A letter to the teachers of English: 63Develop writing skills of your learners (2) [Archives:2004/784/Education]

Dr. M.N.K.Bose ([email protected])
Associate Professor of English,
Faculty of Arts, Ibb.
Dear Fellow teachers,
In the last letter, I said that the traditional thinking in ELT has been to teach the language skills one after another and writing skills are the last one to develop in the learners. But this sequencing of skills in classroom teaching has been challenged by many practitioners. According to them, such sequencing contradicts with the natural learning process; no one learns any language in a watertight compartment fashion, nor does anyone use the language in such a fashion. We listen and speak or speak and write or read and write at the same time, according to our needs. It is our needs that decide which skill or skills we use at a particular time.
Taking the needs of our learners into account has gained currency these days while planning our teaching of English. Integrating the necessary skills instead of compartmentalizing them is the recommended classroom technique, about which I have written in my earlier letters. So, writing need not be postponed in English classes and enough attention should be paid to the development of writing from the first preparatory class itself in Yemeni schools.
While developing writing, both the aspects of writing – cognitive as well as motor aspect – should be paid attention to from the beginning. However, motor skills are preparatory and so should get precedence over the other. This involves activities such as practicing the correct shape and size of each letter of the alphabet, joining each letter with the other in the right way. Activities found in the Workbook meant for the first preparatory class (look at units 2 (p.10), 3 (p.13), 4 (28, 31), for example) are second stage activities. There are two handwriting books, as a part of the CECY course materials at the preparatory level, which are used for teaching the basics of handwriting to develop the motor skills.
But, unfortunately, these handwriting books are not available in many schools and so learners are not given practice in the basics of handwriting; when they are introduced to writing words and phrases in units 2, 3 and 4, they find it difficult and in most cases, the handwriting is not properly learnt. Teaching the basics of handwriting is very important for our learners in Yemeni schools for the following two reasons: one, English, unlike Arabic, is written from left to right, and two, most of the letters in English like a, c, d, e, h, i, k, l, m, n are joined with the following letters on the right, which is a problem for the Arabic learners, who are used to joining the letters on the left. One can observe the problem the learners face while writing these letters in English; some of them learn to write letters like e, v, w, u in the wrong way and this affects their speed in writing in higher classes. This can be avoided, if the basics of writing are taught properly in the beginning classes. There isn't much help available to the teachers of English in Yemeni schools, even if they are interested in helping their learners.
In the next few letters, this is what I am planning to concentrate on – how to teach the beginners the basics of handwriting such as the correct shape and size of each letter of the English alphabet, how to join each letter with the following letter while writing a word etc. I am sure, you will find them useful.

Yours fraternally,
Dr.M.N.K.Bose.
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