stenciled product, the process approach takes into consideration, the actual writing process. The writing process evolves through several stages during which, the writer explores his or her potential at various angles and express themselves in a manner unique to them. In so doing, it allows for the blend of creativity and a development of the skills that are exclusive to writing. Writing has been described as messy, recursive, convoluted and uneven. Writers adhere to the steps limited to writing: prewriting, drafting, revision, proofreading and publishing. Good writers plan, revise and anticipate and renew throughout the writing process, moving back and forth among the different operations involved in writing without any apparent plan (Hairston 1982).

This approach to writing allows for proper communication of ideas and messages, organized and structured in a manner that they feel is most appropriate and allows for trial and error. Although it is time consuming based on class size, it does allow writing to move from invention to convention. Classmates and other individuals including the teacher, respond to drafts (Freeman and Freeman, 2004). It allows for feedback between drafts and not after the published piece or when writing is complete.

As a teacher, at the primary level, my way of teaching writing was totally different from how I was taught. With practically no knowledge of how to teach writing, I found it essential to take students through the process of writing, to please themselves whilst doing it through the process of brainstorming and basically going through a mini writing process, not applying all the steps of course. I found this tactic to enhance the way students wrote because it broadened their thinking and allowed them to actually use their thoughts to come up with something creative. It was evident that at that level, they would not have been able to imitate the structure of the literature within their texts. In teaching writing at the secondary level, the process approach is indeed more favorable because, it allows time for feedback during the actual process as opposed to correction after the actual process. The teacher then assumes the role of facilitator and or guide rather than provide direct instruction. Moreover, students are given independence to complete the tasks in a way that allows them to articulate their thoughts (Hillocks 1984).

NCTE Beliefs about the teaching of writing

When one thinks of an exceptional writer, the adage, ‘practice makes perfect’ fits in impeccably. The more practice an individual gets in the skill, the more efficiently they acquaint themselves with the process entailed in writing. Writing is an amazing form of expressing one’s thought, however, what is important is how well these thoughts are expressed and how refined they are. Already, it has been established that there is no born writer and that good writing calls for a lot of work and application of learnt skills. Years of practice may seem the only way to acquire these impeccable qualities of a sound writer, however it should be supported and taught by one who is versed in the field with careful adherence to the principles of what constitutes exceptional writing

Throughout the education system, teachers have been branded with the task of teaching students how to write. Evidence substantiates the assertion, that teachers can help students become better writers, by providing much needed guidance and support and allowing them to practice the skills that they have learnt and acquired. I support the idea that anyone can get better at writing and that what teachers do makes a difference in how much students are capable of achieving as writers. Continuously engaging students in the art of writing and not limiting the practice helps develop them somewhat into the writers that we may want them to be.

Surprisingly, I agree to an extent that getting better at writing requires doing it, but how does that statement account for students whom after years of being taught the rules of grammar, punctuation and vocabulary are still not able to apply these basic skills in writing?. How does the statement account for students who are unable to apply the rules of sentence structure more or less write a paragraph? The NCTE Beliefs about the Teaching of Writing article states clearly that the more people write, the easier it gets. I to shared that belief however after much deliberation, my opinion slightly differs. In as much as the statement does to some extent seem plausible, it must be made mention of the fact that engaging a student in continuous writing does not necessarily ascertain that the process gets easier for that student and it certainly does not mean that there is any motivation in writing. It may just as well be that the student is writing just for the purpose of getting a grade. Most times, when students think of writing, they think of it within the box of doing it academically. They believe that the rules of sentence structure should only be adhered to in the class. I remember going to secondary school and thinking; I write because the teacher asked me to and my main aim is to impress my teacher by exhibiting and or applying the concepts that were taught. At secondary school, most times my motivation lay in the promise that the best script would be publicized. In consideration of this, it was abundantly clear that maybe I understood what was expected of me and maybe I did not, but how do I explain the fact that I usually got scolded at for writing sentences in my social studies class which were incorrectly punctuated?

Since reading the NCTE Beliefs about writing article, some of my views have been altered. Up till recently, I thought that writing was a natural skill. Just like some people were born to be song stars, some were born to be writers, however, since reading the article, I have learnt that writing can be taught, that indeed, everybody has a capacity to write and that teachers can help students become better writers. According to the NCTE Beliefs, support can best come through carefully designed writing instruction oriented toward acquiring new strategies and skills. It is believed that writers can benefit from teachers who simply support and give them to write, however, of importance is that these teachers should already know and practice good composition. How effective would an unskilled teacher be to a roomful of students hungry for knowledge?

Writing is a tool for thinking…this statement I totally agree with. Reading this statement and a plethora of thoughts flooded at once. When one is engaged in the art of writing, it requires thought and creativity. For instance, as a student, a teacher asks to write about the mysterious house on the field. Almost immediately, the words and phrases start pouring, and students remember a house similar to it, they start using their creativity to guess and make up unimaginable tales about the house. This is a way of getting students to think, getting them to use their prior knowledge and critical thinking skills in order to describe something authentic or make believe.

Through reading the article, I have become aware of a few implications for teaching English. Of importance is the fact that writing should not be limited to the classroom, students should be given an opportunity to practice their writing outside of the school. Moreover, considering the fact that reading and writing are interrelated concepts, time should be allotted to allow for practice in both fields; reading helps expose students to the skills and structure of writing. It gives them a chance to explore the various genres of writing and ways of improving their writing skills. in addition to that, due to the technologically advanced society that our student are exposed to, it will be a good initiative to try as much as possible, to implement various forms of technology in the class. It would be interesting to take students away from the standard practice of limiting them to just pen and paper. Allowing them to use the most recent technologies such as emails and text messaging within the classroom setting will not only make the class an interesting one, but it will as well motivate the students to participate. Most importantly, as a teacher it will be beneficial to utilize multiple teaching strategies in order to get students to be active participants in the learning to write process

Writing is not just a skill that we acquire just because we think we have to, it is also a means of communication. Therefore it is important that all English teachers are exposed to the ideas put forward by the NCTE beliefs about the Teaching of Writing in order to make the teaching- learning process beneficial. Exposing teachers to the ideas expressed in the article is a good alternative, whether it is through word of mouth or having them read the article and understand/ discuss the different strategies that may be utilized to perfect our students writing. At the end of the day all the teachers shall benefit when their student are able to apply the concepts that were taught, so why not make it a universal achievement.