Escolar Documentos
Profissional Documentos
Cultura Documentos
G u o Ya n
C H I N A
A Process
G enre Model
for
Teaching
Writing
W RITING INSTRUCTORS MUST DEAL WITH MANY ISSUES, SUCH AS HOW TO DETERMINE
the importance of correct spelling and punctuation in early drafts, how to treat
the different steps in the composition process, and how to analyze a text for its
context and purpose. In the past several decades, different approaches have dealt
with these issues, including the product approach of the 1970s and the more
recent process and genre approaches. An understanding of the rationales and cri-
more effective writing instructors. This article will briefly describe the different
approaches and then will look at useful recent research about the advantages of
combining the essential features from two approaches to create a new model.
18 V O L U M E 43 N U M B E R 3 2005 E N G L I S H T E A C H I N G F O R U M
05-0003 ETF_18_27 final 8/1/05 9:52 AM Page 19
E N G L I S H T E A C H I N G F O R U M V O L U M E 43 N UMBER 3 2005 19
05-0003 ETF_18_27 final 8/1/05 9:52 AM Page 20
doing the writing, and because it gives insuffi- the writing classroom. In some cases, combin-
cient importance to the purpose and social con- ing the approaches results in a new way of
text of the piece of writing. Nevertheless, the thinking about writing. One example is a syn-
process approach is widely accepted and uti- thesis of the process and the genre approaches,
lized because it allows students to understand which Badger and White (2000) have aptly
the steps involved in writing, and it recognizes termed the process genre approach. This ap-
that what learners bring to the writing class- proach allows students to study the relation-
room contributes to the development of the ship between purpose and form for a particular
writing skill (Badger and White 2000). genre as they use the recursive processes of pre-
writing, drafting, revision, and editing. Using
The genre approach
these steps develops students’ awareness of dif-
In the 1980s the genre approach became ferent text types and of the composing process.
popular along with the notion that student
writers could benefit from studying different Application of the process genre model
types of written texts. As Nunan (1999, 280) When using the process genre approach,
explains, different genres of writing “are typi- teachers should be aware of the following three
fied by a particular structure and by grammat- general guidelines. First, because writing is so
ical forms that reflect the communicative pur- difficult, the teacher should adopt the role of
pose of the genre.” By investigating different assistant and guide and work closely with stu-
genres, students can perceive the differences in dents to encourage them, offering helpful feed-
structure and form and apply what they learn back and suggestions. It is crucial for teachers
to their own writing. Even in the classroom, to offer positive and constructive advice on
where academic writing usually predominates, what students have written. Teachers also can
writing tasks can be introduced that are based make efforts to arouse curiosity and self-confi-
on different genres with roots in the real world, dence by matching student interests to the
such as the genres of essays, editorials, and writing topic, and they should be sensitive to
business letters. any individual differences that arise in the
According to Cope and Kalantzis (1993), writing process.
the genre approach to writing consists of three Second, teachers should directly train stu-
phases: (1) the target genre is modeled for the dents about writing strategies. If teachers dem-
students, (2) a text is jointly constructed by the onstrate how prewriting activates the schemata
teacher and students, and (3) a text is inde- and outline strategies for the drafting and revi-
pendently constructed by each student. The ap- sion processes, students will be more successful
proach acknowledges that writing takes place in writing compositions. As Yau (1991) states,
in a social situation and reflects a particular writing performance is as much a result of stu-
purpose, and that learning can happen con- dents’ use of strategies in various processes of
sciously through imitation and analysis, which writing as it is of their handling of the language.
facilitates explicit instruction (Badger and Third, teachers should include the listening,
White 2000). The genre approach has been crit- speaking, and reading skills in the writing class.
icized because it undervalues the processes Integrating the four language skills promotes
needed to produce a text and sees learners as the expansion of the students’ overall language
largely passive (Badger and White 2000). How- competence (Goodman 1986). The process
ever, supporters respond that the genre ap- genre approach makes this feasible, as back-
proach succeeds at showing students how dif- ground material is read during prewriting activ-
ferent discourses require different structures. ities, and speaking and listening occur during
In addition, introducing authentic texts en- lectures and when giving or receiving feedback.
hances student involvement and brings rele- Typically, the teaching procedure for the
vance to the writing process. process genre approach is divided into the fol-
lowing six steps: (1) preparation, (2) modeling
A process genre model and reinforcing, (3) planning, (4) joint con-
for teaching writing structing, (5) independent constructing, and
Today many writing teachers recognize that (6) revising. Figure 1, which is adapted from
we need not rigidly adopt just one approach in Badger and White (2000), illustrates how these
six steps interact in a recursive way with them- The students may do some comparisons with
selves and with other writing skills. A short other texts to reinforce what they have learned
description of what occurs during the six steps about the particular genre.
will also illustrate how elements of the process
and genre approaches work in unison. 3. Planning
In this step many meaningful activities ac-
1. Preparation
tivate the students’ schemata about the topic,
The teacher begins preparing the students to including brainstorming, discussing, and read-
write by defining a situation that will require a ing associated material. The aim is to help the
written text and placing it within a specific students develop an interest in the topic by re-
genre, such as a persuasive essay arguing for or
lating it to their experience.
against an issue of current interest. This acti-
vates the schemata and allows students to antic- 4. Joint constructing
ipate the structural features of this genre.
During this step, which will facilitate later
2. Modeling and reinforcing independent composing, the teacher and stu-
In this step the teacher introduces a model dents work together to begin writing a text.
of the genre and lets students consider the social While doing so, the teacher uses the writing
purpose of the text, including who the audi- processes of brainstorming, drafting, and revis-
ence will be. For example, the purpose of an ing. The students contribute information and
argumentative essay is to persuade the reader ideas, and the teacher writes the generated text
to act on something. Next, the teacher discuss- on the blackboard or computer. The final draft
es how the text is structured and how its orga- provides a model for students to refer to when
nization develops to accomplish its purpose. they work on their individual compositions.
E N G L I S H T E A C H I N G F O R U M V O L U M E 43 N UMBER 3 2005 21
05-0003 ETF_18_27 final 8/1/05 9:52 AM Page 22
Level
Intermediate and above
Time
2 hours, with a 10-minute break
Goal
To have students acquire an understanding of the purpose and structure of the
argumentative writing genre and of the processes of prewriting, drafting, revis-
ing, and editing, and to have them use that knowledge to compose a text,
both as a group and individually.
E N G L I S H T E A C H I N G F O R U M V O L U M E 43 N UMBER 3 2005 23
05-0003 ETF_18_27 final 8/1/05 9:52 AM Page 24
E N G L I S H T E A C H I N G F O R U M V O L U M E 43 N UMBER 3 2005 25
05-0003 ETF_18_27 final 8/1/05 9:52 AM Page 26