Approaches of Writing

Product Approach
Focus on what a final piece of writing will look like.
measure it against criteria of vocabulary use, grammatical use, and mechanical considerations such as spelling and punctuation, as well as content and organization.

The normal procedure is to assign a piece of writing, collect it, and then return it for further revision with the errors either corrected or marked for the student to do the corrections.

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 Ignores the actual processes

Require constant error correction, and that affects students motivation and self-esteem. Do not effectively prepare students for the real world or teach them to be the best writers.

focuses on imitation and churning out a perfect product

Stage 1

Model texts are read, and then features of the genre are highlighted. For example, if studying a formal letter, students' attention may be drawn to the importance of paragraphing and the language used to make formal requests.

Stage 2
Stage 3 Stage 4

This consists of controlled practice of the highlighted features, usually in isolation. So if students are studying a formal letter, they may be asked to practise the language used to make formal requests, practising the 'I would be grateful if you would' structure.

Organisation of ideas. This stage is very important. Those who favour this approach believe that the organisation of ideas is more important than the ideas themselves and as important as the control of language.

The end result of the learning process. Students choose from a choice of comparable writing tasks. Individually, they use the skills, structures and vocabulary they have been taught to produce the product; to show what they can do as fluent and competent users of the language.

Process Approach
The process approach identifies four stages in writing:

These stages are recursive, or nonlinear, and they can interact with each other throughout the writing process. (For example, many writers return to prewriting activities during some stage of the revision process to develop a new idea or refine a viewpoint.) The process approach emphasizes revision, and also feedback from others, so students may produce many drafts with much crossing out of sentences and moving around of paragraphs.
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(1) prewriting, (2) composing/drafting, (3) revising, and (4) editing

 The correction of spelling and punctuation is not of central importance at the early stages. Meaningful to learners

This starts with prewriting and brainstorming to generate ideas and activate the schemata

make a personal connection to the topic and come to understand the processes they follow when writing about it.

Using background experience or world knowledge to relate to the topic and discover everything he or she has to say.

Stage 1

Generating ideas by brainstorming and discussion.

Stage Students extend ideas into note form, and judge quality and usefulness of ideas. 2
Stage Students organise ideas into a mind map, spidergram, or linear form. (structured the text) 3 Stage Students write the first draft. 4 Stage 5
Peer-commenting. (develop an awareness of the fact that a writer is producing something to be read by someone else, and thus can improve their own drafts.)

Stage Drafts are returned and improvements are made based upon peer feedback. 6 Stage A final draft is written. 7 Stage Students once again exchange and read each other's work and perhaps even write a response or reply. 8

Comparison between:
Process Writing
Text as a resource for comparison Ideas as starting point More than one draft More global, focus on purpose, theme, text type, i.E., Reader is emphasised Collaborative Emphasis on creative process

Product Writing
Imitate model text Organisation of ideas more important than ideas themselves One draft Features highlighted including controlled practice of those features Individual Emphasis on end product

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Genre Approach
Different genres of writing are typified by a particular structure and by grammatical forms that reflect the communicative purpose of the genre. By investigating different genres, students can perceive the differences in structure and form and apply what they learn to their own writing. According to Cope and Kalantzis (1993), the genre approach to writing consists of three phases: (1) the target genre is modeled for the students, (2) a text is jointly constructed by the teacher and students, and (3) a text is independently constructed by each student. The approach acknowledges that writing takes place in a social situation and reflects a particular purpose, and that learning can happen consciously through imitation and analysis, which facilitates explicit instruction. The genre approach has been criticized because it undervalues the processes needed to produce a text and sees learners as largely passive (Badger and White 2000). However, supporters respond that the genre approach succeeds at showing students how different discourses require different structures. In addition, introducing authentic texts enhances student involvement and brings relevance to the writing process.

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