Written Production (Writing) in the SL Classroom

On the tree linking theory and practice, writing is labeled written production and is one of the branches; when learning a second language, it is a skill that students must develop. When expressing oneself in a language, this is only done in an oral fashion; written communication is extremely important in language learning. For many students, writing is a less stressful activity then speaking as the audience for any mistakes is more selective; on the other hand, written work is concrete and is therefore open to closer examination and correction. Teachers must develop the students’ sense of self-efficacy related to their writing skills; this section will discuss the importance of writing skills and how they can be developed.

Why should writing skills be developed?

Writing is an integral and necessary skill when learning a second language as communication is not only done orally. Writing is necessary if a person is looking to study or work in a particular country. Writing also results in increased practice using the language. Connections can be made between the four key skills in learning a language: reading, writing, listening and speaking. These skills do not exist independently, they are interrelated; improving one will result in improvements in the others. Writing is a manner for students to practice their language skills in a way that promotes noticing; as they write their texts, they are forced to notice certain grammar and vocabulary structures and reflect on why those are used and not others.

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How can the teacher prepare the students to write?

Before engaging in a writing task, students need to know the purpose of writing and be introduced to important language features and key vocabulary. Teachers can create their own activities or follow the model of a text; a text can be constructed on the board or overhead as a whole class activity with the learners contributing the language. This will enable teachers to identify and explain language features that are problematic and model the editing process for learners.

Before asking a students to complete a written task, there are some things a teacher can do to prepare them:

Be clear about the skills being developed (ie verb tense, structures, forms etc.)
Involve students as personally as possible as this increases motivation
Discuss with the students the different skills involved in the writing process such as conceptualizing, planning, composing, revising etc.
Remember that according to Krashen, increased reading equals better writing

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What should the writing process look like in an SL context?

Having modeled the writing process, teachers should give learners the time to prepare for and draft their text. Group or pair work is a useful way to help learners prepare for writing as they can share ideas and rehearse some expressions they intend to use. Encourage them to edit and revise, paying particular attention to language features highlighted earlier. In every language class, the teacher plays a great role in making the writing tasks as achievable and productive as possible:

Make the written tasks a frequent occurrence to reduce anxiety around them
Make the tasks meaningful to students personally and in general
Give appropriate teacher feedback and give the students a chance to revise their drafts as this promotes self-correction and noticing). Feedback should focus on improving the students’ work, not correction for correction’s sake
Give the students time to reflect on the writing process (what worked, what didn’t, what was enjoyable, etc.)
Don’t always grade the tasks; students should not be writing solely for credit
Establish real-life situations to engage the students (ie set up an email pen pal system between another school, etc.)

Writing occurs in three phases. Teachers should be aware of these phases, and inform the students of them. Activities can be structured around these phases to show students just how different the process of each phase is.

Prewriting: generation of ideas, discussion of purpose/format etc., use of organizational skills, emphasis placed not on structure rather content ideas
Composing: creation of outline, writing, selection of specifics (tense, style, etc.), restructuring
Revision: revision of style/grammar/structure, check for consistency/errors/clarity/support of arguments

More details click here http://nadabs.tripod.com/teachingwriting-ways.htm