Creative Writing Instruction: Theories and Practice

1. Creative Writing Instruction: Theories and Practice 陳 月 妙 中正大學外文系教授 folymc@ccu.edu.tw Nov. 15, 2011 I. Definition of Writing II. Theories & Practice III. Features of A Good Writer IV. Tips to Improve Writing Abilities V. My Example of Composition Course VI. What You Can Do with your Sts

2. Definitions • “There is no separation between writing, life, and the mind.” Natalie Goldberg, Writing Down the Bones • “Writing, like life itself, is a voyage of discovery.” Henry Miller

3. subject message writer (self) reader (audience)

4. Writing is… • a process of communication • which uses a conventional system • to convey a message • to a reader

5. Writing is a process of - exploration (the self & the world) - discovery (the self & the world) - communication (with the self & the world) - learning (We learn to write, we also write to learn)

6. II. Overview of Composition Research and Practices 1.Product-based Research on Composition - emphasize the composed product - analyze discourse into word level, sentence level, paragraph level - focus on style and usage - evaluated on clarity and correctness rather than originality

7. - the composing process is a linear movement - chief concerns are language, syntax, organizational patterns So, the focus of composition instruction is overly concerned with correctness, conciseness, and clarity, prescriptive forms.

8. Pedagogy:Controlled composition:focusing on accuracy instead of fluency or originalityContrastive rhetoric:Writing instruction emphasizes not only on grammatical form, but also on rhetorical form by training in recognizing and using topic sentences, examples, and illustrations. It stresses imitation of paragraph or essay form.

9. 2.Process-based Research on Composition Writing is - a process of generating ideas, creating meaning, and problem-solving - a recursive and reflective process - engages writers with moving back and forth in drafting - varying audiences and purposes taken into account

10. Process teaching approach concentrates on the stages of writing, prewriting, drafting, and revising. The writer is the focus of instruction. Pedagogy: • Personal writing styles • Free writing • Journal writing • Expressive writing

11. - Contextual factors, social & cultural factors - Peer response - Teacher response - Internal features: temperamental and emotional factors, writing apprehension 3. Classroom-based Research on Composition

12. 4. Content-based Research on Composition -The focus has shifted from the writer to the reader– the reader within the academic discourse community. - At college, students need to move cognitively from “writer-based” to “reader-based” prose.

13. In a reader-based prose, a writer takes into account the purpose and audience of the writing. - to appeal to their readers’ needs and interests - to take into account of academic demands and the expectations of academic readers

14. Pedagogy: • Writing-across-curriculum for L1 • English for academic purpose (EAP) for L2 It is a reader-dominated approach focusing on language teaching as socializing students into the academic community. For L2 learners at university settings, their writing assignments should be tied to subject matter in a specific discipline.

15. 5. Post-Process Research on Composition • Post-cognitivist theory and pedagogy • Literacy as ideological arena • Composition as a cultural activity • By writing, writers define or redefine their relationship to the community or institutions. This movement has been trying to expand and broaden the domain of L2 writing in research as much as in teaching rather than see post-process only as a paradigm shift.

16. Pedagogy: • A Socio-Cultural Approach to Writing Writing is a process of communicating with the world, also a cultural activity, so that the topics and issues to be discussed and written should be well related to the expectations of the society and fit in the social and national contexts.

17. A Metacognitive Approach to Writing - to help students develop their self- reflective competence - to train students to increase their self-awareness as a learner and writer - to enhance their self-regulated learning and build up their learning autonomy and turn to be a self-educator and life long learner

18. III. What makes good L1/L2 writers 1. A Clear Mind with Logical Thinking Process (5 W + H ) 2. Observing Eyes 3. Open Heart 4. Self-Reflective Awareness 5. Sensitivity towards Language (Words, Meaning, Text)

19. IV. How to improve your English writing ability? 1. Keep on reading and writing regularly: To develop writer-based writing through free writing and extensive reading to be a fluent self-discovering writer - to expand vocabulary inventory - to enrich background knowledge - to increase sensitivity to the slight difference of word usage - to increase word power by duplicating words through word family

20. 2. Transfer the self-exploring writer to a reader-based writer - to be concerned with the needs of the reader, the purpose, the audience, the organizational patterns - to get familiar with the organizational patterns such as description, narration, exposition, and argument

21. beginning advanced writer-centered reader-centered

22. 3. To be familiar with the needs and expectations of the specific purposes of your professions or academic fields At this stage, a writer develops to be a skillful writer to be able to write professionally for his/her fields.

23. Summary As Smith (1994) put it, “Writing encompasses familiarity with so many conventions in so many areas – in spelling, punctuation, vocabulary, grammar, cohesion, discourse structure, and register”; however, “We learn to write by writing.”

24. V. My example of Composition Course Theories I adopt: • Process Writing Approach (multi-drafting, free writing, journal writing) • Metacognitive Approach (Self-regulated learning) • Socio-Cultural Approach • Critical Thinking Pedagogy • Peer Review • Rhetorics: Organizational Patterns • Extensive reading • Whole person education

25. Conceptualization • What: Critical thinking process: 5 W + H • What: Definition • What: Self vs. world (globalization, localization) • What: Features of good writers

26. How: Summarizing: 3 keys: words, concepts, sentences • How: Learning processes • How: Writing processes • How: Logical connection: Cohesion, coherence • How: Peer review • How: Organizational patterns • How: Self-regulated learning

27. Organizational Patterns: • Narration • Description • Exposition 1. Illustration, 2. Definition, 3. Process analysis, 4. Classification, 5. Cause and effect, 6. Comparison and Contrast • Argument: pros vs. cons

28. Topics we discuss and write: • Get to know the self • Get to know my hometown • Get to know my generation • Get to know my country • Get to know the world

29. What have sts completed in one semester? 1.40 - 50 journal entries (news summaries & free writings) 2. 4 official assignments/each 4 drafts 3. 3 team reports: 228, book report, Taiwan project 4. Interview with parents 5. A field trip to AIT in Taipei 6. A letter writing to President Obama 7. A portfolio

30. VI. What you can do with your students • 1. Sentence structures re-orientation • 2. Communicative writing practice: Journal dialogue writing (Pair work) • 3. Guided paragraph writing • 4. Extensive reading group with summary writing • 5. Process writing and collaborative learning • 6. CALL writing: online writing, blog, email, facebook

31. 1. Sentence structures re-orientation • S + Vi • S + Vi + SC • S + Vt + O • S + Vt + O + OC • S + Vt + IO + DO

32. 2.Communicative writing practice: Journal dialogue writing (Pair work) • Journal writing to have a dialog with each other • Journal exchange • Simple writing, even with picture drawing in it • The purpose is to increase motivation

33. 3. Guided paragraph writing • Use Process writing • Brain storming • Idea generating • Drafting • Writing • Revising • Collaborative learning: Work together to complete a paragraph

34. 4. Extensive reading group with summary writing • Graded readers of short stories of 300 words, 400 words or above … • Form reading groups • Copy good sentences • Key words with sentence making • Summary writing: 5 W + H

35. 5. CALL writing: Online writing, blog, email, facebook • Communicative approach • Authentic writing • Meaningful writing with purpose • Fashionable • Updated with the age of technology • Pair work

36. Conclusion “We learn to write by writing.” The only key is to write, write, and write. We are teaching people, not just teaching writing. Thank you!