Recent materials on teaching writing

Abstract

The teaching of writing in EFL has seen dramatic changes in the last 20 years, strongly influenced by research insights from mother tongue (LI) contexts and resulting pedagogic shifts. This review will begin by looking at the background to EFL writing, and then consider four very different books for teachers and scholars which deal with the subject from a variety of angles. An influential writing teacher and researcher, Raimes (1991) divides writing instruction, according to its focus, into four approaches. These are: focus on form, i.e. 'the rhetorical and linguistic form of the text itself (ibid.: 408), on the writer and his/her cognitive processes, on content, and on the demands made by the reader. Let us look at each in turn. The reviewer Clare Furneaux works at the Centre for Applied Language Studies, University of Reading. She provides input on the teaching of writing on MA courses and on short teacher-training programmes. She has run workshops on writing for teachers in many countries, is involved in research in this area, and teaches writing to international students at Reading. Her other interests include EAP, study skills, and teaching young learners.

Saudi English-Major Undergraduates' Academic Writing Problems: A Taif University Perspective

“…Reinforcing the same trend, Furneaux (1999) Yiu (2009) reported that despite the fact that history of second language teaching dates back as early as 1945, there has been a scarcity of research on English as second language writing. The same has been emphasized by Krashen (1984) as manifested by his comments that "…studies of second language writing are sadly lacking" (p. 41).…”

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“…As stated by to Furneaux (1999), writing is basically a social act, a means of communication; "you usually write to communicate with an audience, who has expectations about the text type (or genre) you produce" (p. 56). Harklau (2002) argues, "Writing should play a more prominent role in classroom-based studies of second language acquisition" (p. 329).…”

“…Leki (as cited in Harklau, 2002) indicated that it is extremely important to understand L2 writing development in its own right and to consider all the personal traits that influence writing. For years, teaching writing was not regarded, as it deserves (Furneaux, 1999). Although lately its prominence has been realized much better, it is still viewed to be less common than other skills to be appraised.…”

“…Together with speaking, it is among the important skills and there might be a host of cognitive or mental factors that could affect writing ability. Even, as Furneaux (1999) claimed, learners might be more creative and inventive in writing than in speaking, since in speaking, the emphasis is on meaning and interlocutors attempt to comprehend each other. Yet in writing the emphasis is simultaneously on both meaning and form and even meanings might be affected by form.…”

Reusing the Product Oriented Writing to Enhance the First Year EFL Undergraduate Field Independent Students' Writing Achievement

“…Productoriented approach focuses on grammatical and discourse levels, looking at error, fluency (length), writing quality, and structure. It is looking at whole texts in terms of their coherence, stylistics, and culture (Furneaux, 1999).…”