Being an Effective Writing Teacher: Understanding Writing Theories behind the Product, Process, and Genre Approaches

Writing takes part in everyday life, such as taking notes and writing emails. In learning, passive knowledge on students’ minds can be transformed into their own language through writing. Moreover, the ability to write in a second language, English for instance, is considered as a crucial tool nowadays. Students who want to pursue their higher education are required to take an English language proficiency exam, such as IETLS and TOEFL, which constitutes the assessment of writing skill. Consequently, it is important that a writing teacher should possess the ability to teach writing effectively and to help students enhance their writing skills. As there are a number of different approaches to the teaching of writing, this paper begins with an overview of teaching writing and explores three main approaches–product approach, process approach and genre approach. In each approach, the strengths and limitations of such an approach in teaching practice will then be analysed. Subsequently, this paper will discuss and examine how an understanding of such theories regarding teaching writing helps a writing teacher to be most effective in the classroom and how it can support their teaching.