The Writing Process

The Process Approach

Most research in writing pedagogy today concludes that the most effective way to teach writing is
through a process approach. This approach assumes that a writer needs to be writing for authentic
purposes in an extended process that includes prewriting, writing, revising, and editing--though these
are done in a recursive manner rather than in discrete steps. As writers work through the writing
process, they move through recursive steps that first emphasize fluency (i.e., activities for determining
audience and generating ideas), then form (i.e., writing strategies for organizing and revising ideas) and
then correctness (i.e., editing for proper grammar, spelling, diction, etc.). The last step in the process is
publishing, sharing one's finished draft, after which some of the steps of the process may once again be
revisited.

In process-oriented classrooms, students enjoy:

Teachers who understand and appreciate the basic linguistic competence that students bring with them
to school, and who therefore have positive expectations for students' achievements in writing

Regular and substantial practice at writing.

Instruction in the process of writing—learning how to work at a given writing task in appropriate phases,
including prewriting, drafting, and revising.

The opportunity to write for real, personally significant puposes.

Experience in writing for a wide range of audiences, both inside and outside of school.
Rich and continuous reading experience, including both published writing and the work of peers and
teachers.

Exposure to models of writing in process and writers at work, including both classmates and skilled adult
writers.

Collaborative activities that provide ideas for writing and guidance in revising drafts in progress.

One-to-one writing conferences with the teacher.

Inquiry-oriented classroom activities that involve students with rich sets of data and social interaction,
and that focus on specific modes of elements of writing.

Increased use of sentence-combining exercises which replaces instruction in grammatical terminology.

Mechanics of writing taught in the context of students' own compositions, rather than in separate
exercises and drills.

Moderate marking of the surface structure errors in student papers, focusing on sets or patterns of
related errors.

Flexible and cumulative evaluation of writing that stresses revision. The teacher's written comments
include a mixture of praise and criticism, with praise predominating.

Writing as a tool of learning in all subjects across the curriculum.

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