Teaching Writing
TSL 592
Methodology of Teaching Writing
Objectives
• To provide an overview to the introduction to teaching
writing including:
• what is writing,
• types of writing,
• what writing involves,
• stages in learning to write, and
• the composing behaviours of ESL writers
Set Induction: Imagine
• Imagine a classroom scenario where a teacher enters a
class and makes students do the following task.
• Write an essay on the effects of water pollution in 350
words. Spend about 45 minutes in writing the essay.
• How do you think the students would feel? Do you think
this is a good way to start a writing class?
Definition of Writing
What is Writing?
• Process of using symbols (letters of the alphabet,
punctuation and spaces) to communicate thoughts and
ideas in a readable form.
• Used in our daily lives:
• To get things done
• To inform
• To persuade
• To maintain relationships
• To document occurrences, events, etc.
• To record feelings, experiences, observations, etc.
Types of Writing?
• 5 main types of writing:
• Narration – contains a sequence of events together with characters
& setting (story, autobiography, sci-fi, etc.)
• Description – detailed account of physical attributes as well as
qualities of a person/thing/place (details of people, places, things,
concepts, etc.)
• Exposition – presentation of facts, information & explanations of
things as they are; no interpretation or stance (explanation, factual
information, instruction, etc.)
• Persuasion – contains writer’s point of view & statements to
convince reader to agree with/accept it (advertisements, political
essays, brochures, etc.)
• Argumentation – discussive essay containing a proposition &
evidence of proof (opinions, discussions, evaluations, etc.)
Writing involves…
1. Subject matter
2. Purpose
3. Interaction & sense of audience
4. Language
5. Conventions
6. Thinking skills
7. Organisation skills
8. Value systems
9. Mechanics
10. Writing process
Stages in Learning to Write…
1. Writing readiness
Concerns pre-school level children; preparing the physical act of
writing
2. Early writing (Beginning-level)
Pre-communicative activities, e.g. handwriting, spelling, etc.
3. Developmental writing (Post-beginner level)
Use of pragmatic approach:
Controlled writing Guided writing Free writing
4. Mature writing
Mature thought on the part of the author is reflected in
writing (e.g. audience, context, values, etc.)
• Students: age, level, proficiency, interest, background (SES),
Prior knowledge
• Syllabus: DSKP (bpk.moe.gov.my), Syllabus (KSSM English),
Scheme of Work, Lesson Plan, CEFR, HOTS
• Lesson Plan: Class, date, time, proficiency, subject, learning
standards, Main skill, complementary skills, Theme, topic,
Learning Outcomes, Resources & AVA, Set Induction,
Activities, Assessment, Reflection
• Pedagogy: 21st century learning, CELT, Task-based learning,
Collaborative, Student-centred, interactive, problem-based,
project-based learning,
• Theories: Product-process, genre-based, models of writing,
cognitive models of writing, assessing writing
Teaching Writing
Beginning-level ESL writers…
Need to learn basic conventions of writing, e.g. identify &
write letters, words & simple sentences; and learning to
spell & punctuate.
Varieties of activities such as:
tracing letters/words,
copy a passage and change one aspect of the passage (from he
to she),
grammatical pattern & functional rules,
unscramble muddled sentence parts,
Read & write public notices
Post beginner ESL writers…
Focus on communicating ideas through writing
Varieties of activities such as:
Composition writing (short stories, descriptions, etc.); students
learn to develop strategies through process prewriting, drafting,
revising & editing.
Language-play writing; fun & engaging (e.g. complete a story.)
Pen pals; authentic writing experience
Journal writing
Computer-mediated writing; e.g. e-mail, blogs, etc.
English
• Form 1-4: KSSM – CEFR
• Form 5: 2020 last year for KBSM
CEFR target (A: basic; B: Independent; C: Proficient)
• Form 1: A2
• Form 2: A2 high
• Form 3: B1 low
• Form 4: B1 mid
• Form 5: B1: high
Higher learning: B2 –C1
English KSSM-CEFR
Composing behaviours of ESL
Writers…
Proficient writers:
Think about the task & use a variety of prewriting strategies
Have a sense of audience & will consider audience while
composing
Once organised, get ideas onto paper quickly
At drafting stage, pay attention to meaning over form
Concerned with higher levels of meaning along with surface
level
Will revise at all levels (word, sentence, paragraph, entire text)
Will revise by adding, deleting, reordering ideas
Generate several drafts, each with some revision
Composing behaviours of ESL
Writers…
Less-proficient writers:
Start off confused, without using prewriting strategies
Have vague or little awareness of audience
Take too much time to get ideas onto paper
Work primarily at the sentence level, struggling with form
Concerned with vocabulary choice & sentence structure
Will revise primarily at word & sentence level (spelling,
grammar, punctuation, etc.)
Bothered by confusion over revision; tend to avoid adding,
deleting & reordering ideas
Revise primarily only the first draft
In conclusion…
What does writing involve?
What are the stages of learning to write?
Explain how activities are designed when using the
pragmatic approach at the developmental stage of learning
to write.
Describe the differences between proficient and less-
proficient writers.
Suggest a class activity for post-beginner writers.
THE END
