Posted by Kaleigh Bangor on Monday, October 28, 2013 in Reflections.

Our daily lives are filled with moments when writing is the required mode communication. From work-related emails to short essays for a seminar, the ability to write in a foreign language is just as crucial for the L2 learner, if not more so. At first glance, writing in a foreign language demands that the learner create his or her own language, rather than manipulate and interpret given information. Written tasks for the beginner L2 learner might therefore seem quite daunting. However, a combination of activities that emphasize both “writing to learn” and “learning to write” can complement each other in such a way as to assist the student in the complex process that is writing.

Writing as a support skill focuses on using written mediums to review and practice certain sub-skills. Such narrative and descriptive skills especially help to engrain newly learned lexica and concretize numerous grammar points in different contexts, which can also lead to successful self-generated pre-writing work. Devising various activities that involve written components are, therefore, not only helpful in their own right, but also provide a plethora of material from which students can draw on during the pre-writing stages. When moving on to an activity where writing is the main skill, the L2 learner should be able to produce the base or initial content in preparation for critical, persuasive, or expository writing tasks.

Writing as a main skill can build from writing as a support skill. Once the student has the come in contact with the language regarding a certain topic, they can begin to compose, think and apply their writing skills traditionally used in their native language. Furthermore, the writing techniques already acquired can help a student own the foreign language. In this regard, activities such as creative writing and computer-mediated prompts help to lower student’s anxiety while simultaneously reflecting authentic, real-life communication. Providing instruction centered on the recursive writing process and stressing the overarching goal of “learning to write” can impact not only the fluency in the target language, but also enhances the awareness of the students’ overall writing competency, whether it is a strength or a weakness. Learning to write is not exclusive to L2 and is an essential skill for all students to continuously develop. Therefore, the foreign language classroom provides a new lens to stress the importance of these communicative skills and in the process promotes the motivation and competency of the foreign language itself.