View Content #21605

By Stephanie Knight, CASLS Language Technology Specialist

Write a description of the city that you live in (200-300 words). Make sure to use prepositions!

The writing prompt above features a task that would be familiar to many language learners. It allows them to use relevant, target vocabulary and grammar and gently pushes them to engage in Presentational Writing. Certainly, it has the potential to help learners to internalize language content and to show off their comprehension of said content. There are certain pedagogical strengths inherent in the prompt that cannot be denied.

While there are valid characteristics in the prompt, it is lacking a critical connection - a connection to genre. This connection is crucial to engaging learners in meaningful communication, communication that is purposeful and prepares them for interaction in a variety of contexts. In this sense, the aforementioned prompt provides learners with ample opportunity to communicate that they have learned language content but less opportunity to communicate that they have learned how to use language. As Hyland (2007) explains, writing as an exploration of genre helps students to “write in occupational, academic, or social contexts…to participate effectively in the world outside the…classroom” (p.149).

So how might the aforementioned prompt be improved? Hyland (ibid) advocates the understanding of six principles (p.152-153) that guide the teaching of genre based writing. These principles are used below to evaluate an improved writing prompt that is connected to genre.

You are trying to decide whether or not to attend a university in your city or a university in Buenos Aires. Write an email to a friend in which you ask for advice in order to make your decision. Be sure to compare and contrast the features of the two cities in the letter.

Writing as a social activity:  This new prompt provides a “purpose, a context, and an intended audience” (Ibid, p. 152), all of which are necessary to providing learners with a meaningful writing activity. Essentially, they are given a reason that they should communicate instead of simply being asked to communicate.

Learning to write is needs-oriented: This prompt anticipates a future need of language learners, that of soliciting advice for choosing a university to attend. Ideally, this prompt accurately reflects the communicative needs that the students in the classroom have indicated that they have as well.

Learning to write requires explicit outcomes and expectations: In order for learners to adequately engage in the knowledge and skill building that the teacher desires with this task, the teacher must be explicit in communicating the desired knowledge and skill set. This communication can be achieved via the dissection of a rubric, a classroom discussion, or connection to various learning targets.

Learning to write is a social activity: When learning to write with prompts such as the one in question, learners and educators should work together not only in breaking apart the prompt and understanding what a learner must do in order to successfully engage in the prompt, but also in discussing previous knowledge, knowledge that is still needed in order to complete the task, and engaging in peer review.

Learning to write involves learning to use language: As Hyland (ibid) eloquently describes, “Genre teaching involves being explicit about how texts are grammatically patterned, but grammar is integrated into the exploration of texts and contexts…This helps learners…see how grammar and vocabulary choices create meaning… to understand how language itself works…” (p.153). In order to successfully complete the aforementioned task, learners would need to have interacted not only with examples of informal emails, but also with examples of requests for advice and using cohesive devices for comparisons in the target language. This interaction would involve both observation and analysis of requests and comparisons before engaging in practice.

In short, though Presentational Writing is generally unidirectional, it is vital to social interaction. In order to prepare learners to engage in said social interaction in a variety of formal and informal contexts, we must expose them a variety of genres so that they are prepared to write for a multitude of audiences for a variety of purposes. In doing so, we prepare them to write meaningfully not only within our classrooms, but also anywhere in the world.

References

Hyland, K. (2007). Genre pedagogy: Language, literacy and L2 writing instruction. Journal of Second Language Writing. 16. p. 148-164.