Title: Creative writing in ELT: Helping students find their voice
Abstract: Writing is often something that students seem to struggle with and something they are keen to improve. There are many students who can hold a confident conversation but will struggle to write a paragraph. In particular, students who are studying in English-speaking countries, who might have jobs and English-speaking friends and need to communicate regularly in English, often have a higher level of speaking, listening and even reading, than writing. However, if the point comes where they want to study, take an exam or move up the work ladder, then the weaknesses in their writing will quickly be exposed. Obviously, there are many aspects of writing that teachers need to focus on: the finer points of grammar, how to structure sentences and paragraphs, even basic spelling - but using creative writing can add an extra dimension to writing. By allowing students to explore the writing process in a more creative way, we can give them confidence in their own writing and also encourage them to enjoy the process. Some may argue that creative writing isn't something that students will need to do in 'real life', but we need to think about how many of the tasks that we give students are used in real life and how many are just tools to develop skills that they will need. Students want to be able to write emails, tweets, Facebook updates, blog entries and text messages, as well as essays, reports and application forms. All of these will be easier if students are comfortable with formulating ideas and getting them on to paper in a way that is interesting and others want to read.
Publication Year: 2014
Publication Date: 2014-01-01
Language: en
Type: article
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Cited By Count: 1
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