The teaching approach focusing on genre is another interesting point besides lexical approach. Additionally, comparing with the two approaches we've learned so far, I shall say that lexical approach is more suitable for teaching English speaking,while the genre, English writing. Bhatia.V.K(1993) made a survey about genre , most participant teachers revealed that genre is limited in teaching writing course. However, whether speaking or writing, both belong to or involve in communication. If students "are to feel encouraged and motivated, real meaning and communication must be part of classroom activity, even at low levels of linguistic ability. Nothing is more motivating than real communication." (Lewis, M. (2002) :P39)
According to Bhatia V.K(1993), the development of applied discourse analysis has gone through at least 4 levels of linguistic description, which are register analysis, grammatical-rhetorical analysis, interactional analysis and finally genre analysis, from surface to deep level. What discourse analysis needs is a modle rich in socio-cultural, institutional and organizational explanation. Genre analysis is just such a modle. What we were presented in class, like those genres concerning "good(bad) news letters and academic research papers, is really practical in socio-cultural contexts. Following creative genre teaching, students will feel at ease to accomplish what they are required.
This reminds me of two parts of my teaching scheme in China: Text-structure analysis and Writing. Students are required to write an article following the same structure. One of the most impressive patterns is the "Problem-Solution-Evaluation" pattern. The topics are in a wide range: environmental protection, traffic jam, internet, and so forth. With clear presentation and instruction of certain structure, students are usually very productive and high-efficient, but without much diversity of course. It is a kind of genre teaching.
Apparently, teaching with genre is very practical and gives students a road map to know where to go and how to go there. Therefore, nowadays many test takers just memorize so-called "universal writing modle" to prepare for the writing part of each exam, including TOEFL and IELTS. But at the same time, another interesting concerning it is that because of too many identical formats in all kinds of tests, examiners get bored and may give a low mark to a seemingly perfect "modle-follow" article. Is it really the case? I'm not sure but I really wanna know.
References:
Bhatia V.K.(1993) Analysing Genre: Language Use in Professional Settings. Longman Group UK Limited
Lewis M. (2002) The Lexical Approach: the state of ELT and a way forward. Australia. : Thomson Heinle
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As you know, the first goal of every second language learners is to be able to use the language which they've learnt to communicate. So Totally agree with Lewis "Nothing is more motivating than real communication".
ReplyDeleteChanjuan's comment about text structue analysis in which she stated "One of the most impressive patterns is the "Problem-Solution-Evaluation" pattern" reminded me to look back on the distinction between Generic structure and Text Structure. It reminded me that I hadn't real nailed down my own understanding of the distinction between the two. So, I went back to have a look again at Paltridge's (2001), Chapter 4 Genre and Discourse in Genre and the Language Learning Classroom.
ReplyDeleteIn drawing an important distinction between the two, which I hadn't previously been clear about, he describes it this way: "The term generic structure is used in Australian genre work to refer to genre-specific discourse structures, such as the discourse structure of a lecture, service encounter, business letter, academic essay, or recipe. This term is often used interchangeably with the term schematic structure. The term text type describes patterns of discourse organization that occur across different genres, such as description, narrative, instruction, explanation, definition, exemplication, classifiction, copare and contrase, cause and effect, discussion, argument, and problem-solution texts. IN some of the Australian genre literature, some of these text types are called genres" (p.63).
So, technically, if I've understood the distinction correctly, the problem-solution-evaluation essay describes a text type that falls within the generic sructural pattern of a "student essay", as Paltridge graphically illustates in the same chapter (p.72).
Indeed, I have seen the genre of "discursive writing" (including a type of "student essay" known as the "discursive writing") in a writing coursebook by Virginia Evans (2000, which I've used often. The book sub-divides the discursive essay genre into text types such as problem/solution essay, for and against essay, opinion essay, and letters to the editor.
However, taking what Paltridge has said about the way that the Aussies look at Genre, it seems that the distinction is not so clearly delineated. It appears that what some people describe as text types, the Australians call genre (there must be a Kiwi/Aussie joke in this somewhere!).
Anyway, thanks Chanjuan for providing the post which reminded me that I needed to go back and review what had not been entirely clear to me before.
Mike
Evans, V. (2000). Successful Writing - Intermediate. Berkshire: Express Publishing.
Paltridge, B. (2001). Genre and the Language Learning Classroom. Ann Arbor: Michigan University Press.