Transforming Writing Instruction: Reflections on High School Teaching

This essay reflects on the author's experience with prescriptive and product-centered writing instruction in high school, including the use of traditional modes like narration, description, and persuasion, and the emphasis on single drafts and textbook material. The author critiques the inefficiency of process-oriented writing styles involving extensive pre-writing, editing, and revising. The essay then outlines a plan for future teaching, advocating for interactive learning, individualized instruction, and activity-based learning to foster students' writing skills. The proposed methods include allowing students to choose their own topics, encouraging problem-solving and critical thinking, and creating a supportive learning environment to enhance confidence and improve writing abilities. The author also emphasizes the importance of rephrasing difficult sentences and involving parents in the learning process.

TASK NO.4:
How I was taught in the high school for writing process:
I had been instructed by my teachers to follow “prescriptive and product centred”
approach of writing process with especially focusing on adopting traditional modes of writing
process such as narration, description, exposition, persuasion and something poetry. I had also
taught in the high school about the use of single draft only while doing writing activity. I have
taught by teachers to put greater emphasis on textbook material rather than depending on own
thinking abilities and knowledge. I have also taught about the usage of process approaches of
writing instruction which involved pre-writing ,editing and revising that consumed most of my
time as it require extensive writing and I have to be extra careful in editing and revising before
process writing. I understood that process oriented writing style is not efficient enough and is the
time consuming process of writing.
Will I teach in the same way:
I will not teach in the same manner that I have was taught in my high school because
traditional approaches of writing process are not efficient and are ineffective in order to write
thoughts. In addition to this, the traditional methods of writing is not good approach as it only
involved product oriented approach which is not effective in unleashing the creativity level of
students. The following are the ways in which I am gonna teach my students are:
 I will adopt interactive learning style with students in order to make them good and
efficient writers by practising individualised instruction to each of the students which will
help them to focus more on building their skills and knowledge in writing process.
 I will give certain tasks in my class in order to foster them in building necessary writing
skills by doing interactive and structured approach for learning.
 I will undertake natural process for teaching writing process by doing an activity based
learning in the class which can help them in knowing their own capabilities effectively.
 I will try to make a learning atmosphere in the class which can help the students to grab
the process of writing in the fastest and most efficient manner.
 I will allow the students to choose their own topic of writing process that will allow them
to improve their writing skills.
 I will try to take certain strategies and procedures that will push the students to face more
and more challenging tasks in writing process.

 I will allow the students to take more active role in the task assigned and I will introduce
challenging new material that will increase their skills and knowledge about writing in
an effective manner.
 I will try to encourage students to provide solution of their own problems in order to
enhance their critical thinking skills.
 I will help students to rephrase difficult sentences and motivate the parents also to help
them which can enhance their focus and enhance their confidence in doing correct
writing.