CONSEP WRITING
A. Definition
of Writing
Writing is the
representation of language in a textual medium
through the use of a set of signs or symbols (known as a writing system).[1]
Writing can be said to be the act of forming these symbol. Making marks on
aflat surface of some kind. But writing is clearly much more than the
production of graphic symbol, just as speech is more than the production of
sounds.[2]
Heaton said that the writing skills are
complex and sometimes difficult to teach, requiring mastery not only of
grammatical and rhetorical devices but also of conceptual and judgmental elements.
There are analysis attempts to group the many and varied skills necessary for
writing good prose into five general components or main areas. They are: (1) language use – the ability to write
correct and appropriate sentences; (2) mechanical
skills – the ability to use punctuation and spelling correctly; (3) treatment of content – the ability to
think creatively and develop thoughts; (4) stylistic skills – the ability to manipulate sentences and
paragraphs and use language effectively, and (5) judgment skills –the ability to write in an appropriate manner
for a particular purpose with particular audience in mind, together with an
ability to select, organize and order relevant information.[3]
Based on the linguists’ opinions above, it can be constructed that writing skills
are complex and sometimes difficult to teach, requiring mastery not only of grammatical
and rhetorical devices but also of conceptual and judgmental elements. In
conclusion, before doing the writing activity, the students must have the
ability or prior knowledge in mastering the components of writing to increase their
writing ability. The writing components should be mastered by students are: content, organization, vocabulary, language,
and mechanics. The students
should master in writing components before doing the writing process because
writing is complex and needs a lot of skills and knowledge. Hopefully, they can
give the appropriate solutions in students’ writing problems.
B. Kinds
of Writing
1.
Description
Description writing appeals to the
sense, so it tells how something looks,
fells, smells, tasters, and sounds. A good description is like a " word
picture “, the reader can image the object, place or person in his mind.
2. Argumentation
( opinion )
Argumentation is to convince
or persuade someone that’s something is true or should be done or case.
3. Narration
Narration is story writing
about events in the order that they happened, actual and imaginative to
entertain or amuse and to deal with vicarious experiences.
4. Exposition
Exposition is how to explain something is made, done, or
how to do something ( ways, methods, and procedures ).[4]
C. The Components of Writing
1. Content
The component of
writing should be clear to readers. So, those readers can understand the
message conveyed and gains the information from it. In order to have good
content of writing its contents should be well unified and completed. Then, the
term is usually known as unity and become completeness become characteristics
of good writing.
2. Organization
Organization in writing is how ideas are presented.
Typically, organization refers to the larger parts of writing, although it also
refers to how paragraphs and sentences are written. The flow of piece of
writing affects how readers interpret ideas. If the organization does not
provide readers with the information they are looking for in an orderly manner,
they will quickly lose interest. Unorganized writing makes reader search for
the information they need.[6]
So writer need to know about organization patterns because readers expect what
they read to make sense logically.
3. Vocabulary
Vocabulary is one of
the most essential components of writing. To express ideas, we always deal with
vocabulary. The writer must choose the right or the appropriate words, so that
they can present their ideas in a way that the reader can understand the ideas
4. Language
Use
Language use is also
important in composing a piece of writing. Language is always the medium of
learning. There are two approaches in problematic for language teaching,
namely: descriptive norm (a statement of the form or feature of language the
most speakers use most of the time), and prescriptive norm, (a formally stated
rule meant to apply to all language uses in all setting; it is the stuff of
which grammar and spelling handbooks are constituted). The learners should have
the skill to use language. They should avoid in writing word function and know
to use modifier or connective, words or phrases.[7]
5. Mechanics
The use mechanics is due to the
capitalization, and spelling appropriately. The use of favorable mechanics in
writing will make readers easy to understand the conveying ideas or the
messages stated in the writing. To be degree that a recipient finds a text
meaningful, it has comprehensiblelity[8]
Beside the five
components of writing mentioned above, a writer must stress on the functional
segment which could be related to one another by a finite set of cognitive relations
such as cause;-consequence, instrument-skill, temporal sequence and matching
relations such as contrasting and equivalence. Writing requires knowledge and
focuses thought. In order to write, students must have something to say.
Writing is inherently an integrative process combining the total intellectual
capacities of the writers.
D. The Goals of Writing
Nowadays, people recognize more and
more the importance of writing. In relation to this, in all subjects in our
life or in all professions, the ability to write or expressive oneself clearly
is an essential basic for success. The goals of writing as defined by Hampton;
1. Writers are independent
when they are able to write without much assistance.
2. Writers gain
comprehensibility when they can write so that it can be read and understood by
themselves and others.
3. Writers are fluent when
they are able to write smoothly and easily as well as understandably
4. Writers gain creativity
when they can write their own ideas, not copying what was has already been written,
so that they can be read and understood.[9]
E. Definition of Process Oriented
Approach (POA)
Recently, the teaching of writing has
moved away from a concentration on written product to an emphasis on the
process of writing. In process approach, students are trained to generate ideas
for writing, think of the purpose and audiences, and write multiple drafts in
order to present written products that are able to communicate their own ideas.
Teachers who use this approach give students opportunity to generate ideas and
to give feedback on the content of what they write in their drafts.
Consequently, writing becomes a process of discovery for the students as they
discover new ideas and new language forms to express them.
Tribble defines the
'process approach' as 'an approach to the teaching of writing which stresses
the creativity of the individual writer, and which pays attention to the
development of good writing practices rather than the imitation of models'.
Thus, the focus shifts from the final product itself to the different stages
the writer goes through in order to create this product by breaking down the
task as a whole into its constituent parts writing can seem greatly less daunting
and more manageable to the student.[10]
The process oriented approach to teaching writing in the
classroom is an idea that began three decades ago as the result of extensive
research on literacy acquisition for majority language learners.[11]
The process oriented approach refers to a teaching
approach that focuses on the process a writer engages in when constructing
meaning. This teaching approach concludes with editing as a final stage in text
creation, rather than an initial one as in a product oriented approach. The
process oriented approach may include identified stages of the writing process
such as: pre-writing, writing and re-writing. Once the rough draft has been
created, it is polished into subsequent drafts with the assistance of peer and
teacher conferencing. Final editing and publication can follow if the author
chooses to publish their writing. [12]
Finally, Teachers
who use this approach give students opportunity to generate ideas and to give
feedback on the content of what they write in their drafts. Consequently,
writing becomes a process of discovery for the students as they discover new
ideas and new language forms to express them.
F. The Implementation of POA
Process
oriented approach refers to a teaching approach that focuses on the process a
writer engages in when constructing meaning. It needs the detail steps in terms
of mastering the writing ability. So, the process of learning should be
conducted appropriately to achieve it. This teaching approach concludes with
editing as a final stage in text creation, rather than an initial one as in a
product oriented approach. The process oriented approach may include identified
stages of the writing process such as: pre-writing, writing and re-writing.
Hence, choosing the appropriate approach to support the learning process needs
to be considered.
Based on the process oriented approach and genre approach above, the
researcher can construct that the four stages in genre approach can be modified
into process oriented approach by breaking down the pre-writing is modified in a building knowledge
of field and modeling of text; the writing is modified in outlining and
drafting,
while rewriting
is modified in editing. The joints construction of field is immersed in outlining implicitly while independent
construction
of text immersed in drafting and
editing implicitly, too. The combining approaches can be
described as the following explanation:
1.
Building Knowledge of Field
The purpose of building knowledge of field is to make sure that the
students have enough background knowledge related to content, vocabulary,
language, and mechanics. If students have been mastered the components of
language, it is easy for them to join and develop the learning process of
writing.
2. Modeling of Text
The purpose of modeling of text is to recognize: (a) the generic structures
of text; (b) the lay out of text; and (c) the purpose of writing. So, the
students will be familiar with the type of text given – report text. This
activity is always ended by the classroom discussion.
3. Outlining
The purpose of this stage is to recognize the two activities of outlining;
they are guidance-outlining and free outlining. The guidance-outlining is done
by giving the students’ activity in making outlines in group or in pairs based
on the text given while free outlining is making free-outlines based on the
students’ own thoughts that is done individually. These two activities refer to
Joints Construction of Text that the activities are done in groups or in pairs.
This activity is always ended by the classroom discussion.
4.
Drafting
The purpose of this stage is to give the students opportunities in making
the drafts based on their own outlines. This is done by the students
individually. It refers to the aims of Independent Construction of Text that
the activity must be done individually. This activity is always ended by the
classroom discussion.
5.
Editing
The purpose of this stage is to give the students opportunities in being an
analyst. They have to analyze others’ drafts by underlining the mistakes and
errors with red ink or board marker. The activities of drafting covered: (a)
interchanging the text among the students; (b) evaluating the students’ text;
(c) checking language components like: spelling, tense, word order, etc; (d)
reducing or adding text; and (e) correcting any mistakes and errors. This
activity is always ended by the classroom discussion.[13]
Each stage has its
purpose to support one another. Thus, the researcher tries to express the
rationale of giving the solution of English writing problems. Rationally, if
the students have mastered the aspects of writing as the prior knowledge via
modified approach, they are able to write the report text well.
G. The Advantages of POA
The process oriented approach treats all
writing as a creative act which requires time and positive feedback to be done
well. In process writing, the teacher moves away from being someone who sets
students a writing topic and receives the finished product for correction
without any intervention in the writing process itself.[14]
It is wise to implement
process oriented approach in learning writing because the activities done in
this way is to empower the students’ competence in creating writing without any
intervention but the teacher’s capacity is just to motivate and to facilitate
students in writing based on their competence and ability. Therefore, students
do not feel under the pressure but they feel fun in doing their job. So, the
activity of writing will be the task that is challenging to do and the students
will create writing as much as possible.
The advantages of
process oriented approach can be described as follows: 1) the students have
well-prepared in improving the prior knowledge related to content, vocabulary,
language, and mechanics; 2) the students know the purpose of writing text; (3)
the students are accustomed to make outlines before writing; (4) the students
can develop the drafts based on their thoughts; and (5) the students can be the
critical and creative thinker. Based on the advantages above, it is necessary
for the researcher to continue the study because process oriented approach has
many benefits in developing writing skill.[15]
H. The Disadvantages of POA
The disadvantages of the process
oriented approach are: (1) it needs a long time to conduct it; (2) the students
must have the good prior knowledge before joining the learning process; (3)
each step must be done completely because it is the qualification before
continuing the next step; (4) it is difficult for the teacher to prepare the
learning materials; (5) the teacher should master the steps of writing well;
and (6) it is difficult to handle the classroom, especially in the steps of
drafting and editing.
[2]Donn
Byrne, Op. Cit., p. 1
[3]J.B Heaton. Writing English Language Test, New Edition (USA: Longman, 1988),
p.135
[4]Seri Sentari. The Effectiveness of Spider Web Method in
Writing Paragraph at the eight class of SMP Negeri 7 WATAMPONE. A Thesis (
Watapone : STAIN, 2009 ), P. 11
[5]J.B. Heaton,Op. Cit., p.136
[6]Colorado. Definition of Organization, 1993, http://writing.colostate.edu/guides/processes/ organize/pop2a.cfm, access 18th of October 2011
[7]Yulidar.
Teaching
Grammar To The Students Of Mas As’adiyah Mattirowalie Through Natural Approach,
A thesis (
Watampone: STKIP, 2009), p. 10
[9]http://www.sil.org/lingualinks/literacy/referenceMaterials/glossaryofliteracyitems/whatarewritingskills.htm, access 20th of October 2011
[10]Christopher
Tribble, Writing ( Hongkong: Oxford University Press, 1996), p. 160
[11]Nicole Montague, 1995, The Process Oriented Approach To Teaching Writing To
second Language Learners http://www.ncela.gwu.edu/files/rcd/BE020613/The
process Oriented Approach .pdf, access 13th of October 2011
[13]Manali,Oak. 2008, Components of the Writing Process. http://www.buzzle. Com /articles/
components-of-the-writing-process.html,
access 13th of October 2011
[14]Anonym. Approaches to process writing. 2003, http://www.teachingenglish.org.uk/
think/
articles/approaches-processwriting. accsess 15th October 2011
[15]Ibid.,
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