Liz Camilleri

PA 8
Language Skills: Writing -
Product Process and Genre approaches to the writing skill.
I am teaching my lesson on the 1st of November. So please
give others top priority.

Word count: (so far)

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Contents

1: Introduction p

2: Analysis

3: Problems and possible solutions.

3.1: Problems with the Product approach and possible solutions. p.6
3.2: Problems with the Process approach and possible solutions p.7
3.3: Problems with the Genre approach and possible solutions. p.8

4: Conclusion

5:Bibliography

6:Appendix 1: Samples of lesson ideas

My questions

• Have I linked the theory to enough practical examples?

• Should I include more of my own voice?

• How can I improve my problems and solutions section,

which I feel is still a little shaky? I was thinking about
learning styles e.g. visual/ auditory/kinaesthetic/ read and
write as well as educational background e.g. Japanese
culture has traditionally focus more on accuracy. Many
Asian students I have taught are used to the grammar
translation or audio lingual methods (which have now
fallen out of favour somewhat in comparison to the
relatively ‘new’ more communicative approaches) so
perhaps a totally processes based approach may initially

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 be met with some resistance etc.. The teacher could
perhaps slot in more familiar tasks with less familiar ones
so that the student/s feel less overwhelmed.

1: Introduction

Even native speakers need systematic instruction to learn to write. Compared

to speaking, writing has more standard forms of grammar, syntax and
vocabulary; it is planned and is often more complex than speech since it
cannot rely on pitch, stress, rhythm and body language to convey meaning.1
This assignment will examine and contrast three popular methods that have
emerged since the late 70’s. These are: the Product, the Process and the
Genre approach. I chose this topic to help me make more systematic choices
when planning writing lessons.

2: Analysis

2.1: The Product Approach

The product (or model text) approach came about in the late 70’s to early
80’s and sees writing as being primarily about linguistic knowledge.
Attention is given to the appropriate use of vocabulary, syntax and
cohesive devices2. In EFL contexts, it is rooted in Behaviourist theory
and requires the learner to manipulate fixed patterns which are learnt by
imitation. Proponents of the product approach see the composing process
as being linear and consisting of four stages3 which is in line with the
teaching structure of Present, Practice and Produce which emerged at
around the same time. These stages are:

Stage 1: Familiarization – this makes students aware of certain features

of a particular text. In a typical product oriented class, if students were
learning about how to write a job application or covering letter, learners
would first be asked read a job advert and a model letter of application

1
Raimes, A. (1983) Techniques in Teaching Writing. (Oxford American English, p.5).
2
Pincas (1982) as cited in: Badger, R. & G. White. (2000) ‘A process genre approach to teaching writing’
ELT journal Volume 54/2 April 2000 ( OUP, p. 153).
3
Pinacas, A. (1982). Teaching English Writing. Macmillan, p. 26 as cited Unit 3 Section 2, p. 31 of The
Distance Delta Reading Materials.

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 for that job.4 They would then be directed to look at certain linguistic
features, such as the type of vocabulary used.

Stages 2 and 3: Controlled and Guided writing – these stages aim at

giving learners guided practice with increasing freedom to help them
practice. Here learners would probably be given a gap fill exercise where
they would be asked to fill in the gaps of a similar job application letter. .

Stage 4: Free writing – This is where the learners are finally given a free
reign and can produce an application letter for a similar advert by
imitating the sample text.

Critics of this approach include Hairstone (1982, p. ????) who states that :

Writing is messy, recursive, convoluted and uneven. Writers plan, revise,

anticipate and review throughout the writing process, moving back and
forth among the different operations involved in writing without any
apparent plan’.

Regardless of its shortcomings it is still used in many EFL classrooms.

Course books such as The Successful Writing series, use plenty of model
texts and encourage controlled practice before giving freer reign which is
firmly in line with this method of instruction.5

2.2: The Process Approach

This method places emphasis on the cycle of writing, rather than a fixed
linear approach such as the earlier Product approach. It has much in
common with communicative-task based instruction which is currently
popular within communicative pedagogy. Unlike the Product approach
which is more interested in the written outcome, the Process approach
focuses on the thinking processes that are involved with writing. A
Process based lesson would get students to:

4
This example will be used with all three processes to help the reader compare and contrast them.
5
Evans, V. (2000) Successful Writing: Intermediate, Express Publishing and Successful Writing
Proficiency, Express Publishing.

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 • generate ideas and brainstorm what a letter of application might
include.
• write out a brief plan.
• write a first draft.
• review the draft (either by themselves, with their peers or their
teacher).
• re-work their letters until they are happy with them.

The process approach is more time consuming as the writer has to write
and re-write their work. The process itself helps organise the writer’s
thoughts. White and Arndt (1991, p.12)6 argue this is because there is a
close link between writing and thinking.

2.3: The Genre Approach

Recent studies7 on writing have strengthened the case for taking a genre
approach to writing8. This is based on the idea that writing is aided by
understanding the salient features of these genres such as the differences
in style and language and layout. The genre approach teaches that people
reading a discursive essay for example, expect it to start with a question,
then explain why the question is valid. Next, they would expect the writer
to present a number of differing arguments before the writer giving their
own opinion in the conclusion. A piece of writing that does not follow
the expected layout or schematic structure for the expected context of
communication could lead to an unsuccessful piece of writing.9

3: Problems and possible solutions

6
White, R. & Arndt, V. (1991) Process Writing. Longman.
7
Such as those by Hyland, ( 2000) and
8
Harwood, N. (2002) ‘The Sample Approach: Teaching writing to Cambridge Examination Classes’
Humanistic Language Teaching Magazine downloaded from http://www.hltmag.co.uk/sept02/mart4.htm on
12/10/06.
9
Tribble, C (1996). Writing. OUP

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 3.1: Problems with the Product approach and possible solutions.

• The Product approach sees planning as only happening in the

initial stages, though there is proof that it actually happens
throughout. 10 Most people find that their writing significantly
improves in terms of presentation and progression of ideas not only
by devising a plan but also by experimenting with different
approaches.
• Since few people are naturally gifted writers, I would combine the
product and process approaches and get students to brainstorm
ideas, then write a draft and after that, check and re-examine their
work and/ or that of other students, ignoring the punctuation and
grammar for the time being but paying attention to the layout and
how they structure their information. They should also keep in
mind the audience they are writing for. This lesson would be split
up into three or four thirty minute sections over a period of a week.
In all, they would write a total of three drafts, slowly refining their
work with their teacher’s and classmates’ suggestions. Once they
are happy with their final draft, I would ask them to check it for
punctuation and grammar errors which were not given too much
emphasis before (unless they truly impeded comprehension).

• Models can have the potential to intimidate students both at low

and high levels as they are often ‘too perfect’. This can lead to
student giving up. I have seen model essays for advanced classes
which I doubt I could have written as proficiently. I often use
several examples rather than just one sample from students who
have passed a similar course. This gives a more realistic example
and helps motivate students.

• The task may be boring or dry this de-motivates the students who
in turn see writing as a boring activity. The teachers should where
possible personalise the task to make it as meaningful to the
student as possible. Brainstorming, to find out what the students

10
Zamel, 1983 as cited in Harwood, N. The Sample Approach: Teaching writing to Cambridge
Examination Classes

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 know before launching into the lesson gives lower levels a chance
to plan first.

• The study of models can result in the writer sacrificing style for
content. I have seen this happen in class where a group of Japanese
Intermediate students all ‘created’ the same letter, showing very
little originality. This may have been due to the approach used and
the educational background of the learners. I would therefore make
sure I showed a variety of models to show students that there is no
one way of writing but several ways and that each person has their
own unique writing style. I would put students into groups and get
each group of students to swap their work with another student.
Next, they would be asked to evaluate the piece of writing based
on criteria such as task achievement, accuracy, appropriateness and
range of language as well as the layout. Once the pieces of writing
have been handed back I would ask the students to look at their
writing and based on the feedback, see if there was anything they
would like to change. I might to give more focus to the ideas
generated and thinking processes involved, rather than just lifting
whole chunks of text.

3.2: Problems with the Process approach and possible solutions

• Some learners are not proficient writers in their own language and
struggle to put their thoughts on paper. I found this out when I
spoke to some students of mine sitting for the FCE exam. Many
said that they hardly ever wrote in their own language and had no
prior experience when it came to writing a formal letter for
example. This is particularly challenging for the teacher and
students. I would advocate group writing where you pair up several
stronger students with the weaker learners. Peer teaching would
help them notice successful techniques that other writers use.

• Students are sometimes unable to come up with suitable ideas

related to the chosen topic. This therefore depends a lot on the
topics chosen. The teacher must bear in mind the students various
life experiences as well as personality and interests. A group of
young adults might know very little about knitting for example and

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 I doubt they would be motivated to write a report on this.
However, they would probably jump at the chance to get write a
report on the local night club scene and would generate a lot more
ideas.

• Planning takes time, which many students, such as those sitting for
exams like CAE or IELTS complain they don’t have much of. One
technique I have found helpful is to get students at the beginning of
the course, to write down several discussion titles or topics and put
them in a box. Once or twice a week, when there are a few minutes
to spare, the teacher or students pick out one of the titles and
working in teams, the students have to write down a quick plan of
their paragraphs. They then discuss their plan with other groups
and see if they came up with similar ideas. As their confidence and
speed increases, the students start to do the task individually. I also
draw on Edward De Bono’s PMI thinking tool11 which helps
students look at an issue from different angles.

3.3: Problems with the Genre approach and possible solutions.

• It can sometimes be difficult to convince students that it is not just

control of the language used that is important but also the style and
lay out of the text too. Arabic intermediate students I have taught have
often not been able to understand that good grammar is not the only
thing needed for a successful report or narrative and that one has to
take into consideration factors such as the layout and intended
audience. Initially, they often use language that is overly formal and
see planning and organising the text as a waste of time. I find that one
way of helping them is to pair them with learners have who them a
checklist to

4: Conclusion

11
De Bono, E. in The Six Thinking Hats, talks about the PMI thinking tool, a useful way to help brainstorm
the plusses, minuses and interesting points surrounding an issue. It has been shown to encourage divergent
thinking and creativity.

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 Although the product, process and genre approaches are in theory seen as
separate, in practice, this is often not the case. Writing is learnt formally,
but it does not develop as a neat accumulation of features. Novice writers
develop partly on the basis of models and plans, as well as by using
individual intuition, some experimentation and feedback. Some writers
consider the product-process approach to be a false dichotomy.12This is
because many writing tasks seem are a ‘hybrid’ of these supposedly
opposing approaches. They may, for example, include controlled and free
tasks concurrently.
This assignment has shown that that no single approach is better than the
other, each invariably has its strengths and weaknesses. I believe that
rather than limiting ourselves, we should be able to pick and choose
different parts to suit the individual needs and learning styles of our
classes.

5:Bibliography

12
Bramforth (1993) & Liebman-Klein (1986) as cited in Brunton, A (2005) ‘Process Writing and
Communicative-Task-Based Instruction: Many common features, but more common limitations?’ TESL-EJ,
9.3 December (p.4).

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 • Lesson plan –points
• Time:60 minutes
• Level :Intermediate
• Multilingual general English course with a number of
students eventually hoping to sit for the FCE exam which
includes these type of essays.
• Aim: To help students plan a ‘for and against’ essay. This
will be done by showing students the value of mind maps for
generating ideas and getting students to notice features of this
genre as well through the use of a model text. Sub aims:
Linking devices.

• Use a hybrid approach including features of the Product-

Process-Genre approaches.

• Brainstorm all the different kinds of writing and put different

ideas on the board. Explain that this is called a mind-map and
that is it useful when trying to plan a piece of writing to help
come up with ideas.

• Give out 1 jumbled ‘for and against’ (realistic) model text.

• Get students to work in pairs to unscramble the text. Ask

what kind of an essay they think it is. Why? Elicit ideas such
as it gives the good points and bad points.

• Students check with original text and are given two more
examples of a ‘for and against’ essay to look at. One is

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 clearly better than the other in terms of layout and
progression of ideas.

• S say which essay they prefer and why. Elicit that the 1st text
is more ordered etc.

• Students have a true or false checklist that they use to

identify genre features

• T hands them a worksheet with 5 or 6 short True or False

statements for students to tick. Looking at the first 2 texts
compared to the ‘not so good’ text can you work in pairs and
decide if the statements are true of false.

• E.g. Usually the writer gives his opinion at the beginning of

the essay T or F.

• T gives students a list of 2-3 ‘for and against essays’ and tells
students that they can choose any one of these topics.
Students team up with classmates who have chosen the same
essay.

• Brainstorm ideas for a ‘For and Against’ essay about pros

and cons alone and then with their groups. Each group writes
a plan for their possible essay.

Possible secondary aim: Look at the word/s underlined in the

model text and match them to similar words or phrases e.g.
Firstly, Secondly, For Example/ for instance, Moreover/ another

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point I would like to make, to sum up / in conclusion , On the other
hand/ however

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