• In ELT classroom, writing is often seen as a means to consolidate language that is recently studied, as “writing as language learning”, and thus is pseudo writing.
• If writing tasks focus on the product rather than on the process, they do not help students to develop real writing skills.
• Therefore we should advocate
existing textbooks 4. A process approach to writing 5. Writing through e-mail
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11.1 The nature of writing in reality
Differences of teaching writing in the classroom and in reality:
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• In short students can be motivated by authentic writing tasks that have some communicative elements.
• However some writing activities can be between “writing for learning” and “writing for communication”.
• In reality, we may have some ideas long before we put them on paper. We often plan, draft, and rewrite.
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• If writing tasks lack authenticity, they do not motivate students.
• They are designed to practise certain target structures.
• There is insufficient preparation before the writing stage.

• There is no sense of audience.
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11.3 Problems in writing tasks
Deficiencies of writing tasks in existing English textbooks:
• They are mainly accuracy-based.
• Either writing for a specific recipient (e.g. a letter to a friend), or:
• Engaging in an act of creative writing where their work is intended to be read by other people.
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• Some examples of writing tasks: are they for consolidating language, or are they for communication? (see pp.13940)
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• There is no sense of authenticity.
• Students are given ideas to express rather than being invited to invent their own.
• There is no opportunity for creative writing, particularly for expressing unusual or original ideas.
Unit 11 Teaching Writing
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Unit 11 Teaching Writing
Topics for discussion: 1. The nature of writing in reality 2. A common approach to writing 3. Problems in writing tasks in
authentic writing, and we should
advocate the process approach to
writing.
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11.2 A common approach to writing
To motivate students, it is necessary to engage them in some act of communication.
In reality, most writing is for
communication, i.e., to convey messages
or for self creation, e.g. writing poems.
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• In ELT classrooms, especially in traditional pedagogy, writing often goes this way: the teacher gives a topic or a selection of topics, a set of requirements, and a time limit. Accuracy of the final product is stressed and the process is ignored.