From Writing Theories to Practices: Teaching and Learning

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From Writing Theories to Practices Teaching and
Learning

• Chen, Yueh-miao (???)
• ???????
• folymc_at_ccu.edw.tw
• Jan. 16, 2008
• 1. Definition of Writing
• 2. Theories Practice
• 3. Features of A Good Writer
• 4. How to Improve Writing Abilities

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Definitions

• There is no separation between writing, life,
  and the mind.
• Natalie Goldberg, Writing Down the Bones
• Writing, like life itself, is a voyage of
  discovery. Henry Miller

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• subject
• message
• writer reader (audience)

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Writing is

• a process of communication
• which uses a conventional system
• to convey a message
• to a reader

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• Writing is a process of
• - exploration (the self the world)
• - discovery (the self the world)
• - communication (with the self the world)
• - learning (We learn to write, we also write to
  learn)

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II. Overview of Composition Research and
Practices

• 1.Product-based Research on Composition
• - emphasize the composed product
• - analyze discourse into word level,
• sentence level, paragraph level
• - focus on style and usage
• - evaluated on clarity and
  correctness rather than originality

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• - the composing process is a linear
• movement
• - chief concerns are language, syntax,
  organizational patterns
• So, the focus of composition instruction is
  overly concerned with correctness, conciseness,
  and clarity, prescriptive forms.

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Pedagogy Controlled composition focusing on
accuracy instead of fluency or originalityContra
stive rhetoric Writing instruction emphasizes
not only on grammatical form, but also on
rhetorical form by training in recognizing and
using topic sentences, examples, and
illustrations. It stresses imitation of paragraph
or essay form.

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2.Process-based Research on Composition

• Writing is
• - a process of generating ideas, creating
  meaning, and problem-solving
• - a recursive and reflective process
• - engages writers with moving back and forth in
  drafting
• - varying audiences and purposes
• taken into account

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• Process teaching approach concentrates on the
  stages of writing, prewriting, drafting, and
  revising. The writer is the focus of instruction.
• Pedagogy
• Personal writing styles
• Free writing
• Journal writing
• Expressive writing

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- Contextual factors, social
cultural factors - Peer response -
Teacher response - Internal features
temperamental and emotional factors, writing
apprehension
3. Classroom-based Research on Composition
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4. Content-based Research on Composition

• - The focus has shifted from the writer to the
  reader the reader within the academic discourse
  community.
• - At college, students need to move cognitively
  from writer-based to
• reader-based prose.

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• In a reader-based prose, a writer takes into
  account the purpose and audience of the writing.
• - to appeal to their readers needs and
  interests
• - to take into account of academic
• demands and the expectations of
• academic readers

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• Pedagogy
• Writing-across-curriculum for L1
• English for academic purpose (EAP) for L2
• It is a reader-dominated approach focusing on
  language teaching as socializing students into
  the academic community. For L2 learners at
  university settings, their writing assignments
  should be tied to subject matter in a specific
  discipline.

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5. Post-Process Research on Composition

• Post-cognitivist theory and pedagogy
• Literacy as ideological arena
• Composition as a cultural activity
• By writing, writers define or redefine their
  relationship to the community or institutions.
  This movement has been trying to expand and
  broaden the domain of L2 writing in research as
  much as in teaching rather than see post-process
  only as a paradigm shift.

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Pedagogy

• A Socio-Cultural Approach to Writing
• Writing is a process of communicating with the
  world, also a cultural activity, so that the
  topics and issues to be discussed and written
  should be well related to the expectations of the
  society and fit in the social and national
  contexts.

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• A Metacognitive Approach to Writing
• - to help students develop their self-reflective
  competence
• - to train students to increase their
  self-awareness as a learner and writer
• - to enhance their self-regulated learning and
  build up their learning autonomy and turn to be a
  self-educator and life long learner

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III. What makes good L1/L2 writers

• 1. A Clear Mind with Logical Thinking
• Process (5 W H )
• 2. Observing Eyes
• 3. Open Heart
• 4. Self-Reflective Awareness
• 5. Sensitivity towards Language
• (Words, Meaning, Text)

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IV. How to improve your English writing ability?

• 1. Keep on reading and writing regularly
• To develop writer-based writing through
• free writing and extensive reading
• to be a fluent self-discovering writer
• - to expand vocabulary inventory
• - to enrich background knowledge
• - to increase sensitivity to the slight
  difference of word usage
• - to increase word power by duplicating words
  through word family

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• 2. Transfer the self-exploring writer to a
  reader-based writer
• - to be concerned with the needs of the
• reader, the purpose, the audience, the
• organizational patterns
• - to get familiar with the organizational
• patterns such as description, narration,
• exposition, and argument

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• beginning advanced
• writer-centered reader-centered

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• 3. To be familiar with the needs and expectations
  of the specific purposes of your professions or
  academic fields
• At this stage, a writer develops to be a
  skillful writer to be able to write
  professionally for his/her fields.

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Conclusion

• As Smith (1994) put it,
• Writing encompasses familiarity with so many
  conventions in so many areas in spelling,
  punctuation, vocabulary, grammar, cohesion,
  discourse structure, and register however,
• We learn to write by writing.

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• We learn to write by writing.
• Write, write, and write.
• Thank you!