The Process of Writing

2. Teaching Writing

Raimes 1983:3 states that writing is the effort of expressing ideas and using the constant of eye, hand, and brain in a unique way to reinforce learning. Writing is not only seen as a way of recording thoughts, feelings, and ideas, but it is the key of generating and exploring new thoughts and ideas. Moreover, writing can offer more opportunities to learn English. It can offer students considerable opportunities to increase their vocabularies, to refine their knowledge of grammar, and to develop their understanding of how things are best expressed and how their message is understood Littlejohn, 1991:79. Therefore, teaching writing is important to help the students on how to improve their competence in writing aspects and how to produce text independently. According to Hyland 2009:10, process of teaching writing do not only emphasize a writer as an independent producer of texts, but it goes further to address the issue what teachers should do to help learners performing a writing task in term of producing a text. It means that teachers need competence in managing and handling the problems in the classroom to make an effective teaching writing. The following outlines are the explanation about principles of designing writing techniques, roles of the teachers and approaches to teaching writing that can be used by teachers in the classroom in order to achieve the learning objectives and to encourage students’ motivation.

a. Principles of Designing Writing Techniques

Teachers have to develop some techniques to guide students in doing the steps of writing. There are some principles of designing writing techniques according to Brown 2001:346-356. 1 Incorporate practices of good writers Teachers make sure that the writing techniques that they apply include focusing on main idea, considering their readers, planning to write, revising draft efficiently. 2 Balance process and product Teachers should make sure that students are led through the stages of writing process. They also should ensure that student’ final products meet some criteria including clearness, articulation, well organization, and effective piece of writing. 3 Account for culturalliterary backgrounds Techniques that teachers apply should help students to understand the target language because there are differences between native language and the target language. Through the appropriate techniques, teacher can facilitate students to learn the use of acceptable English rhetoric. 4 Connect reading and writing Techniques that can connect reading and writing are needed. Students learn to write by reading or observing relevant types of text. 5 Provide as much authentic writing as possible There are some requirements to provide authentic writing. Those are the clearness of writing proposes, the specific audience, and some intended meaning. Writing a script for drama can be seen as authentic writing. 6 Frame techniques in terms of prewriting, drafting, and revising stages. Techniques can be framed in the stages of writing. Techniques, such as listing and clustering, give opportunities to students to write systematic draft. 7 Strive to offer techniques that are as interactive as possible Writing techniques that focus on purposes rather than composition such as letters, forms, memos, directions, short reports are the principles of interactive classrooms. Students can work in pairs or groups to generate ideas. Group collaboration, brainstorming, and critiquing are successful examples of writing techniques. 8 Apply methods of responding and correcting students’ writing. Teachers have different roles in responding and correcting students’ writing. In responding students’ writing, they act as facilitator such as giving comments on the introductory paragraph and questioning of inadequate word choice. Meanwhile in correcting students’ writing, they act as evaluator such as checking cohesive devices and grammatical errors. 9 Instruct students on the rhetorical, formal conventions of writing clearly Each type of writing has its formal properties. As not all of students can understand it easily, teachers should teach them explicitly.

b. The Roles of the Teacher

Teacher have important roles in making the teaching and learning process succeed. Harmer 2007:261 states that there are three roles of English teacher in teaching writing: 1 Motivator Teachers have a role to motivate students by creating the right conditions to generate of ideas, persuading them to have meaningful activities, and encouraging them to have effort to write. 2 Resource During more extended writing task, teacher should be ready to supply information about the language usage. Teachers may offer advice and suggestions while the writing is in progress. 3 Feedback Provider Teachers provide feedback by giving positive and encouraging responds to the content of what students have written. In giving correction, teacher should choose how much they focus on the students’ need.

c. Approaches to Teaching Writing