ON WRITING

Writing is the most difficult of all the language skills. This is true for the teacher as well as the learner. It is not necessarily a requirement that, in order to be good writing teacher, one must also be a good writer (but it helps). More important for teacher is that she has a clear understanding of her role in the classroom. Considering that a learner will only be successful through years of hard work and dedication, it is clear that, even though we call ourselves teachers, we are, in fact, mere facilitators.

What does this mean? If we examine this from the point of view of the writing classroom, the teacher has the responsibility not necessarily to teach students how to write in English, but to facilitate students’ development into more effective writers of English. In other words, students may certainly learn from the teacher while they are in the classroom (this is not a bad thing), but the majority of all their language development must take place outside the confines of the formal learning environment: the real world. This type of learning is hastened by a combination of careful demonstration and judicious practice (facilitated by the teacher) of the skills of autonomous learning.

For the writer, these skills may include the many aspects of effective reading such as selecting texts, varying reading speed, skimming and scanning, evaluating and analyzing texts and synthesizing old and new information. In addition, specific writing skills such as brainstorming, planning, conducting research, drafting, revising and proofreading are paramount.

The more the teacher is able to encourage the development of these skills in the learner, the more said learner is able to read and write in English independently. And the independent learner is an effective learner.

The teacher does this by very carefully selecting and sequencing activities which allow for critical and creative thinking and model the processes of text creation used by effective writers. Each step is scaffolded by the teacher (made easier than it would otherwise be) and designed to allow learners to discover and practice the process on their own. Learners can, for example, discover the structure of a text or find its main idea. They can proofread their classmate’s writings. They can develop their own methods of planning and outlining. They can choose their topics and conduct independent research. They can correct their own language errors. All the while, the teacher stands aside, ready to help when needed and constantly monitoring her students’ progress.

While such an approach can mean that lessons and activities become more difficult for the teacher to prepare and may require extra work outside the class, what becomes clear is how much easier and more enjoyable such lessons are. Learners take control of the lesson (partially) and assume ownership of their own language development. Classroom discussion is lively and engaging. Students learn from each other. Such a classroom environment becomes more rewarding and beneficial to all involved.

John Mark King