The product approach to writing is a traditional method that emphasizes the final written product.
In this approach, students analyze and emulate model texts to produce their own work, focusing on structure, language accuracy, and adherence to genre conventions.
Product Approach to Writing Process
A typical product writing lesson involves several stages:
- Model Text Analysis: Students read and examine model texts to identify key features of the genre, such as organization, language use, and stylistic elements.
- Controlled Practice: Students practice specific language structures or features identified in the model text, often through exercises like gap-fills or sentence transformations, to build confidence in using them.
- Organization of Ideas: Emphasis is placed on organizing ideas coherently, as the arrangement of content is considered as important as the content itself. Students may work collaboratively to generate and organize ideas before writing.
- Writing the Final Product: Students apply what they’ve learned to produce their own text, closely following the conventions and structures of the model text.
Frameworks: Product vs Process Approach
These are some of the strengths of the products approach to writing
- It is easy to use with large classes.
- It is really useful when teaching beginners.
- It is easier to grade because this approach mainly focuses on form.
- Difficulties and errors are usually minimized since this is based on imitation.
- Students know what the end results look like.
These are some of the weaknesses of the framework
- This approach doesn’t teach students to write independently.
- It discourages creativity since this approach relies heavily on the imitation of model text.
- It devalues the learner’s linguistic and personal potential.
