style which is appropriate to the subject matter and the eventual readers.
2
It can be said that writing is definitely different with speaking. A writer is unable to exploit all
the devices available to a speaker such as: gesture, body movement, facial expression, pitch tone of voice, stress, and hesitations. In contrast, a speaker can clarify and
revise ideas as listeners question or disagree directly while a writer cannot. From Tangpermpoon‟s opinion, writing is known as the most complicated
skill to master for language learners because they need to have several background knowledge of L2 about the rhetorical organizations, proper language use or specific
lexicon with which they want to deliver to their readers.
3
When students write, they need to have some thoughts or ideas in their head to be expressed in their writing and
it takes some times. From that definition, it can be concluded that writing is a quite difficult skill to master for language learners.
From all definitions above, it shows that writing is a way for a person to show their personal thoughts about something, someone, or any other ideas. Not only that
but also it can be as a way to communicate with others if the writer shares their writing to someone else or public. By writing, someone can enhance their thinking
skill because writing needs well-organized ideas to make it interesting to read by the readers. Everyone can learn to write because writing is a skill not a natural gift.
2. Teaching Writing Approaches
There are three main approaches according to Tangpermpoon, they are:
4
a. Product-Based Approaches
Basically, writing in product-based approaches has served to reinforce L2 writing in terms of grammatical and syntactical forms. Writing in the product-based
2
Tricia Hedge, Resource Book for Teachers: Writing, New York: Oxford University Press, 1998, p. 5.
3
Thanatkun Tangpermpoon, “Integrated Approaches to Improve Students Writing Skills for English Major Students”, ABAC Journal 28, No. 22008, p.1.
4
Ibid, p. 6.
approach overemphasizes on the importance of grammar, syntax, and mechanics instead of the writing purpose itself.
b. Process-Based
Approaches Process-based writing is viewed as the way or the whole step from beginning
stage until the ending stage of written product that writers work on their writing projects. The concept of this
approach is an
activity in which teachers
encourage learners to see writing not as grammar exercises, but as the discovery of meaning and
ideas. It can be said that the grammar, syntax
, and mechanics are not really important in the first writing but the process of write better step by step is very crucial.
c. Genre-Based Approach
The genre-based approach is the way to language and literacy education that combines an understanding of genre and genre teaching together in the writing class.
Writing in the genre- based
approach is regarded
as an extension of the product- oriented approach since learners have an opportunity to study a wide variety of
writing patterns, for instance, the business letter, the academic report, and the research paper. Like other writing approaches, the genre-based
approach is
increasingly used in the L2 writing classroom due to having certain strengths. The focus of writing in this approach aims at integrating the knowledge of a particular
genre and its communicative purpose; these help learners to produce their written products to communicate to others in the same discourse community successfully.
3. Writing Process
Good writing skills are essential for effective communication. Learning to write well takes time and needs practices. The process of writing can be divided into
the following stages:
5
5
John Langan, Exploring Writing: Sentences and Paragraphs-2
nd
Ed., New York: McGraw- Hill, 2010, p.17-31.
a. Prewriting
Prewriting is anything that someone does before he writes a draft of his document. It includes thinking, taking notes, talking to others, brainstorming,
outlining, and gathering information e.g., interviewing people, researching in the library, assessing data.
b. Writing the first draft
In this part, students put their ideas on paper. A draft is where students begin to record their ideas and add information of their research and experience. At this
time, they write without major attention to punctuation, grammar, or neatness. Some teachers may refer to this as a rough draft. The purpose of the rough draft is for the
student to focus on hisher ideas and get them on paper without the distraction or fear of making mistakes in grammar, capitalization, punctuation, or paragraph structure.
6
c. Revising
Revising is as much a stage in the writing process as prewriting, outlining, and doing the first draft. Revising means that you rewrite a paragraph or paper,
building upon what has already been done in order to make it stronger.
7
On the other words, revision is the gaps, clumsy wording, lack of clarity, inadequate detail, and
other problems can be transformed into a solid essay through the process of reworking.
8
Revising can be said as checking or seeing again our own writing or someone else‟s writing whether there are some mistakes in the structure, spelling,
capitalization, words choice, organization of idea, content, etc. d.
Editing Editing is the next step after people revised his paper. When editing, someone
have to correct the errors that heher has made in hisher writing. When someone believe that he has said what he want to say the way he want to say it, he is ready to
edit their paper to be a better writing than before.
6
George Braine and Claire May, Writing from Sources: A Guide for ESL Students, California: Mayfield Publishing Company, 1996, p. 29.
7
Langan, op. cit., p. 33.
8
Barbara Fine Clause, The Student Writer-6
th
Ed., New York: McGraw-Hill, 2004, p. 94.
