The most important
factor in writing exercises is that students need to be personally
involved in order to make the learning experience of lasting value.
Encouraging student participation in the exercise, while at the same
time refining and expanding writing skills, requires a certain pragmatic
approach. The teacher should be clear on what skills he/she is trying
to develop. Next, the teacher needs to decide on which means (or type of
exercise) can facilitate learning of the target area. Once the target
skill areas and means of implmentation are defined, the teacher can then
proceed to focus on what topic can be employed to ensure student
participation. By pragmatically combing these objectives, the teacher
can expect both enthusiasm and effective learning.
Choosing
the target area depends on many factors; What level are the students?,
What is the average age of the students, Why are the students learning
English, Are there any specific future intentions for the writing (i.e
school tests or job application letters etc.). Other important questions
to ask oneself are: What should the students be able to produce at the
end of this exercise? (a well written letter, basic communication of
ideas, etc.) What is the focus of the exercise? (structure, tense usage,
creative writing). Once these factors are clear in the mind of the
teacher, the teacher can begin to focus on how to involve the students
in the activity thus promoting a positive, long-term learning
experience.
Having decided on the target area, the teacher can
focus on the means to achieve this type of learning. As in correction,
the teacher must choose the most appropriate manner for the specified
writing area. If formal business letter English is required, it is of
little use to employ a free expression type of exercise. Likewise, when
working on descriptive language writing skills, a formal letter is
equally out of place.
With both the target area and means of
production, clear in the teachers mind, the teacher can begin to
consider how to involve the students by considering what type of
activities are interesting to the students; Are they preparing for
something specific such as a holiday or test?, Will they need any of the
skills pragmatically? What has been effective in the past? A good way
to approach this is by class feedback, or brainstorming sessions. By
choosing a topic that involves the students the teacher is providing a
context within which effective learning on the target area can be
understaken.
Finally, the question of which type of correction
will facilitate a useful writing exercise is of utmost importance. Here
the teacher needs to once again think about the overall target area of
the exercise. If there is an immediate task at hand, such as taking a
test, perhaps teacher guided correction is the most effective solution.
However, if the task is more general (for example developing informal
letter writing skills), maybe the best approach would be to have the
students work in groups thereby learning from each other. Most
importantly, by choosing the correct means of correction the teacher can
encourage rather discourage students
source: www.esl.about.com