Process writing As its name implies, process writing focuses on the process a writer goes through

before producing a piece of writing: “…process writing in the classroom may be construed as a program
of instruction which provides the students with a series of planned learning experiences to help them
understand the nature of writing at every point.

Generally speaking, four stages are identified in this process:

Planning At the pre-writing stage, the learners are encouraged to gather as much information about the
topic as possible through activities such as:

*Brainstorming *quick write *answers to questions *discussions *Drafting

Drafting is the first attempt at writing. When the learners have gathered enough ideas about the topic
they start writing the first draft paying attention to the following points: At this stage, focus is on the
fluency of writing; *The learners should not be preoccupied too much with accuracy; *While drafting,
the audience should be taken into consideration because having the audience in mind gives direction to
the writing. There might be some kind of response from the teacher. Revising

Revising is not merely checking for language errors. It is rather a look at the overall content and
organization of ideas. Using the feedback from their peers or from the teacher, the learners check
whether their writing communicates meaning effectively to the intended audience.

Editing Once the learners have finished revising, they start tidying up their drafts. This can be done by
the learners themselves (i.e. self-editing) or with the help of their peers (i.e. peer editing). The focus is
on elements like: *diction (choice of words) *grammar (tense, sentence structure, prepositions…)
*mechanics (punctuation, punctuation)

Genre writing Genre writing is similar to the product approach in the sense that it also considers writing
from a linguistic standpoint that is focusses on accuracy more. The genre approach, unlike the product
approach, focuses on the social context in which writing is produced. Texts can be classified into
different genres and are normally written for different social purposes. Consequently, each genre (e.g.
email, formal letters, storytelling, etc.) has its own common conventional. The conventional features of
genres include things like layout, diction, style, organization, and content. Teachers should also focus on
their students’ awareness and analysis of different genres to help them avoid producing texts that will
likely cause a negative reaction. Texts are socially constructed and follow social conventions that the
students have to respect. Wedding invitations, for example, share so many characteristics it is
immediately apparent from its layout and its language. Practically, the genre approach draws
on Vygotsky’s social constructivism which considers language as a consequence of human interaction.
The procedure is based on three major stages: awareness raising, appropriation, and autonomy. During
the lesson, scaffolding is provided. That is, the teacher provides support for learners as they progress in
their linguistic competence and become independent.

Awareness raising:The first stage consists of having the students look, for example, at text models of a
specific genre. The aim is to make them aware of what constitutes that particular genre.

Appropriation At this stage, support is provided when needed while the learners practice the target
genre distinctive features: *the linguistic properties, *layout *organization *Collaborative work may play
an important role at this stage.
Autonomy At this stage, the learners are given enough time to independently construct their own texts.
Guidance may be needed for students with limited control of language.

A process genre approach to teaching writing is to mix the advantages of the three approaches. Badger
and White (2000) call such an approach “process genre approach to teaching writing”. This approach
recognizes: *The importance of the linguistic features of texts as in product writing* The importance of
the knowledge of the social context and purposes of texts as in genre writing; *The importance of the
skills needed in the process of writing.

What is process writing?

The process approach treats all writing as a creative act which requires time and positive feedback to be
done well. In process writing, the teacher moves away from being someone who sets students a writing
topic and receives the finished product for correction without any intervention in the writing process
itself. Research also shows that feedback is more useful between drafts, not when it is done at the end
of the task after the students hand in their composition to be marked. Students also need to realize that
what they put down on paper can be changed: Things can be deleted, added, restructured, reorganized,
etc. Stages Pre-writing: The teacher needs to stimulate students' creativity, to get them thinking how to
approach a writing topic. In this stage, the most important thing is the flow of ideas, and it is not always
necessary that students actually produce much (if any) written work.

Focusing ideas: During this stage, students write without much attention to the accuracy of their work
or the organization. The most important feature is meaning. Here, the teacher (or other students)
should concentrate on the content of the writing. Is it coherent? Is there anything missing? Anything
extra?
Evaluating, structuring and editing: Now the writing is adapted to a readership. Students should focus
more on form and on producing a finished piece of work. The teacher can help with error correction and
give organizational advice.
Classroom activities: Pre-writing *Brainstorming Getting started can be difficult, so students divided into
groups quickly produce words and ideas about the writing.

 Planning
Students make a plan of the writing before they start. These plans can be compared and
discussed in groups before writing takes place.

 Generating ideas
Discovery tasks such as cubing (students write quickly about the subject in six different ways -
they: 1. describe it 2. compare it 3. associate it 4. analyze it 5. apply it 6. argue for or against it.

 Questioning
In groups, the idea is to generate lots of questions about the topic. This helps student’s focus
upon audience as they consider what the reader needs to know. The answers to these questions
will form the basis to the composition.

 Discussion and debate: The teacher helps students with topics, helping them develop ideas in a
positive and encouraging way.

Focusing ideas
  Fast writing: The students write quickly on a topic for five to ten minutes without worrying
about correct language or punctuation. Writing as quickly as possible, if they cannot think of a
word they leave a space or write it in their own language. The important thing is to keep writing.
Later this text is revised.

 Group compositions: Together in groups, sharing ideas. This collaborative writing is especially
valuable as it involves other skills (speaking in particular.)

 Changing viewpoints: A good writing activity to follow a role-play or storytelling activity.

Different students choose different points of view and think about /discuss what this character
would write in a diary, witness statement, etc.

 Varying form: Similar to the activity above, but instead of different viewpoints, different text
types are selected. How would the text be different if it were written as a letter, or a newspaper
article, etc.

Evaluating, Structuring and Editing

 Ordering
Students take the notes written in one of the pre-writing activities above and organise them.
What would come first? Why? Here it is good to tell them to start with information known to
the reader before moving onto what the reader does not know.

 Self-editing A good writer must learn how to evaluate their own language - to improve through
checking their own text, looking for errors, structure. This way students will become better
writers.

 Peer editing and proof-reading here the texts are interchanged and the evaluation is done by
other students. In the real world, it is common for writers to ask friends and colleagues to check
texts for spelling, etc. You could also ask the students to reduce the texts, to edit them,
concentrating on the most important information.

The importance of feedback: It takes a lot of time and effort to write, and so it is only fair that student
writing is responded to suitably. Positive comments can help build student confidence and create good
feeling for the next writing class.
Writing as communication
Process writing is a move away from students writing to test their language towards the communication
of ideas, feelings and experiences. It requires that more classroom time is spent on writing.
Potential problems
Writing is a complex process and can lead to learner frustration. As with speaking, it is necessary to
provide a supportive environment for the students and be patient.

Other ways

ENCOURAGE GOOD WRITING & PENALIZE POOR WRITING

If you want performance, you must ask for it. Some teachers expect good results, but they never do
anything in order to motivate their students. Stress the fact that good, thoughtful, and clear writing will
be greatly rewarded. On the other hand, let them understand that poor quality writing will bring the
exact opposite results: penalizations. So if an essay has good points and ideas, but the writing shows
little effort, the grade will be lower.

2. WORK ON YOUR STUDENT’S MINDSET Sometimes, stating clear rules and expectations is just not
enough. It may not work for every student of yours. That’s why you should also take a “lighter” path. It
means that you can use non-intrusive motivation techniques that will inspire your students instead of
scaring them. For example, one way you can make them understand that writing is extremely important
in their lives, and not only during college. You could also make them understand that writing will help
them think better, connect things easier, and ultimately make their life easier in so many aspects.

3. A LOT OF PRACTICE EQUALS BETTER PERFORMANCE

Every human skill gets better with constant, repetitive practice. Organize brief writing sessions. It may
be painful for them at first, but the more they write, the better their writing will get. These brief writing
sessions, combined with their home assignments and exams (most of which will require essay writing
skills), will assure you that their writing is always practiced. In this way, they will find it much easier to
pull off better words, ideas, and content.

4. PROVIDE INSTRUCTIONS THROUGHOUT THE WRITING PROCESS The moment you provide your
students with a specific assignment, take a few moments and explain to them how they should go about
it. For example, you can emphasize the importance of creating clear and concise outlines before they
start writing. Another thing you can do is give them a starting point. Show them some techniques that
will save them time and energy. With time, they will significantly improve their writing skills.

5. PROVIDE HELPFUL FEEDBACK As a teacher, you have a great deal of knowledge compared to your
fellow students. Your role as a teacher, besides the teaching, is to offer your students quality feedback.
Your feedback should contain specific tips and corrections for each and every student separately.
6. HAVE YOUR STUDENTS READ A LOT Try to make your students understand the importance of
everyday reading, and the link between reading and writing. A good way to make it easier for them is to
give those clear instructions and reading material. For example, you can give them a list of
books/articles/essays, and offer them specific indications of where to look when they start the reading
process, how to study the sentences, the style, and so on

Coherence means the connection of ideas at the idea level, and cohesion means the connection of ideas
at the sentence level. Basically, coherence refers to the “rhetorical” aspects of your writing, which
include developing and supporting your argument (e.g. thesis statement development), synthesizing and
integrating readings, organizing and clarifying ideas. The cohesion of writing focuses on the
“grammatical” aspects of writing.