Writing in the field of English Language Teaching

What is Writing?

This study could not proceed without an attempt to explore the many and varied definitions of writing. Writing seems to have taken on different definitions for different groups of people in order to suit their different needs and purposes for writing. Even for professionals involved in the field of English Language Teaching, not one definition of writing could satisfy everyone.

For the process oriented professionals and researchers, writing is a product of a person’s search for meaning. Zamel (1982) points out that writers go through the process where meaning is created because writers seem to start off the process not knowing what they are going to say at all.

Grabe and Kaplan, in their book Theory and Practice of Writing, explore the meaning of writing in terms of the ‘rhetorical triangle’ in writing. And such ‘triangle’ consists of the reader, the recipient of the final product of the writing process; the writer, the originator of the message; and the subject matter and text itself. In support of this idea, the writer and the reader have to consider all these aspects when writing and reading, respectively, for each one plays a significant role in the journey towards meaning.

According to Klein (1985), writing is the “ability to employ pen or pencil and paper to express ideas symbolically so that representations on the paper reflect meaning and content capable of being communicated to another by the producer”.

But the definition which seems to have the most relevance to this study is the one involving creative writing. This kind of writing seems to emphasize the role of the discovery of self, as opposed to the discovery of meaning, in process writing. It is also different from that which emphasizes audience, writer and text because it is focused more on getting ideas written down on paper, without burdening oneself especially with the thought of who is going to read the final product of one’s writing.

It is also one which is closest in definition to writing done by children, which is focused more towards the expression of oneself, without much regard to how the reader would view the writing product or text.

Campbell, in her book “Teaching Second Language Writing” (1998) says, “One of life’s greatest releases is to express oneself in writing.” She goes further by quoting one of her students as saying that writing, as a form of creative release in a second or foreign language is “Freedom!” So this is the definition more suited to this study of writing among elementary school children in an international setting – their discovery of self, their way of self expression and the teaching of life and about growing up as children engage in writing activities.

Oftentimes, we as teachers, become more concerned about teaching our young learners to acquire skills in writing reports or other forms of factual writing, writing answers to comprehension questions after reading a story, writing with a particular audience in mind, and so on. This study is not trying to degrade the value placed on learning and acquiring these skills. However, it is also not right