How writing can help you learn your target language?
Writing is the least favorite activity because it’s a silent activity that requires you to think harder than usual. It is often associated with formal style, you know, fancy words, smart arguments, important topics, logical connections, etc. It’s hard. You need a lot of time to produce something meaningful. At school though, you get only 50 minutes to do it. I’m not surprised students don’t like writing. Every time they submit a text, they say: “I don’t know, it sounds stupid to me” or “I don’t think it makes much sense.” I get it. They say that to not come off as “stupid” because they couldn’t write anything meaningful.
Where’s the problem then?
1. Teachers rarely state the reasons for writing
Tip #1 I hate doing things if I don’t know why I’m doing them in the first place. Students believe that they do all the school assignments because, you know, that’s just school. Why not show them how they can apply skills learned while doing those dull school assignments in real life. Why not tell them that they’re writing this particular essay because they’ll need that skill as an adult and different types of essays will help them make better life choices. Let me show you what I mean:
You’re stating your opinion;
You talk about the strong and weak points of the thing you’re reviewing;
You’re introducing the thing to your audience.
In real life, someone asks you (your boss): “What do you think about this deal? Will we benefit from it?” What your boss really asks you is: “Can you review this for me?” At work, you can do it a form of a PowerPoint presentation or just casual talk. Useful? Extremely!
You give some arguments for and against (why this thing is bad and why it is good);
In real life, such a skill might come in handy when you have some doubts about something. An issue you’re dealing with is controversial, but you need to make a decision anyway. Let's say that your company has been presented with an opportunity to make a lot of money, but the stakes are high. You need to consider it carefully. What do you do? You come up with a “for and against essay” kind of thing. First, you do a bit of research about the topic (introduction), then you look for people’s opinions, good opinions (arguments for), and bad opinions (arguments against). Finally, based on those opinions, you try to make the best decision possible. Useful? YES!
You focus on the thing that you want to compare;
You want to buy a new car, or your friend asks you to help them decide which car they should buy. What do you do? You compare two cars. In real life, you don’t start off with an introduction (especially when you talk with friends), you go straight into the body part of an essay. The core part of an essay that contains the most valuable information. You choose features (of the cars you consider buying) that interest you the most and you compare them.
Tip #2 Writing such essays will help you express yourself more logically, whether it’s at work or among friends. To master it, you need to practice as much as you can. School is the time when you can do it without worrying about the grave and dire consequences. At school, you get second chances, in life rarely, if ever.
Target language + writing = success
This rant is getting long, but bear with me!
When you study on your own, you don’t have to worry about all the things you worry about at school. You’re writing for yourself, so your essays can be messy. You can make mistakes and spend days on producing a piece of writing. The goal here is to practice expressing yourself. Writing gives you time to come up with ideas, words, phrases, and grammatical contractions. It’s just you and the sheet of paper. No one is going to judge you or grade you. It’s stress-free and you can write whatever you want.
Tip #3 Remember that essays follow particular structures for a reason. The commonly accepted structures help you sound less chaotic and more organized.
Tip #4 When you’re told to write something, don’t think: “I’ll never need it anyway, why bother at all.” Instead, think: “Hey, this will help me present my viewpoints when someone asks me to compare two things or state my opinion on a controversial matter.”
Tip #5 The way you think affects your performance and attitude. Find reasons and keep them in mind while writing.
So yeah, writing might be boring, but it is extremely helpful. I wish schools had a rule where teachers must draw analogies between school assignments and real life.
