WHITE, Ron; ARNDT, Valerie. Process Writing. London: Longman, 1991

Process Writing

José M. da Silva – ISAT – 2010

Indeed, treating any piece of writing primarily as a source of language errors misses the point of our approach. Grammar is important but as a tool, a means, and not as an end in itself. Such research evidence as we have suggests that focusing on language errors in writing improves neither grammatical accuracy nor writing fluency.

(WHITE & ARNDT, 1991, p. 2)

WHITE, Ron; ARNDT, Valerie. Process Writing. London: Longman, 1991.

Process Writing


● “Despite the power of writing (...) it has tended to be a much neglected part of the language programme, both in first and foreign or second language teaching.”

● “Writing takes time. In particular, time is needed to incubate, sift and shape ideas. We also know that time is one of the most precious resources of both teachers and students and that when, as is often the case, time is at a premium, writing is one of the first things to be cut back or relegated to homework. Yet, of all the skills, writing is the one which most needs and benefits from time. So, we advocate devoting classroom time to writing.”

● “Writing is far from being a simple matter of transcribing language into written symbols: it is a thinking process in its own right.”

● “Precisely because cognitive skills are involved, proficiency in language does not, of itself, make writing easier. People writing in their native language, though they may have a more extensive stock of language resources to call upon, frequently confront exactly the same kinds of writing problems as people writing in a foreign or second language.”

Process Writing


● “There is much more to writing than a mere learning and applying of linguistic or rhetorical rules. Rather, writing is a form of problem-solving which involves such processes as generating ideas, discovering a ‘voice’ with which to write, planning, goal-setting, monitoring and evaluating what is going to be written as well as what has been written, and searching for language with which to express exact meanings. Moreover, writers rarely know at the outset exactly what it is they are going to write because many ideas are only revealed during the act of writing itself.”

● “In order to think of effective ways of coming to grips with these problems, we have to find out what actually goes on when people write.”

● “As writers, we need to make a constant and conscious effort to imagine our intended readers and anticipate their reactions to the symbols we have put on the page.”

● “Essentially, we see a process-focused approach to writing as an enabling approach. (…) As we see it, the goal of this approach is to nurture the skills with which writers work out their own solutions to the problems they set themselves, with which they shape their raw material into a coherent message, and with which they work towards an acceptable and appropriate form for expressing it.”

Process Writing


● “What we most certainly do not mean to imply by advocating such an approach, however, is a repudiation of all interest in the product (i.e. the final draft). On the contrary, the main aim is to arrive at the best product possible. What differentiates a process-focused approach from a product-centered one, though, is that the outcome of writing – that is, the product – is not preconceived. Writing in a process approach is divergent, with as many different outcomes as there are writers. In a typical product-centered approach, on the other hand, writing will converge towards a pre-defined goal, with a model text being presented to form the focus of comprehension and text manipulation activities.”

“Rewriting is what writing is all about.”

Process Writing


Process Writing


Process Writing


Process Writing


Process Writing


Process Writing


Process Writing


Mitsuo’s First Draft

Process Writing


Process Writing


Mitsuo’s Third Draft

Process Writing


● Brainstorming● Using questions● Making notes (unstructured / structured)● Using visuals● Using role play / simulation

Generating Ideas / Structured notes (WHITE & ARNDT, 1991, p. 34)

Process Writing


Generating Ideas / Using visuals

http://www.kioskerman.com/drum.htm / Access: Oct. 28, 2010

Process Writing


Generating Ideas / Using visuals(WHITE & ARNDT, 1991, p. 40)

Process Writing


Generating Ideas / Using visuals(WHITE & ARNDT, 1991, p. 40)

Process Writing


● Discovering main ideas (fastwriting, loopwriting)● Considering purpose● Considering audience● Considering form

Focusing / Loopwriting (WHITE & ARNDT, 1991, p. 48)

Process Writing


Focusing / Purpose (based on WHITE & ARNDT, 1991, p. 50, 54)

Process Writing


Focusing / Audience (based on WHITE & ARNDT, 1991, p. 72)

Process Writing


Focusing / Form (based on WHITE & ARNDT, 1991, p. 76)

Process Writing


● Ordering information● Experimenting with arrangements● Relating structure to focal idea

Sample ActivityPeople’s lives and achievements

Materials

Files of information about famous people – either historical or contemporary figures. The wider you can make the range of sources for the materials (including TV and radio recordings, and Web material) the more stimulating the activity. You could get your students to collect some of these materials as part of a project integrated with other aspects of their course. (Keep the materials which prove to be successful and build up a library of such files to have on hand for use with future classes.

Process Writing



Procedure

1. Spend a few minutes considering the sorts of things we like to find out about people when we read accounts of their lives and achievements. Compile a list of suggestions on the board/OHP/computer, which would probably include:

● Important/significant/interesting events in person’s life● Context of person’s life (historical, geographical, socio-economic, background● Career and education● Achievements and failings● Beliefs● Aims/goals● Personality/character● Relations with other people

Process Writing



Procedure

2. If you wish, you could look at one or two sample texts to set students thinking about how they could arrange these elements in a written account – an interesting obituary, or a short article. Analyze them with your students to find out:

● Which of the elements listed above in Step 1 the writer has included● Which element provides the text with a theme or focus● How the other elements are organized around this focal idea

Process Writing



Procedure

3. When they turn to their own texts, they make notes from the information file on the person they are going to write about under the ‘element’ headings suggested in Step 1 above, and then consider which element will provide the most interesting focus for their text. The following questions might help them decide about an effective structure:

● How much of your text will you devote to the element you have decided is the most important?● Will you deal with the concrete aspects of the person’s life (i.e., its historical, geographical, socio-economic context) before the more abstract elements (i.e. goals, achievements/beliefs/personality) or vice versa?● Will you start with your most important element, or leave it till last?

Structuring (based on WHITE & ARNDT, 1991, p. 76)

Process Writing


● Drafting by the teacher● Beginning, adding, ending

● Assessing the draft● Responding● Conferencing

draft – respond – redraft – respond – redraft – respond – redraft – respond – redraft - res

paper? e-mail? blog? social networks? twitter? msn? website?

Process Writing


● Checking the context (purpose, audience, form)● Checking connections● Checking divisions● Assessing impact (mood, attitude, feeling, opinion, style)● Editing, correcting and marking● Taking final stock of the product

S = subject missingV = verb form errorA = article errorT = tense errorSV = subject-verb concord errorAdv = adverb order errorAdj = adjective order errorPrep = preposition errorSS = sentence structure error

Re-viewing / Marking (based on WHITE & ARNDT, 1991, p. 133, 173)

R Please reply to contentCM Please correct mistakesIM Please indicate (but don’t correct) mistakesIMAC Indicate mistakes and add category (e.g. V for verb error, T for tense, etc.)WUO Comment on words underlined only

Process Writing


CLEAR CRITERIA

Process Writing


CLEAR CRITERIA

Vocabulary: covers the correct or appropriate choice of words and idiomsStructure: refers to grammar and word orderOrganization: is concerned with ideas and their logical and coherent linkage and developmentContent: refers to informationMechanics: is the area of punctuation and spelling

Re-viewing / Marking (based on WHITE & ARNDT, 1991, p. 175)

Process Writing


BYRNE, Donn. 1995. Teaching Writing Skills. Essex: Longman.

HEDGE, Tricia. 1994. Writing. Oxford: Oxford University Press.

RAIMES, Ann. 1983. Techniques in Teaching Writing. Oxford: Oxford

WHITE, Ron & ARNDT, Valerie. 1991. Process Writing. Essex: Longman.

REFERENCES

CONTACT

[email protected]://josemsilvaprof.weebly.com

Process Writing


thanks :-)

Documents

WHITE, Ron; ARNDT, Valerie. Process Writing. London: Longman, 1991