Contrasting Product, Process and Genre Approaches to the Writing Skill

Liz Camilleri PA 8 Language Skills: Writing Product Process and Genre approaches to the writing skill. I am teaching my lesson on the 1st of November. So please give others top priority. Word count: (so far)

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Contents 1: Introduction

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2: Analysis 3: Problems and possible solutions. 3.1: Problems with the Product approach and possible solutions. 3.2: Problems with the Process approach and possible solutions 3.3: Problems with the Genre approach and possible solutions.

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4: Conclusion 5:Bibliography 6:Appendix 1: Samples of lesson ideas My questions •

Have I linked the theory to enough practical examples?

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Should I include more of my own voice?

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How can I improve my problems and solutions section, which I feel is still a little shaky? I was thinking about learning styles e.g. visual/ auditory/kinaesthetic/ read and write as well as educational background e.g. Japanese culture has traditionally focus more on accuracy. Many Asian students I have taught are used to the grammar translation or audio lingual methods (which have now fallen out of favour somewhat in comparison to the relatively ‘new’ more communicative approaches) so perhaps a totally processes based approach may initially

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be met with some resistance etc.. The teacher could perhaps slot in more familiar tasks with less familiar ones so that the student/s feel less overwhelmed. 1: Introduction Even native speakers need systematic instruction to learn to write. Compared to speaking, writing has more standard forms of grammar, syntax and vocabulary; it is planned and is often more complex than speech since it cannot rely on pitch, stress, rhythm and body language to convey meaning.1 This assignment will examine and contrast three popular methods that have emerged since the late 70’s. These are: the Product, the Process and the Genre approach. I chose this topic to help me make more systematic choices when planning writing lessons.

2: Analysis 2.1: The Product Approach The product (or model text) approach came about in the late 70’s to early 80’s and sees writing as being primarily about linguistic knowledge. Attention is given to the appropriate use of vocabulary, syntax and cohesive devices2. In EFL contexts, it is rooted in Behaviourist theory and requires the learner to manipulate fixed patterns which are learnt by imitation. Proponents of the product approach see the composing process as being linear and consisting of four stages3 which is in line with the teaching structure of Present, Practice and Produce which emerged at around the same time. These stages are: Stage 1: Familiarization – this makes students aware of certain features of a particular text. In a typical product oriented class, if students were learning about how to write a job application or covering letter, learners would first be asked read a job advert and a model letter of application 1

Raimes, A. (1983) Techniques in Teaching Writing. (Oxford American English, p.5). Pincas (1982) as cited in: Badger, R. & G. White. (2000) ‘A process genre approach to teaching writing’ ELT journal Volume 54/2 April 2000 ( OUP, p. 153). 3 Pinacas, A. (1982). Teaching English Writing. Macmillan, p. 26 as cited Unit 3 Section 2, p. 31 of The Distance Delta Reading Materials. 2

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for that job.4 They would then be directed to look at certain linguistic features, such as the type of vocabulary used. Stages 2 and 3: Controlled and Guided writing – these stages aim at giving learners guided practice with increasing freedom to help them practice. Here learners would probably be given a gap fill exercise where they would be asked to fill in the gaps of a similar job application letter. . Stage 4: Free writing – This is where the learners are finally given a free reign and can produce an application letter for a similar advert by imitating the sample text. Critics of this approach include Hairstone (1982, p. ????) who states that : Writing is messy, recursive, convoluted and uneven. Writers plan, revise, anticipate and review throughout the writing process, moving back and forth among the different operations involved in writing without any apparent plan’. Regardless of its shortcomings it is still used in many EFL classrooms. Course books such as The Successful Writing series, use plenty of model texts and encourage controlled practice before giving freer reign which is firmly in line with this method of instruction.5 2.2: The Process Approach This method places emphasis on the cycle of writing, rather than a fixed linear approach such as the earlier Product approach. It has much in common with communicative-task based instruction which is currently popular within communicative pedagogy. Unlike the Product approach which is more interested in the written outcome, the Process approach focuses on the thinking processes that are involved with writing. A Process based lesson would get students to:

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This example will be used with all three processes to help the reader compare and contrast them. Evans, V. (2000) Successful Writing: Intermediate, Express Publishing and Successful Writing Proficiency, Express Publishing. 5

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generate ideas and brainstorm what a letter of application might include. write out a brief plan. write a first draft. review the draft (either by themselves, with their peers or their teacher). re-work their letters until they are happy with them.

The process approach is more time consuming as the writer has to write and re-write their work. The process itself helps organise the writer’s thoughts. White and Arndt (1991, p.12)6 argue this is because there is a close link between writing and thinking. 2.3: The Genre Approach Recent studies7 on writing have strengthened the case for taking a genre approach to writing8. This is based on the idea that writing is aided by understanding the salient features of these genres such as the differences in style and language and layout. The genre approach teaches that people reading a discursive essay for example, expect it to start with a question, then explain why the question is valid. Next, they would expect the writer to present a number of differing arguments before the writer giving their own opinion in the conclusion. A piece of writing that does not follow the expected layout or schematic structure for the expected context of communication could lead to an unsuccessful piece of writing.9

3: Problems and possible solutions 6

White, R. & Arndt, V. (1991) Process Writing. Longman. Such as those by Hyland, ( 2000) and 8 Harwood, N. (2002) ‘The Sample Approach: Teaching writing to Cambridge Examination Classes’ Humanistic Language Teaching Magazine downloaded from http://www.hltmag.co.uk/sept02/mart4.htm on 12/10/06. 9 Tribble, C (1996). Writing. OUP 7

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3.1: Problems with the Product approach and possible solutions. The Product approach sees planning as only happening in the initial stages, though there is proof that it actually happens throughout. 10 Most people find that their writing significantly improves in terms of presentation and progression of ideas not only by devising a plan but also by experimenting with different approaches. • Since few people are naturally gifted writers, I would combine the product and process approaches and get students to brainstorm ideas, then write a draft and after that, check and re-examine their work and/ or that of other students, ignoring the punctuation and grammar for the time being but paying attention to the layout and how they structure their information. They should also keep in mind the audience they are writing for. This lesson would be split up into three or four thirty minute sections over a period of a week. In all, they would write a total of three drafts, slowly refining their work with their teacher’s and classmates’ suggestions. Once they are happy with their final draft, I would ask them to check it for punctuation and grammar errors which were not given too much emphasis before (unless they truly impeded comprehension). •

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Models can have the potential to intimidate students both at low and high levels as they are often ‘too perfect’. This can lead to student giving up. I have seen model essays for advanced classes which I doubt I could have written as proficiently. I often use several examples rather than just one sample from students who have passed a similar course. This gives a more realistic example and helps motivate students.

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The task may be boring or dry this de-motivates the students who in turn see writing as a boring activity. The teachers should where possible personalise the task to make it as meaningful to the student as possible. Brainstorming, to find out what the students

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Zamel, 1983 as cited in Harwood, N. The Sample Approach: Teaching writing to Cambridge Examination Classes

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know before launching into the lesson gives lower levels a chance to plan first. •

The study of models can result in the writer sacrificing style for content. I have seen this happen in class where a group of Japanese Intermediate students all ‘created’ the same letter, showing very little originality. This may have been due to the approach used and the educational background of the learners. I would therefore make sure I showed a variety of models to show students that there is no one way of writing but several ways and that each person has their own unique writing style. I would put students into groups and get each group of students to swap their work with another student. Next, they would be asked to evaluate the piece of writing based on criteria such as task achievement, accuracy, appropriateness and range of language as well as the layout. Once the pieces of writing have been handed back I would ask the students to look at their writing and based on the feedback, see if there was anything they would like to change. I might to give more focus to the ideas generated and thinking processes involved, rather than just lifting whole chunks of text.

3.2: Problems with the Process approach and possible solutions •

Some learners are not proficient writers in their own language and struggle to put their thoughts on paper. I found this out when I spoke to some students of mine sitting for the FCE exam. Many said that they hardly ever wrote in their own language and had no prior experience when it came to writing a formal letter for example. This is particularly challenging for the teacher and students. I would advocate group writing where you pair up several stronger students with the weaker learners. Peer teaching would help them notice successful techniques that other writers use.

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Students are sometimes unable to come up with suitable ideas related to the chosen topic. This therefore depends a lot on the topics chosen. The teacher must bear in mind the students various life experiences as well as personality and interests. A group of young adults might know very little about knitting for example and

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I doubt they would be motivated to write a report on this. However, they would probably jump at the chance to get write a report on the local night club scene and would generate a lot more ideas. •

Planning takes time, which many students, such as those sitting for exams like CAE or IELTS complain they don’t have much of. One technique I have found helpful is to get students at the beginning of the course, to write down several discussion titles or topics and put them in a box. Once or twice a week, when there are a few minutes to spare, the teacher or students pick out one of the titles and working in teams, the students have to write down a quick plan of their paragraphs. They then discuss their plan with other groups and see if they came up with similar ideas. As their confidence and speed increases, the students start to do the task individually. I also draw on Edward De Bono’s PMI thinking tool11 which helps students look at an issue from different angles.

3.3: Problems with the Genre approach and possible solutions. •

It can sometimes be difficult to convince students that it is not just control of the language used that is important but also the style and lay out of the text too. Arabic intermediate students I have taught have often not been able to understand that good grammar is not the only thing needed for a successful report or narrative and that one has to take into consideration factors such as the layout and intended audience. Initially, they often use language that is overly formal and see planning and organising the text as a waste of time. I find that one way of helping them is to pair them with learners have who them a checklist to

4: Conclusion 11

De Bono, E. in The Six Thinking Hats, talks about the PMI thinking tool, a useful way to help brainstorm the plusses, minuses and interesting points surrounding an issue. It has been shown to encourage divergent thinking and creativity.

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Although the product, process and genre approaches are in theory seen as separate, in practice, this is often not the case. Writing is learnt formally, but it does not develop as a neat accumulation of features. Novice writers develop partly on the basis of models and plans, as well as by using individual intuition, some experimentation and feedback. Some writers consider the product-process approach to be a false dichotomy.12This is because many writing tasks seem are a ‘hybrid’ of these supposedly opposing approaches. They may, for example, include controlled and free tasks concurrently. This assignment has shown that that no single approach is better than the other, each invariably has its strengths and weaknesses. I believe that rather than limiting ourselves, we should be able to pick and choose different parts to suit the individual needs and learning styles of our classes.

5:Bibliography

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Bramforth (1993) & Liebman-Klein (1986) as cited in Brunton, A (2005) ‘Process Writing and Communicative-Task-Based Instruction: Many common features, but more common limitations?’ TESL-EJ, 9.3 December (p.4).

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Lesson plan –points • Time:60 minutes • Level :Intermediate • Multilingual general English course with a number of students eventually hoping to sit for the FCE exam which includes these type of essays. • Aim: To help students plan a ‘for and against’ essay. This will be done by showing students the value of mind maps for generating ideas and getting students to notice features of this genre as well through the use of a model text. Sub aims: Linking devices. •

• Use a hybrid approach including features of the ProductProcess-Genre approaches. • Brainstorm all the different kinds of writing and put different ideas on the board. Explain that this is called a mind-map and that is it useful when trying to plan a piece of writing to help come up with ideas. •

Give out 1 jumbled ‘for and against’ (realistic) model text.

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Get students to work in pairs to unscramble the text. Ask what kind of an essay they think it is. Why? Elicit ideas such as it gives the good points and bad points.

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Students check with original text and are given two more examples of a ‘for and against’ essay to look at. One is

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clearly better than the other in terms of layout and progression of ideas. •

S say which essay they prefer and why. Elicit that the 1st text is more ordered etc.

• Students have a true or false checklist that they use to identify genre features •

T hands them a worksheet with 5 or 6 short True or False statements for students to tick. Looking at the first 2 texts compared to the ‘not so good’ text can you work in pairs and decide if the statements are true of false.

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E.g. Usually the writer gives his opinion at the beginning of the essay T or F.

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T gives students a list of 2-3 ‘for and against essays’ and tells students that they can choose any one of these topics. Students team up with classmates who have chosen the same essay.

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Brainstorm ideas for a ‘For and Against’ essay about pros and cons alone and then with their groups. Each group writes a plan for their possible essay.

Possible secondary aim: Look at the word/s underlined in the model text and match them to similar words or phrases e.g. Firstly, Secondly, For Example/ for instance, Moreover/ another

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point I would like to make, to sum up / in conclusion , On the other hand/ however

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