The Writing Process Approach
Features of word processing are particularly well suited to what is often called the writing process approach, which encompasses the stages of planning, drafting, editing/revising, and publishing (Graves, 1983; Pritchard & Honeycutt, 2006). Process models are constructivist in orientation, and the components in the composing process emphasize that the writer’s tasks are to create and communicate meaning. The development of composition skills within this orientation often involves collaboration, and writers frequently receive help and feedback from classmates and their teacher during all of the stages. Students are expected to revise, and they learn to critique their own work and the work of others. The publication step implies that student compositions are authentic products prepared to entertain or inform a real audience. The process approach is often described as operating within a writing community in which students write, rewrite, read what others have written, and discuss the activities of writing (Montague, 1990).
Word processing fits with the writing process approach in a number of ways. The most obvious application is editing/revising. The recursive nature of process writing—that is, the expectation that ideas will be generated, written, considered, and rewritten several times—is ideally implemented within a system that allows written products to be saved, retrieved, and modified efficiently. Research (Goldberg, Bebell, O'Dwyer, Russell & Seeley, 2003; Russell & Seeley, 2004) has demonstrated a positive relationship between the frequent use of computers in editing written work and the improved development of writing proficiency. Perhaps these findings demonstrate the cumulative impact of revision on the learning of writing skills. Specific strategies for process writing encourage writers to do things like put what they have written aside for a day and then reread and revise it the next day; exchange papers with a writing partner and request ideas for improvement; or discuss what they have written and what they are trying to say with a teacher, to generate some new ideas for improving their papers. Having the opportunity to interact directly with a reader can be demonstrated to improve the revision process for less experienced writers (Boscolo & Ascorti, 2004). This is not exactly the same as asking a classmate to offer editorial advice. In this case, it is more about determining if the reader understands what you are trying to say. So, technology can benefit the revision process in several ways. It can improve the efficiency of revision increasing the likelihood revision will be perceived more positively. It can also provide a way for others to collaborate as editors or what might be described as “sample” readers. Our description of writing with Google Docs identifies the opportunities for collaboration and interaction that are built into this online writing tool.
Word processing can also contribute to the other writing process stages. For example, a variety of word processing activities can contribute to the planning phase. Students can develop an initial structure using the outlining tool available in many word processing programs or a tool designed specifically to encourage the exploration and organization of ideas (see “Focus: Using Inspiration to Brainstorm”). Pon (1988) proposes a variety of brainstorming techniques that take advantage of technology. The teacher can request story ideas from students and record them in a single file. This list of ideas can be printed and distributed to all students. The teacher can also generate a list of key questions that might help a student come up with ideas for a project. For a paper on friendship, students might be asked to list five qualities of a good friend, briefly describe their good friends (without providing names) and why they like them, and describe how they try to be a friend to others. These tasks could be saved in a file for each student, and each student could be asked to respond individually to the questions. Responses could be discussed in class before students go on to write about friendship.
The publishing stage is important if classroom tasks are to be perceived as authentic. Younger children need to see their work displayed on the bulletin board or in the halls. They see their stories as even more meaningful when they are compiled into a classroom book that students take home and read to parents. Older students can publish their work in school papers or occasionally send it to local newspapers. Students’ informative writing or opinion papers can become required reading in subsequent classes covering similar topics.
The Internet is also becoming a way for students to present their work. Material written to be communicated to peers through telecommunications has been found to be better organized, mechanically more correct, and more informative than papers on identical topics written to be graded by the teacher (Cohen & Riel, 1989). Having a peer audience seems to be more motivating than the red marks, gold stars, or grade the teacher might attach to the paper.