Coaching Students in Writing

an essay by Roger B Rueda

In writing exercises, that students need to be individually involved in order to make the learning experience of long-lasting value is the most important thing. Encouraging student involvement in doing the exercises, while refining and expanding writing skills at one fell swoop, requires a certain hardnosed approach. Intelligibility on what skills a student is trying to build up must be had by the teacher. Next off, the teacher needs to decide on which line of attack (or type of exercise) can smooth the progress of learning of his/her goal. Once the goals and means of implementation are defined, the teacher can then go on to focus on, to guarantee student input, what theme can be employed. The teacher, by sensibly combing these goal, can expect both eagerness and effective learning.

Choosing the target area depends on many factors: what level the students are, what the average age of the students is, why the students are learning English, any specific future intentions for the writing (i.e school tests or job application letters etc.). Other significant questions to ask oneself are: What should the students be able to produce at the end of this exercise? (a well written letter, basic communication of ideas, etc.) What is the focus of the exercise? (structure, tense usage, creative writing). Once these factors are clear in the mind of the teacher, the teacher can begin to focus on how to engage the students in the activity thus promoting a constructive, continuing learning experience.

The teacher can focus on the means to realise this type of learning, having decided on the target area. The teacher, as in correction, must pick the most suitable way for the one writing area. It, if in formal business letter English is required, is of little use to take up a free expression type of exercise. Similarly,when working on descriptive language writing skills, a formal letter is by the same token out of place.

With both the target area and means of production, comprehensible in the teachers mind, the teacher can begin to reflect on how to involve the students by considering what type of activities are attention-grabbing to the students— 'Are they preparing for something detailed such as a holiday or examination?,' 'Will they need any of the skills sensibly?,' 'What has been effective in the past?.' A good way to approach this is brainstorming sessions. The teacher, by choosing a topic that involves the students, is providing a perspective within which effective learning on the target area can be taken on.

Finally, the question of which type of correction will aid a useful writing exercise is of greatest consequence. Here the teacher needs to once again think about the overall target area of the exercise. If there is an immediate task at hand, such as taking a test, I don't know, teacher guided correction is the most effective way out.