Language Learning Support Section

> Implications

This writing project lasted for one year but its completion didn’t mean teachers’ effort to develop writing skills in students stopped there. Rather, they will adopt and adapt what they learnt and share with those who were not involved this year - not only at the pedagogical level to improve the design of writing tasks, but also at the curriculum level to map out a comprehensive list of writing skills to develop using the writing tasks assigned to students throughout their six years of primary education to ensure progression and opportunities for recycling skills and knowledge.

It is advisable to spend more time on the writing process. Two periods may be sufficient for students to complete the task but the generation of ideas and the language work parts definitely take longer. For this reason, it is better to integrate the teaching of writing with other language skills and preferably embed writing with textbook teaching using a task-based approach or assign writing as an extension of story teaching.

While it was good to include pre-writing tasks which guided students to write step by step, teachers felt there were far too many before the completion of the final writing task. It was easy for students to lose sight of how the pre-tasks were connected to the writing of the final product. And teachers were always working under pressure to find time to cover other components of the English curriculum besides writing. If writing is viewed as an on-going process, and is taught with the other language skills, and if conscious attempt is made to remind students how the pre-tasks are closely linked to the writing task, the above concerns can be addressed.

While students had more to write, their grammar (both accuracy and range) remained a problem. However, this is an issue that needs ongoing attention and the concerted efforts from all the teachers involved. Work has to be done not only in the writing lessons but in other English lessons with skills taught in an integrated manner.

Although scaffolding the process of writing may take longer and require more focused work than the usual practice, it is important to ensure that there is an appropriate level of support and challenge for all students. By working together, discussing and sharing experience of actual classroom practice and the rationale for the strategies chosen, teachers can enhance their effectiveness and impact on student learning.