How to Help Your Learner

Before writing

• Make writing activities relevant, meaningful and connected to your learner’s goals.
• Explain the reason for each writing activity.
• Establish a purpose for writing – your learner needs to see the purpose of writing to make it enjoyable.
• Develop a language-rich environment by integrating reading, writing, speaking and listening.
• Your learner needs to begin with what she knows and cares about and use words familiar to her.
• Help your learner decide who the audience is for the particular piece of writing.
• Writing follows a process – it takes time and effort to write a good piece. First, help your learner to get ideas on paper and then help her learn to improve them.

During writing/editing

• Allow your learner to make mistakes – don’t correct everything.
• Don’t just focus on the mechanics of writing but allow time to practise forming ideas.
• The message is more important than the mechanics.
• Allow your learner to use temporary or invented spelling. This helps your learner to get the words down on paper without getting bogged down in spelling.
• Review spelling errors later, as part of the editing process.
• Teach proofreading and monitoring strategies.
• Show your learner how and when to use tools such as dictionaries and spell checkers.
• Develop a personal dictionary that is relevant to your learner.

To maintain writing

• Make sure you and your learner write during each lesson.
• Encourage your learner to keep a journal.
• Create a positive and supportive environment that promotes risk taking.
• Use your learner’s writing to teach writing.

Handout 7.1