English Grammar ExercisesHow to be an Effective EFL TeacherHelping your Students to be Better Writers
English Grammar Exercises -- The Writing Process(Photo of a recording studio in Japan by Paul Canosa) by David Martin In order to help your students to be better writers, it is essential to first understand your students and the writing process. There is a maxim: "Writing that can be postponed, will be." It is not a great secret that the majority of students dislike writing; in fact, some hate it. Why is this so? What makes writing so unpopular? Speaking and listening are natural, and as such do not have to be learned. Most people know how to speak and listen in order to communicate and most individuals can read as well. On the other hand, writing is not natural and it must be learned. Generally, someone has to teach you how to write. English Grammar Exercises -- People Rarely love to Write This is not to say that there are not those who love the activity of writing, but they are rare. Emig (1978) has proposed that there is a biological base for writing located in the brain. Murray (1980:11) has written that "man has a primitive need to write." Perhaps it is true that both Emig and Murray enjoy composing immensely, but I find it very difficult to fathom writing as being organically based; nor do I see many people trying to satisfy their primitive need to write. I do, however, find my students putting off writing as long as they can. Yes indeed, "Writing that can be postponed, will be."
(Pictured: A typical neighbourhood in Japan, this one in Shizuoka Prefecture, photo by Paul Canosa)
(English Grammar Exercises Photo: a warehouse and crow in Fujisawa by Richard Baladad)
|
