First, writing in ELT classroom ( also as homework) is often seen as a means to consolidate language that is recently studied. Very often the students write from someone else’ s ideas. This kind of writing is seen as “writing as language learning” . Very often, given a topic, the students make up things to write about because their personal experiences cannot contribute to the given topic. We can say this is pseudo writing. Whilst in reality, most writing is for communication, that is, to convey messages or for self creation, such as poems which reflect the students’ inner thoughts or feelings. Second, in the ELT classroom, especially in traditional pedagogy, writing often goes this way: the teacher gives a topic or a selection of topics, a set of requirements, and a time limit. The students finish the task within the time limit and hand in the final product. The students’ work is evaluated based on the accuracy of the final product. The process which the students go through while doing the writing task is virtually ignored; that is, the teacher turns a blind eye to how the students produce the product. In reality, we may have some ideas long before we put them on paper. And we often plan, draft, and rewrite.

Current methodology does recognise the place of written exercises as a means to consolidate language already studied. However, it also acknowledges that mechanical writing activities do not by themselves motivate students. To motivate students, it is necessary to engage them in some act of communication. This means either writing for a specific recipient, e. g. writing a letter to a friend or parent, or engaging in an act of creative writing where their work is intended to be read by other people, in other words, an intended audience. In short, students can be motivated by authentic writing tasks that have some communicative elements.

A typical type of writing tasks in traditional English textbooks are like this: write a composition with one of the following titles: A Day on the Farm; A Day in the Factory. Some students may have never been to a farm or a factory. When forced to write about one of these two topics, they have to invent or imagine what they have seen or done on the farm or in the factory. Furthermore, even if they have been to the farm or factory, what is the audience of the writing? Are the students supposed to write the composition as a tour report, a journal, a letter to a pen pal, or simply a piece of writing to review simple past tense? With different audiences and different purposes, the writing piece could vary greatly.

It should be noted, however, that at the stage of language learning ( contrast to language use in real life) , not everything can be purely communicative; that is, the learners do many activities while keeping an eye on certain language elements. So some writing activities can be between ‘ writing for learning’ and ‘ writing for communication’.

Therefore, there are some principles which can help motivate students. ①Make the topic of writing as close as possible to students’ life. ②Leave students enough room for creativity and imagination. ③Prepare students well before writing. ④Encourage collaborative group writing as well as individual writing. ⑤Provide opportunities for students to share their writings. ⑥Provide constructive and positive feedback. ⑦Treat students’ errors strategically. ⑧Give students a sense of achievement from time to time.

Motivation is very important in language learning. No matter what methods teachers use, motivating students is always very important in teaching writing. So teachers should be aware of this key issue and try their best to motivate students to write. 

本题考查写作教学。考生可从传统写作法以及交际写作法入手，阐述其定义以及二者关系，最后分析两种写作法对写作教学的启示。