The Power of Writing:
The Importance of
Writing in EFL
Dr. JoAnn (Jodi) Crandall
University of Maryland Baltimore
County (UMBC)
crandall@umbc.edu
TESOL Arabia 2006
Writing:
The Neglected Skill in EFL
“My classes are too large.”
“I don’t have enough time for writing.”
“What can beginners write about?”
“I’m not a good writer. How can I
teach writing?”
Why Include Writing?
Writing is:
a form of output
a means of building fluency
a way of developing accuracy
(in grammar, vocabulary, etc.)
Why Include Writing?
Writing is:
thinking made evident
external memory
a critical skill for academic or
professional success
a source of input - reading materials
at the learners’ proficiency level
Reading and Writing:
Complementary Skills and
Practices
We learn to read by reading, and
We learn to write by writing.
But
We also learn to read by writing, and
We learn to write by reading.
Some Guiding Principles
Writing:
is a way to demonstrate proficiency
helps us discover what we do or do
not know
is a process (not everything needs to
be graded)
is more than a paragraph or essay
conventions differ cross-culturally
can be collaborative
Writing as a Thinking Process
Writing is thinking made evident.
Writing allows us to analyze and
expand on what we know.
Writing promotes meta-cognition.
Writing as Output
Demonstration of what we know,
implicitly or explicitly
Opportunity for negotiation of
meaning through peer interaction – at
every stage of the writing process
Writing to Build Fluency
Low-risk way to draw upon implicit
knowledge
Journals or Logs
Pen or Key Pals
Free-writing or Quickwrites
Informal Writing: emails, blogs,
discussion boards
Writing to Promote Accuracy
Grammar, Vocabulary, Mechanics
Writing & grammar
Reading & vocabulary
Opportunity for:
Monitoring/Need for appropriate form
Focus on form/Noticing gaps
Contextualized instruction
Targeted feedback
Fluency or Accuracy: Not Both
Important to focus on EITHER
Fluency OR Accuracy
Fluency: focus on meaning, use of implicit
learning, risk-taking
Accuracy: focus on form, use of explicit
(monitored) learning, care
Focus on Fluency AND Accuracy
only after practice with both.
Collaborative Writing
Writing does NOT need to be a solitary act.
Any stage in the writing process can be
collaborative (pre-writing, drafting,
reviewing, revising, editing, publishing)
Collaboration:
Provides opportunity for meaningful
communication
Promotes meta-cognition and metadiscussion of writing (and language)
Getting Started:
Writing with Beginners
Using pictures that surprise, startle, etc.
Labeling/Describing
Captioning and headlining
Narrating a story
What led to picture? What happens next?
Creating dialogue
Explaining cause, comparing, etc.
A Photo-Autobiography
Learner-generated autobiography
Based on pictures learner takes
Can be powerful source of reading
material for other students
With digital cameras and web pages,
can be published electronically
Other Writing Activities
for Beginners
Language experience “stories”
Document literacy – practical writing
Simple emails, letters, etc.
Completion of frames (e.g. “About
me”)
Moving to
More Complex Academic Writing
Focus is on final product(s)
Group projects
Homelessness project
Task-based writing
Letter to editor, academic poster, etc.
Paragraphs, essays, reports
Academic Writing: External Memory
Note-taking
Organizing information
Completing Learning Logs
Responding to readings
Summarizing texts
Writing as External Memory
“When I speak and I’m making a lot of
mistakes … they’re gone. I can’t see it.
But when I am writing and somebody
corrects me, I can see my mistakes and I
can learn from them.
Usually, if I have a problem in grammar, I
can learn from my mistakes. So that’s the
moment to learn grammar, through the
context.”
(Jaime C.)
CREATING EFFECTIVE WRITING
TASKS: FAT-P
Any writing assignment needs to have:
F – Form (letter, email, summary,
report, etc.)
A – Audience
T – Topic
P – Purpose (describe, explain,
persuade, etc.)
Adapting Writing
Adapting any part of FAT-P
Can decrease or increase language level/
complexity by changing any part of FAT-P:
Audience: Romeo and Juliet for “our little
brothers and sisters”
Purpose: Cliff Notes version of a summary
Form: E-mail directions for an assignment
Topic: Give one reason why …
Making Writing More
Creative and Fun
Poetry
Learner English as “poetic”
Creative violation of language
expectations
Poetry Frames
Haiku, Cinquain, Diamantes
Shape Poems
Creative Learner Poetry
Many animals
Are suffering by the man
I think don’t do that
The Role of Literature
Stimulus for discussion and writing
Model for writing
Source of interesting and meaningful
input/Reading-writing link
Focus for meaningful output
“Window” to culture
Cultural Considerations
Intercultural differences in writing
expectations
Intercultural/contrastive rhetoric
Reader- or writer-responsible prose
Direct or indirect?
Explicit or implied?
Writing: Too Powerful to Ignore
Even with large classes, limited time,
students with limited language
proficiency, insecurity about one’s
own writing:
It is still possible and critically important
to include writing in EFL