TEACHING

WRITING

Realin Packit Escanilla Acosta Ellazar

?
Is writing
INNATE
or
LEARNED?
 1 • Pre-service student teachers are unaware of the
various approaches to teaching English-as-L2 writing.

Introductio – Trained as English Language Teachers, not writing

teachers.

n • Learning how to teach writing through imitating

favorite teachers, or mentorship by senior colleagues
in the workplace
• Beneficial for teachers to have a systematic
understanding of different approaches to teaching
academic writing.
• Paradigm shift
• Controlled composition was practiced
– Sample sentences of a chosen structure and following
the pattern.
 • Focus not only on grammatical accuracy of sentences
but also functions of writing.

Introductio • Rhetorical function approach

n
– From sentence level accuracy to a discourse level
– Emphasized the purposes of writing: description,
comparison, and contrast.
• From focusing primarily on the form or correctness of
the writing to focus on the macro-level communicative
purposes.
– Let students’ ideas decide the form of a piece of writing.

• Genre approach
– Reading model texts from a subject area and guided
practice
 • Mastery of the language, text structure, and
discourse practices for specific kinds of

Introductio communication
• Common objective: students recognize that they write
n in order to accomplish certain deliberate functions.
• Practical approach
– Socio-cognitive pedagogy that trains students in key
thinking processes, conducive to developing and
expressing ideas while considering the audience.
 2 • “Successful writing cannot be defined simply through
a single set of predefined features. Rather, successful

Second writing has multiple profiles.”

• Some successful writers compose longer essays with
Language more infrequent vocabulary, and fewer errors.
Others produce essays with more syntactically
Writing complex sentences and with a better control of text
cohesion.
• What is the goal?
– Write texts accurately
– Free of grammatical errors
– Consider stylistic factors such as choice of words,
sentence complexity, text cohesion, and length of
their essays.
 2 • Achieving a good composition is a complex and
difficult task for both native speakers and non-native

Second speakers of English.

– Discipline is requisite for precision and form

Language – Difficulty to achieve the mastery of words, even when

familiar with them.

Writing • This approach views writing as a profession, a

qualification to be attained with discipline and
hardwork, rather than an innate ability or subconscious
habit.
• “Even in one’s native language, learning to write is
something like learning a second language…No one is
a ‘native speaker’ of writing.”
• For the most part, everyone learns to write at school.
 3 • WC is about composing an effective piece of written
work to fulfill a specific purpose.

Writing • Ex: Writing an engaging story—adopt a narrative style

and rhetorical moves
Competenc • Awareness of the importance of the purpose, audience,

e
and context of the writing = easily employ the
following basic academic discourse skills.
 3.1 • A rewording of something written or spoken by
someone else

Paraphrase • Summaries of someone else’s word into text of your

writing
and Direct • Carries the same meaning of the word spoken or

Quotation
written text without using the exact words
• No quotation marks are used but other key phrases are
– said that
• EX. Henry David Thoreau said that we should live our
dream.
• Always make sure to acknowledge the author and
aside from the full name, paraphrased text should
include the page number and the year of the
publication.
 3.1 • Read carefully.
• Make sure you understand the text.
Paraphrase • Rewrite in your own words without looking. Make sure

and Direct
to change the grammar and vocabulary as necessary.
• Check to see the differences in the words and

Quotation grammar. Use this tool.

• http://handymanonline.com/Paraphrasing-tool.html
• Ex. I like sports = I enjoy athletics
• Cite the paraphrased text especially when it is a new
information to you.
• If it is common knowledge you don’t need to cite it.
• Ex. Breakfast is important. (common knowledge,
everybody knows this)
Sentence • New York City, an engaging city with vibrant ambience
and exhilarating pace, is one of the foremost tourist

Level destination in the world.

• One of the most popular places in the world to visit is
Changes New York. People love to visit because it is exciting and
interesting
 Direct • The exact words of someone else woven into a writing
• Gives writing credibility and strength
Quotations • Always offset with quotation marks
• Ex. Henry David Thoreau states, “Go confidently in the
direction of your dream. Live the life you have
imagined.”
Punctuation • Direct quotes use quotation marks.
• Quotation marks bring out the commas.
• Ex. Thoreau commented on consumerism and the state of
human materialism when he said, “Our life is frittered away
by detail.”
• Ex. Anyone who has paid taxes would probably agree with
Thoreau “that government is best which governs least”
• Ex. “This world,” according to Thoreau, “is but a canvas to our
imagination.”
•  
•  
• 1st ex. Uses whole quote from Thoreau.
• 2ndex. A fragment, in this case we took a portion of what
Thoreau said not the whole quote.
• 3rd ex. Direct quote with interruption.
 3.2 • Provides measure of different words in context.
• Choice of word or the effectiveness of vocabulary when
Lexical used in writing
• The greater lexical variety, the higher of possibility to
Variety leave better impression with the readers.
• Lexical variety alone in not enough when writing a
good essay, other factors contributes too. They are all
equally important
 3.3 • A feature of sentences in which the object or goal of
the action functions as the sentence subject.

Passive • Emphasizes the person or object receiving the action

• Ex. The car was fixed by the mechanic
Voice
 Reasons 1. Appropriate use of the passive voice can enable writers
to focus on a specific object for its importance, away from
why passive the actors who play a secondary role only. (Ferris 2014)
• Ex. Conducted simultaneously in labs on four different
voice is continents, the experiment yielded results with

preferred in
international significance.
2. To let writers deliberately distance themselves from
academic their statements. By downplaying their identities through
the passive voice, they could increase the statements’
writing. objectivity, which is again appropriate in scientific writing.
 
3.4 Thinking Processes: Information Focused
Approach vs. Knowledge Transformation
Approach
The information focused approach vs. the knowledge
transformation approach to writing explains differences in
the thinking processes by novice vs. experienced writers
during different stages of their composition.
The Information Focused Approach
-It is often use by novice writers.
-they have a tendency to note down all the facts and information they have
about a topic, without establishing a focused macro rhetorical goal before
they start to write.
The Information Focused Approach vs. The Knowledge Transformation
Approach differentiates the novice and experienced writers through out
different stages of the composition;
Planning
Organizing
Writing
In the Planning stage;
Novice writers:
 What they know about the topic
 Whether they have sufficient points for inclusion into the essay
 Where they can find more information
 How to make a piece of information relevant to the essay topic.
Experienced writers:
 More concerned about the rhetorical situation in writing their
particular piece
 They think carefully about what information and rhetorical moves
will best fit the rhetorical situation
 They consider and rank different pieces of information or moves in
how they may help to achieve the macro rhetorical goal
In the Organization stage;
Novice writers:
 Tend to present information in a chronological order
Experience writers:
 Tend to consider how different organization of the information
helps them fulfil their rhetorical goal.
 They make sure that the organization structure satisfies the
rhetorical situation.
 They anticipate what the reader would like to know in their
essays
 They take into account proactively the readers expectations and
reactions.
In the Writing/Revising Stage;
Novice writers:
 Often have difficulty in deciding what to say next
 They tend to re read the previous sentence before they decide how to
proceed
 They are actually too concerned about mistakes in grammar and spelling
 They tend to use simple vocabulary and sentence structure
 They tend to be pre-occupied with the micro-level issues of writing

Experience writers:
 Refer to the macro rhetorical goal
 They choose words that are suitable for the overall rhetorical situation
 They tend to re-organize or re-write texts in larger units guided again by
the macro-rhetorical goal
3. 5 Structuring and Developing
Argument at the Macro and Micro
Levels
Toulmin Model of Argumentation on how to structure arguments at the micro
level
Elements in this model of argumentation:
1. Claim- a statement that the arguer wants to show is true.
2. Data- the evidence offered in support of the claim.
3. Warrant- an assumption that underlies the claim.
4. Backing- evidence for the warrant.
5. Qualifier- something which is added that in some way limits the
applicability of scope of the claim.
6. Reservation- a statement or situation which, if true renders the claim
invalid.
 4
Writing • Traditionally, explicated as a linear process.

Process • May “underconceptualize and oversimplify” the writing

process.

4 Sub- 1. Conceptualizing Stage

Processes in 2. Formulating

Writing 3. Revising
4. Reading
Conceptualizin • Generate and select ideas, and organize the ideas in a
neat way
g Stage

Formulating • Putting ideas into sentences

Revising • Write and improve the essays

• Read the essay’s instruction to gather information for

Reading the essay topic.
Writing • Recently, scholars suggest that writing is a recursive,
non-linear activity.

Process • Both novice and experiences writers go through

various stages of the writing process several times and
as Non- may not follow a fixed and particular order. (Clark and
Ivanic, 1991)
linear
Clark and
Ivanic’s 16
Stages of
Writing Process
1 Accumulating knowledge and
opinions

2 Deciding how to take

responsibility
3 Analyzing the assignment

4 Planning
5 Establishing goals and purposes

6 Establishing the writer identity

7 Drafting

8 Considering constraints of time

and space
 9 Formulating the writer’s own
ideas

10 Experiencing panic, pain, and

anguish
11 Experiencing pleasure and
satisfaction

12 Revising
13 Considering the reader

14 Clarifying writer commitment

to his/her idea
15 Putting knowledge of the
language to use

16 Making the copy neat

 5 TEACHING OF WRITING IN THREE DISTINCT STAGES

The Use of
1. Modeling
– Introduce the text type
Technologie 2. Joint construction of text
s to – Negotiation of ideas between teachers and

Enhance the
students
– Weebly, Wikipedia, Google Docs
Teaching of 3. Independent construction of text
Writing – Explicitly tell students the purpose of writing a
particular essay.
– Automated essay system: Criterion
 In-class PEER ASSESSMENT SOFTWARE
– Peerceptiv
peer • Advantages:
review  when names are anonymized, feedbacks are
more honest
sessions  Supply social motivation for revision of work
 6
Enhancing • Prepare to change their habitual approach to writing

Second • Move away from the information focused approach to

writing.

Language • Awareness of the purpose and audience of the writing.

Writing • Awareness of the thinking process that take place in

the writing.

Performanc • Socio-cognitive approach to writing as an effective way

in enhancing student performance in writing English as
e a second language.
 6.1 • Cognitive approach and genre approach
• CA focuses on rhetorical moves and organization
Using a structure, rather than the thinking process involved in
the enactment of the discourse moves.
Socio- • Prescriptive nature of GA inhibits students’ creativity.

Cognitive • Socio-Cognitive approach considers socio-cultural

contexts, thinking processes in enacting each genre

Approach practice, and reader expectations, to overcome the

shortcomings of the two approaches.

to Writing • Thinking processes

• SCA has positive results on improving students’
writing.
 6.2 • Knowledge of coherence
• Coherence in a narrow sense
Understan – Connectedness between sentences

ding • Coherence in a broader sense

– Linking the ideas in a text at a discourse level to create

Features meanings for the readers.

• Common features of coherence
That Make  Macro-structure

a Text
 Information structure
 Proposition development

Coherent  Cohesive devices

 Metadiscourse markers
Features of Macro-structure
– Outline of a text.
Coherence Information structure
– Presenting old (given) information before
introducing new information.

Proposition development
– State the proposition without elaboration of ideas.

Cohesive devices
– Help establish relationships between different
sentences.

Metadiscourse markers
– Used to organize, interpret, and evaluate information.
 6.3 • Careful editing
• A well-crafted essay gives a positive impression to the
Adopting reader that the writer is competent.

Good • Strategies
Editing 1. Finish the writing earlier

Strategies 2. Read the composition aloud

3. Use a word processors to check for grammatical,
spelling, and typographical errors.
4. Keep track of error patterns
 7 • Process-oriented and genre approach
• These have not included the setting of the macro-
Pedagogical rhetorical goal in writing and have not emphasized the

Principles of thinking process involved in the enactment of the

genre practice.
the Socio- • Essay must include only one macro-rhetorical goal.

Cognitive – Its establishment specifies the angle that the essay is

going to take and directs the path of the whole essay.

Approach to
Academic
Writing
Implications a. Teachers need to explain the purpose
and of writing to the students

Associated b. Writing lessons would address the

knowledge-transformation approach
Pedagogical to writing
Principles of c. Second language writers’ writing
SCA to performance can be enhanced by
Academic understanding coherence in a broader

Writing sense
d. Writing is a complex activity
“
Students write not only
because they are told to
write, but they write in
order to fulfill a social
function through the
writing.