The Oral Discourse Based Method of Composition Writing

There is today a growing interest in the teaching of composition writing. Current methodology has attempted to bring it into line with the various developments in the teaching of oral skills. That is why for some years, linguists have written textbooks designed to teach composition writing. The problem of how to make the pupils write better is a felt need of teachers. Such is the important and challenging task that an English teacher has to undertake. An English teacher should take into facts that speech habits which the teacher transmits to his/her pupils constitute a communication instrument of a very important role in the fields of international relations, science, commerce, and the humanities. The teacher should also bear in mind that as the English language is a set of habits, they are acquired slowly and through constant repetition. This slow acquisition of the English language is necessary because it is not simply true that anyone who speaks English are able to teach it since English teaching is both an art and science and its method of teaching must be based on a correct theoretical foundation that may only be perfected through a great deal of patience (Wright 1975).

Teachers of English writing should not assume that composition writing cannot be taught simply just because very few Shakespeare, Edgar Allan Poe and Charles Dickens emerge from English classrooms. Instead, English writing teachers should strive to produce students who can express either orally or in writing, their ideas and emotions in an honest and understandable fashion.

In order for English writing teachers to teach composition writing effectively, they should have a real understanding and sensitized awareness of their pupils, comprehend his/her pupils' needs and interests, and to know the world of the pupils. Moreover, the teacher should also be imaginative, creative, matured and have a real appreciation of the varied cultural and linguistic background of the pupils. Further more, teachers that handle English writing classes should be resourceful and should have varied techniques in teaching so as to arouse and maintain the interest and enthusiasm of his/her pupils which will eventually lead to a more effective and happier composition writing.

Composition writing is probably one of the most difficult subject in the curriculum to teach, whether in the grade school or in the higher levels of education. For one thing, most pupils face composition class with mixed feelings of anxiety since they may not know what to write about or how to begin their writing. Often, pupils would say that they are not capable of expressing themselves in written form. Likewise, composition class may also cause anxiety for the teacher, especially if the teacher is faced with a lack of texts and means of reproducing appropriate models.

Yet, pupils are capable of creating short compositions even at the beginning level. It is the great responsibility of English writing teachers to help these pupils realize their potential with this skill. The success of an English composition writing class would depend so much on the teacher, and since every teacher is different, every class is going to be a little bit different as well. Teachers are therefore the single most important factor in the instructional process since it is the teacher who creates a desirable classroom climate, plans a variety of learning activities, uses effectively the instructional materials, and identifies the needs and aspirations of students in order to have an effective learning taking place.

English composition writing teachers should consider that the methods of teaching composition are conditioned by the classroom factors and the teacher-student-variables which are determined by the goals for teaching composition. First, the student should develop a positive attitude and motivation for expressing the thoughts and perception in oral and written language; second, the student should produce a composition which is clear, direct, economical and sincere; and third, the student should be able to write clearly and logically about variety of concepts and emotions relevant to the student in a variety of ways (Mary Due Loeppel 1979).

Teachers of English writing have varied techniques or models that they follow in order for them to teach their pupils to become effective writers. These techniques may be traditional or contemporary. This paper aims to give an overview of two methods that are being used by teachers of English writing classes as well as give some of the advantages of using either method.

The Write-Correct-Rewrite Method

The traditional method used in English composition writing is the write-correct-rewrite method which is still used by a number of English writing teachers of today. In this teaching model, the teacher ordinarily either assigns or suggests a topic which the pupils are to write about. The pupils would then write a rough draft which the teacher would correct. The manner of checking the rough drafts varies from teacher to teacher as some teachers still simply mark the pupils' works with the symbols for correction while others make an outright correction on the draft. As soon as these rough drafts are checked, they are returned to the pupils so that it can be rewritten and resubmitted to the teachers for final grading. The problem with this kind of model for teaching English writing is that some of the topics that are suggested or assigned to the students may be topics that are unfamiliar or even foreign to the pupils. An alternative model of teaching writing should then be implemented.

The Oral Discourse Based Method

Another method of teaching English composition is through the use of the Oral Discourse Based Method. This method of class composition writing emphasizes on the relationships among the stimulus, the problem, the oral discussion and the final written composition (Golub 1970). It is a teaching model that can take place at any grade level that is involved in English writing. Using this method of teaching composition writing follows a schematic that would involve four major box flows namely:

A. The Stimulus

The stimulus maybe composed of living experience, picture, student narrative, literature, current news, or an actual object. The stimulus is the most urgent need of the students for any written or oral composition. It serves mainly to activate the flow of the discourse at the grade school or at higher levels of education. In higher educational levels such as high school or in college, the stimulus may become more sophisticated and serves as the presentation and organization of concepts, as well as the vehicle for the development of new expanded concepts and values.

B. The Problem

A problem must accompany each stimulus to generate creative and critical thinking among the pupils. In the grade school level, the teacher should give guide questions which are sequenced in such a way that the answer will produce and organized paragraph. Furthermore, the teacher usually suggests on the focal point for pupils' thoughts and presentations, and the composition and language skills to be emphasized based on the language structure that has been taught in class.

C. Oral Discussion

This is a consultative and deliberate register which is not found in the traditional composition method. This step clarifies possible connection between the stimulus and the problem, and the oral language activity.

In this method, two types of oral discussion may be used. The first type is the correspondence between the stimulus and the language problem which calls for a vocabulary pertaining to the senses, sights, smell, size, taste, touch and feel. The second kind of discussion concerns some deliberate language skills. It includes some motions of dialect, vocabulary pertinent to the culture of poverty, tone of expression, rhetorical effect of subordination and coordination.

Discussions may occur as a class dialoguing with the teacher or by small groups which discuss within themselves the stimulus and the problem presented by the teacher. Different small groups in the classroom may be given different stimulus and problems to have a diversity in produced compositions after the writing class.

D. Written Discussion

The written discussion is the step where the initial flow of ideas might occur that would result to the first draft of the composition, an outline, or simply some random notes or ideas on the subject. It is also a deliberate list which provides for the student's initial attempt to write after the stimulus, the problem, and the oral discussion has been presented. At this part of the model, the teacher and the pupils become concerned with the mechanics of writing and the organization of ideas and the content of the composition.

Advantages and Disadvantages of the Oral Discourse Based Method

In the Write-Correct-Rewrite Method of composition writing, the teachers simply evaluate the submitted compositions of the pupils. In the Oral Discourse Based Method on the other hand, the teachers do not only evaluate the written compositions, they also aid and direct the pupils and try at the same time to improve the writing skills of the pupils.

The pupil in the Oral Discourse Based Method of composition writing is more involved in a responsible way with the performance of his/her classmates or peers during the discourse period as it solicits responses from the pupils regarding the stimulus and the problem presented by the teacher. This model of teaching composition would also force the teachers to look at the study of language as both an oral and a written activity as composition writing would follow a discussion first, write later approach. This method further enhances among the pupils the values of cooperation or teamwork, respect for one's ideas and suggestions as well as appreciation for the contributions that each pupil put in during the discussion period.

When pupils discuss among themselves the stimulus and the problems that the teacher presented in class for them to eventually write about, the pupils will become more familiar with the topic that he/she is to write about. A majority of teachers would agree that pupils will be able to write better on a subject that they are or they have become familiar with. It is known that familiarity with a subject will be rooted in the pupil's experience and that learning to be effective must be rooted in the learner's experience and that through this, the learner will have an abundance of experiences, thoughts, and finally, words that he/she can utilize into writing, with the help from his/her teachers (Peck and Buckingham 1976).

With the stimulus approach in this method of composition writing, pupils would be able to use their senses and or tap their previous experiences if the stimulus is relevant to the pupils daily lives. The method would make sure that students would become familiar with the stimulus and the problem that they are going to write about since they will be discussed in class first. A study conducted by Slager in 1975 involving beginning writers, asserts that pupils must first have a subject that they can write about and which is common to them so that they can begin with a repertory of relevant words and sentences.

One critical aspect of this type of English writing method is that this model would require a lot of time and space for group work, extra time for assigning groups and close supervision from the teacher to make sure that the discussions are on track and would not be diverted to other topics. The teacher in this method of teaching writing should be alert regarding pupil's behavior during group works. Most of all, this model requires careful preparations on the teacher to make sure that the teacher's choice of stimulus, problems and guide questions for oral and written discussions would be familiar, comprehensible and relevant to the pupils that he/she is teaching.

Summary

This paper gave an overview on the difficulty that is experienced in English composition writing by both teachers and students. This paper also gave an overview on two methods of composition writing that is being implemented by different teachers.

In general, pupils when faced with a writing assignment might have feelings of anxiety due to lack of knowledge or unfamiliarity of the topic to be written about. This is why, even without the necessary studies that would back up this claim, the oral discourse based method of composition writing would be more effective in teaching English writing to students because the mere discussion of the topics presented would give the students a common knowledge and familiarization on the topic and this will lead them to write a more effective composition.

REFERENCES CITED:

Wright, Audrey L. "Initial Techniques in Teaching English as a Second Language". English Teaching Forum, Volume 13, Nos. 3 & 4, 1975.

Mary Due Loeppel. "Making English Composition Practical for the Students". English Teaching Forum, Vol. 13 Nos. 1 - 2, 1975.

Golub, Lester S. "A Model for Teaching Composition". The Journal of Educational Research, vol. 64, November 1970.

Peck, William C. & Buckingham, Thomas. "Writing From Experience: A Composition Program for Intermediate Students". English Teaching Forum, Vol. 14, No. 2. April 1976

Slager, William. "Classroom Techniques for Controlling Composition". English Teaching Forum. Vol 13, Nos. 3-4 1975.