PROCESS WRITING METHODS
Introduction
What attributes characterize effective writing? Before producing the final product, good writers plan and modify, rearrange and delete material, re-read, and create numerous drafts.
A process writing technique focuses on this.
Process writing: What is it?
The process approach views all writing as a creative endeavor that needs time and encourages criticism to be completed successfully. When teaching process writing, the teacher departs from the traditional role of assigning writing assignments to students and receiving their final drafts for editing.
Why Might a Process Approach to Writing be Appealing to Teachers?
Research has shown that feedback is most helpful when given in between drafts rather than when it is given after the students have submitted their essays to be graded. Writing corrections on essays that have been sent back to students after the process is complete doesn't seem to help their writing much.
The Shifting Responsibilities of Students and Teachers
The teacher must stop acting like a grader and start acting more like a reader, responding to the content of the student's work rather than just the style. Encourage your students to consider their audience when writing. What information is needed by this reader? Furthermore, students must understand that anything they write down can be altered—it can be edited, added, deleted or reorganized, etc.
What Phases Include a Writing Process Approach?
Process writing can be approached in a variety of ways, but it can be divided into three stages:
1. Pre - Writing
The teacher must inspire students' imaginations and urge them to consider different writing topics. The flow of ideas is most crucial at this point; little to no actual writing on the part of the pupils is often sufficient. If they do, the teacher can offer suggestions on how to strengthen their basic concepts.
2. Focusing Thoughts
Students write during this phase without paying much attention to the accuracy or organization of their work. Meaning is the most significant characteristic. Here, the teacher (or other students) should pay close attention to the writing's content. Is it logical? Does anything need to be added? Added information?
3. Analyzing, Organizing, and Editing
The writing has now been modified for a readership. More emphasis should be placed on form and generating finished products by the students. The teacher can offer organizational guidance as well as assistance with error correction.
Here are some suggestions for lessons involving the above stages:
Brainstorming
Starting a project might be challenging, but groups of students immediately come up with words and concepts for the writing.
Planning
Before they begin writing, students plan it out. Before writing begins, these plans can be compared and discussed in groups.
Developing concepts
Discovery exercises like cubing require students to quickly write about a topic in six distinct ways.
1. Explain it
2. Evaluate it
3. Connect it
4. Examine it
5. Use it
6. Make a case for or against it.
Questioning
The goal is to ask a lot of questions regarding the subject in groups. Students benefit from having the audience in mind while they think about what the reader needs to know. The composition will be built on the responses to these questions.
Conversation and Argument
In a supportive and motivating manner, the teacher assists pupils with themes and the development of their thoughts.
Quick writing
The pupils write swiftly for five to ten minutes on a particular subject without considering proper grammar or punctuation. If they can't think of a word while writing swiftly, they leave a space or write it in their language. Continue writing; that is what matters. This text is later changed.
Compositions of Groups
collaborating in groups and exchanging ideas. Given that it calls for additional talents, this collaborative writing is very beneficial (speaking in particular.)
Adapting to New Ideas
A good writing exercise to conduct after a role-playing or storytelling exercise. Students consider/discuss what this persona may write in a diary, witness statement, etc. from their respective points of view.
Various Forms
Similar to the above activity, however, different text types are chosen as opposed to various points of view. If the text had been written as a letter, a newspaper story, etc., how would it differ?
Ordering
Students organize the notes they took during one of the prewriting exercises mentioned above. First, what would happen? Why? Here, it's wise to advise them to start with facts the reader already knows before going on to material the reader is unfamiliar with.
Self-Editing
Skilled writers must develop the ability to assess their usage to improve by reading thousands of articles for grammar and structure issues. Students will improve as writers.
Peer Review for Grammar and Spelling
Here, the texts are switched around, and other students grade the work. In the real world, it is typical for writers to ask friends and coworkers to proofread their work for errors in spelling and grammar. You might also instruct the pupils to modify and condense the texts while focusing on the most crucial details.
The Value of Criticism
It is only fair that student work is appropriately responded to because it takes a lot of time and effort to compose. Positive feedback can help students feel more confident and set a positive tone for the upcoming writing lesson. If the reader is more than just the teacher, that is also beneficial. A simple answer to supplying a real audience can be found in school periodicals, letter exchanges with other classes, etc.
Communicating Through Writing
Students are moving away from writing to test their language skills and toward communicating ideas, feelings, and experiences through process writing. It necessitates extra writing time in the classroom, but as the exercises mentioned earlier demonstrate, process writing sessions involve more than just writing.
In Conclusion
Writing is a difficult task that can frustrate students. Similar to speaking, it's important to be patient with the students and to provide a supportive environment for them. As you have seen, not all classroom time is spent writing, so this strategy calls for additional time to be spent on writing in class.
Reworking the same content may also cause students to respond adversely, but as long as the exercises are different and the goals are obvious, they will typically accept doing so. As the quality of your students' writing increases, you and they will eventually begin to appreciate the benefits of a process writing approach.
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