Organizing by Genre

There is a lot of emphasis these days on teaching Writers Workshop, which is a process driven approach to teaching writing. This method capitalizes on student choice and, I believe, requires a very knowledgeable teacher to ensure learning objectives are met. In its strictest form, it is an inquiry model, heavy on student discovery and light on teacher-directed or "authoritative" instruction. It's the old "traditional" versus "constructivist" argument. I think this is why I had so much trouble inititally trying to implement it into my classroom. It seemed an "airy fairy" approach without much structure, and I am very much a structure kind of girl! I think students learn better when the teacher has a defined set of objectives and a reasonable way of assessment. Perhaps "learn better" is not the right wording. I do acknowledge that much learning can take place from the simple act of discovery; indeed, I am seeing this happen daily in the life of my almost 1-year-old! But teaching in a school setting requires certain structures to be in place in order to prepare students for further academia and the workplace.

I was delighted to find this piece from the Journal of Second Language Writing that illustrates this same point and further suggests the need for structures as a necessity for functioning in society (communicating within social norms). The author, Ken Hyland, explains that genre literacy pedagogy was the answer in the 1970s to the process writing approach (what's old is new again...). His lengthy article espouses the merits of teaching genre sequentially while allowing for student choice and authentic writing experiences. Though Hyland is a little wordy and focuses his research on English Language Learners (referred to as L2), his is a very informative and relevant article for inclusive classrooms and a great defense against the current wave of process driven writing. He argues:

By making explicit what is to be learnt, providing a coherent framework for studying both language and contexts, ensuring that course objectives are derived from students’ needs, and creating the resources for students to understand and challenge valued discourses, genre approaches provide an effective writing pedagogy.

He explains that genre pedagogy is:
Explicit – Makes clear what is to be learnt to facilitate the acquisition of writing skills
Systematic – Provides a coherent framework for focusing on both language and contexts
Needs-based – Ensures that course objectives and content are derived from students’ needs
Supportive – Gives teachers a central role in scaffolding students’ learning and creativity
Empowering – Provides access to the patterns and possibilities of variation in valued texts
Critical – Provides the resources for students to understand and challenge valued discourses
Consciousness-raising – Increases teachers’ awareness of texts to confidently advise students on writing. (Hyland, 2004, pp.10-16)

Whether or not you choose to read the article in its entirety, I encourage you to try the following approach to genre study:

1. Introduce the genre by reading many examples. Invite students to list common elements between examples. Add to the list important elements that might not have been mentioned (You need to know what elements characterize the genre in order to do this).
2. Model writing in the genre (can use a mentor text here).
3. Do a shared writing with your students.
4. Invite students to write independently in the genre using the elements listed in #1.

If you do choose to read the article, you will find that Hyland suggests a way to organize your writing instruction through genre study. You can see how I used his method to frame my teaching in first grade in my next post.