According to Tomkins (2006, p.71), teachers have a responsibility for the students to be taught how to use skill and strategies for their writings. It probably does not mean that all the students could be capable of using them in writings once they have learned those skillful, strategic methods. Proficient students in writing are able to proofread by themselves, while novice learners do not know about even what to deal with. Teachers should fix the faults or let the students to be corrected. As a minimum process of improving writing proficiency, teacher will have to give an explicit instruction, in which technical skills and strategies to deliberate thinking procedures cannot be overvaluated to the one.
It is important to teach writing strategies and skills both equally. Like the example in the chapter, a person who has a skill of driving a car is not enough to be a good driver. He also must learn how to deal with different unexpected situations by using the acquired skills. Writing is similar to this process. If a writer knows how to write a word correctly, but doesn't know how to start a sentence because of the lack of strategies such as organizing ideas, then his writing would not be decent and of course the writer will struggle, too. That is why the students are expected to learn both the writing strategies and skills equally.
"Even when children are doing independent writing, they apply the strategies and skills they are learning" (Tomkins, 2008). Good use of strategies is the characteristics of capable writers, however skills are inevitable techniques for the construction of meaning, which is the basic assumption of writing as a written communication. It's like the old trick question: the egg or the chicken? They are both important. What matters is how and when to teach each of them, I think.
I believe teaching strategies and teaching skills are equally crucial. Let's take an example. When a person learns how to play the piano, he or she is taught to read notes, a lot of scores and so on. These are the skills to be acquired. However, he or she should interpret music with his or her own point of view and consider the audience and atmosphere when performing in a concert hall. This is a part of strategies. Therefore, they cannot be divided apart.
Both skills and strategies are important. Strategies are problem- solving behaviors that writer use thoughtfully and consciously. And skills are information-processing techniques that writers use automatically and unconsciously. Capable writers are aware of both skills and strategys and they use both strategies and skills effectively in their writing. While novice writers are unaware and do not use them effectively. In order to make novice writers be capable writers it is crucial that we need to teach both skills and strategy in a balanced way. But sometimes we tend to focus more on teaching skills rather than strategies, because strategies such as organization, compositions, awareness of audience are less obvious and it is harder to fix then skills such as spelling, punctuation, capitalization. Teacher should take advantage of teachable moments to instruct and guide student both skills and strategies due to its same importance.
In writing instructions, teaching the students both strategies and skills is equally important. However, as is often the case with writing problems, strategy problems are harder to fix than skill problems. Thus, rather than imposing traditional skills-focused instructions in EFL writing classes, teachers need to experiment with an array of heuristics and techniques to provide a more effective and balanced guidance. It is our responsibility as teachers “to teach children how to write, and part of that responsibility is teaching children strategies and skills that capable writers use” (Tomkins, 2008, p. 71).
The important thing is when and how. What is more or less important between both is meaningless argument because they are used with different time and different purpose. Teacher can guide students through writing strategies and skills. For example, let them to use appropriate strategies and keep up process as they are writing and to employ skills proficiently and convey his or her notion effectively. For successful writing, what teachers should focus on is “structuring meaning from texts” with “a variety tactics”(Tompkins, p.68) through direct or indirect instruction lessons in different situation.
I believe that teaching a skill and teaching a strategy are both important things. They both should be taught since they go hand in hand. Say example when you're teaching, you cannot have a strategy on how to approach your students unless you know your skills and what ability you have to teach them. In the same aspect, you cannot fully utilize your skills if you do not strategize them accordingly and systematically when you teach. So, as teachers, we need teach both so our future students can become capable people - people built with skills under a strategy.
Tompkins (2006. p. 52) said that strategies are problem-solving behaviors that writers use thoughtfully and consciously and skills are information-processing techniques that writers use automatically and unconsciously. They have different roles, which are all important to learn and improve writing. So they are both equally needed and important. Writing is not made by only several elements but made by every element related with strategies and skills. It is true that students can learn those things naturally and inductively as they experience a lot of meaningful reading or writing by themselves. But no one can't deny that educating strategies and skills deductively is also fruitful and successful as well. So teachers should admit that they are responsible for teaching both strategies and skills in class.
I like the metaphor of learning-how-to-drive on differentiation of skills and strategies in the book. According to the book, skills are like how to start the engine, make left turns, and parallel park. Strategies are like how to stay a safe distance, how to drive on slippery roads, and at night (p. 57). Then you definitely notice that both are not comparable to choose which is more important than the other. To write something requires the basic skills like structuring skills and higher skills like language skills. Without these skills, the writing can't be a writing. In terms of strategies, when we encounter problems like not knowing how to organize ideas, then teachers should teach strategies to handle the problem. The teaching can be direct or indirect but as Tompkins (2008) said, "teachers have the responsibility to teach children how to write, and part of that responsibility is teaching children the strategies and skills that capable writers use" (p. 71). Teaching children from the basic skills to the complicated strategies is equally important and actually students may use some skills and strategies unconsciously without being taught. The need for instructions is when they may have trouble with them or need to improve.
Surely, both skills and strategies are important to teach language to students. According Tomkins (2008), it is said that teachers have the responsibility to teach children how to write, and part of that responsibility is teaching children the strategies and skills that capable writers use. I also extremely sympathize that the question is not whether to teach strategies and skills, but how and when to teach them (Dudley-Marling & Dippo, 1991; Mclntyre &Pressley, 1996, as cited in Tomkins, 2008). As we all instructors, we show strategies as well as skills when we teach for each level class and students. Like Julien noted above, that saying “the egg or the chicken” which describes the importance of strategies and skills seems a suitable figure of speech.
Teaching a strategy is more important than teaching a skill. Writing strategies are foundation for writing. Writing strategies are essential for writing. In contrast, writing skills are subsidiary to writing although writers can showcase their writings by writing skills. We build the frames of writing with strategies and decorate the writing with skills.
We need to teach both strategies and skills for writing. Tompkins (2006, p.71) defined them as follows: Strategies are problem–solving behaviors that writers use thoughtfully and consciously and skills are information-processing techniques that writers use automatically and unconsciously. Thus skills are the techniques that we gain from the repetitive exercises and strategies are the plans to apply which techniques, when, and how. While plans without techniques are fruitless, techniques without plans are reckless.
According to Tomkins (2006, p.71), teachers have a responsibility for the students to be taught how to use skill and strategies for their writings. It probably does not mean that all the students could be capable of using them in writings once they have learned those skillful, strategic methods. Proficient students in writing are able to proofread by themselves, while novice learners do not know about even what to deal with. Teachers should fix the faults or let the students to be corrected. As a minimum process of improving writing proficiency, teacher will have to give an explicit instruction, in which technical skills and strategies to deliberate thinking procedures cannot be overvaluated to the one.
ReplyDeleteIt is important to teach writing strategies and skills both equally. Like the example in the chapter, a person who has a skill of driving a car is not enough to be a good driver. He also must learn how to deal with different unexpected situations by using the acquired skills. Writing is similar to this process. If a writer knows how to write a word correctly, but doesn't know how to start a sentence because of the lack of strategies such as organizing ideas, then his writing would not be decent and of course the writer will struggle, too. That is why the students are expected to learn both the writing strategies and skills equally.
ReplyDeleteThis comment has been removed by the author.
ReplyDelete"Even when children are doing independent writing, they apply the strategies and skills they are learning" (Tomkins, 2008). Good use of strategies is the characteristics of capable writers, however skills are inevitable techniques for the construction of meaning, which is the basic assumption of writing as a written communication. It's like the old trick question: the egg or the chicken? They are both important. What matters is how and when to teach each of them, I think.
ReplyDeleteI believe teaching strategies and teaching skills are equally crucial. Let's take an example. When a person learns how to play the piano, he or she is taught to read notes, a lot of scores and so on. These are the skills to be acquired. However, he or she should interpret music with his or her own point of view and consider the audience and atmosphere when performing in a concert hall. This is a part of strategies. Therefore, they cannot be divided apart.
ReplyDeleteThis comment has been removed by the author.
ReplyDeleteBoth skills and strategies are important. Strategies are problem- solving behaviors that writer use thoughtfully and consciously. And skills are information-processing techniques that writers use automatically and unconsciously.
ReplyDeleteCapable writers are aware of both skills and strategys and they use both strategies and skills effectively in their writing. While novice writers are unaware and do not use them effectively.
In order to make novice writers be capable writers it is crucial that we need to teach both skills and strategy in a balanced way.
But sometimes we tend to focus more on teaching skills rather than strategies, because strategies such as organization, compositions, awareness of audience are less obvious and it is harder to fix then skills such as spelling, punctuation, capitalization.
Teacher should take advantage of teachable moments to instruct and guide student both skills and strategies due to its same importance.
In writing instructions, teaching the students both strategies and skills is equally important.
ReplyDeleteHowever, as is often the case with writing problems, strategy problems are harder to fix than skill problems. Thus, rather than imposing traditional skills-focused instructions in EFL writing classes, teachers need to experiment with an array of heuristics and techniques to provide a more effective and balanced guidance. It is our responsibility as teachers “to teach children how to write, and part of that responsibility is teaching children strategies and skills that capable writers use” (Tomkins, 2008, p. 71).
The important thing is when and how. What is more or less important between both is meaningless argument because they are used with different time and different purpose. Teacher can guide students through writing strategies and skills. For example, let them to use appropriate strategies and keep up process as they are writing and to employ skills proficiently and convey his or her notion effectively. For successful writing, what teachers should focus on is “structuring meaning from texts” with “a variety tactics”(Tompkins, p.68) through direct or indirect instruction lessons in different situation.
ReplyDeleteI believe that teaching a skill and teaching a strategy are both important things. They both should be taught since they go hand in hand. Say example when you're teaching, you cannot have a strategy on how to approach your students unless you know your skills and what ability you have to teach them. In the same aspect, you cannot fully utilize your skills if you do not strategize them accordingly and systematically when you teach. So, as teachers, we need teach both so our future students can become capable people - people built with skills under a strategy.
ReplyDeleteTompkins (2006. p. 52) said that strategies are problem-solving behaviors that writers use thoughtfully and consciously and skills are information-processing techniques that writers use automatically and unconsciously. They have different roles, which are all important to learn and improve writing. So they are both equally needed and important. Writing is not made by only several elements but made by every element related with strategies and skills. It is true that students can learn those things naturally and inductively as they experience a lot of meaningful reading or writing by themselves. But no one can't deny that educating strategies and skills deductively is also fruitful and successful as well. So teachers should admit that they are responsible for teaching both strategies and skills in class.
ReplyDeleteI like the metaphor of learning-how-to-drive on differentiation of skills and strategies in the book. According to the book, skills are like how to start the engine, make left turns, and parallel park. Strategies are like how to stay a safe distance, how to drive on slippery roads, and at night (p. 57). Then you definitely notice that both are not comparable to choose which is more important than the other.
ReplyDeleteTo write something requires the basic skills like structuring skills and higher skills like language skills. Without these skills, the writing can't be a writing. In terms of strategies, when we encounter problems like not knowing how to organize ideas, then teachers should teach strategies to handle the problem.
The teaching can be direct or indirect but as Tompkins (2008) said, "teachers have the responsibility to teach children how to write, and part of that responsibility is teaching children the strategies and skills that capable writers use" (p. 71).
Teaching children from the basic skills to the complicated strategies is equally important and actually students may use some skills and strategies unconsciously without being taught. The need for instructions is when they may have trouble with them or need to improve.
Surely, both skills and strategies are important to teach language to students. According Tomkins (2008), it is said that teachers have the responsibility to teach children how to write, and part of that responsibility is teaching children the strategies and skills that capable writers use. I also extremely sympathize that the question is not whether to teach strategies and skills, but how and when to teach them (Dudley-Marling & Dippo, 1991; Mclntyre &Pressley, 1996, as cited in Tomkins, 2008). As we all instructors, we show strategies as well as skills when we teach for each level class and students. Like Julien noted above, that saying “the egg or the chicken” which describes the importance of strategies and skills seems a suitable figure of speech.
ReplyDeleteTeaching a strategy is more important than teaching a skill. Writing strategies are foundation for writing. Writing strategies are essential for writing. In contrast, writing skills are subsidiary to writing although writers can showcase their writings by writing skills. We build the frames of writing with strategies and decorate the writing with skills.
ReplyDeleteWe need to teach both strategies and skills for writing. Tompkins (2006, p.71) defined them as follows: Strategies are problem–solving behaviors that writers use thoughtfully and consciously and skills are information-processing techniques that writers use automatically and unconsciously. Thus skills are the techniques that we gain from the repetitive exercises and strategies are the plans to apply which techniques, when, and how. While plans without techniques are fruitless, techniques without plans are reckless.
ReplyDelete