IMPLEMENTING THE PROCESS-GENRE

APPROACH TO TEACHING WRITING

ISABELA VILLAS BOAS

Focus on writing can range from a mere “backup”
for grammar teaching to a major syllabus strand
in its own right. (Harmer, 2004: 31)
Approaches to teaching writing

Product

Process

Genre
Product Approach
“Controlled Composition” or “Current-traditional
Approach”

Writing seen as a linear process

Students write Teacher corrects and grades

Process Approach
Writing is seen as a recursive process

Group work is emphasized

Students should be allowed to choose topics

The teacher is a facilitator who provides

feedback to students

The social dimension of writing is emphasized

 Post-process framework

Balance between process and product (Reid, 2001)

Classroom community and participation of

students in the construction of their writing and
that of others (Reid, 2001)

Genre-based approaches as a complement to

process writing (Hyland, 2003)
Post-process era: recognition of the multiplicity of
L2 writing theories and pedagogies (Matsuda, 2003)

Writing involves the mediation between the

writer and the reader.

Audience and discourse community determine

knowledge.
“Genres are forms of life, ways of being.
They are frames for social action, the place
where meaning is constructed.”
(Bazerman, 2006)
Do you recognize these genres?
O n c e u po n a t i m e, ....
TO WHOM IT MAY CONCERN
The purpose of this .... is to ....
First, pour...
A fiften-year old male was arrested
last night while he was ...
L o ve, . . .
BTW , plz ... LOL
It was found that, among the subjects studied,
89%...
Genre Approach
Goes beyond the planning-writing-revising
framework

Focuses on the linguistic resources writers need to

communicate effectively rather than merely on
writing strategies

Provides students with systematic explanations of

how texts exercise their communicative functions.
(Hyland, 2007)
Examples of genres
 A Process-genre framework for skills-
integrated contexts
Process approach without losing sight of final product

Use of texts in different genres for analysis and as

models

Awareness-raising of linguistic features of different

genres

Explicit teaching of rhetorical patterns and

conventions
All stages of the writing process (especially planning)
 Contextualize
the social
purpose of the
text and provide
a sample text
(genre)
Assess Engage
student students in
profuction. genre
analysis.

Propose
Engage independent
students in the writing task and
drafting and engage students
feedback in activities to
process. generate and
plan ideas.
 GENRE ANALYSIS
 The purpose of the text: who it is written for and why.
 The tone: formal or informal
 The relationship between the writer and the intended reader.
 The visual layout and how it fits the social purpose of the
text.
 The move structure: what each part aims to achieve.
 The use of headings and images.
 The way the text is divided into paragraphs.
 The use of cohesive devices.
 The use of pronoun references.
 The choice of vocabulary.
 The verb tenses used.
 The sentence types used.
 The types of pronouns used, such as whether personal
pronouns are used or not and why.
GENERATING IDEAS
Brainstorming

Researching

Answering questions

Debating

Talking about the topic

Free Writing
PLANNING

Outlining

Mind mapping
PEER FEEDBACK
Tips for effective peer feedback
Model the activity by revising pieces of writing
with the whole class.

Begin by having students give

feedback on anonymous
writing, as they do not feel
comfortable ‘criticizing’ their
peer’s writing. After a while,
they see that feedback is not
necessarily criticism.

Begin with short checklists and expand the tasks

gradually, until they can be more open-ended.
Vary the focus and the format of
the peer review activity.

Use peer review sheets instead

of having students write on
their peer’s paper.
Be patient. Teaching students
how to give and receive
feedback takes time. They will
be very reluctant in the
beginning, as peer revision is
not part of their educational
experience. If the teacher is
persistent, students eventually
incorporate it as a natural step
in a writing lesson.
 TEACHER FEEDBACK
Content X Form

Steps for giving feedback

Correction symbols

Conferencing

Using technology for feedback

ASSESMENT OF WRITING
 PUTTING IT ALL TOGETHER
Focus on a variety of genres
Model text or texts in the target genre
Genre analysis activities
Explicit instruction of rhetorical features
Contextualized writing task
Generating ideas and planning
Peer revision activities
Teacher feedback
Specific rubrics to asses student production