A Project-based Focused Freewriting Approach to Teach Writing

Abstract

Student-center approach has prevailed in educational sector in the new era, as more and more educators emphasize the
importance of students’ voice and their engagement in classroom in facilitating learning achievement. One of the most popular
approaches that advocate the student-center theory is the project-based approach, which has been applied in various disciplines
including language teaching. Although various researches have analyzed PBL in foreign language classes, fewer are concentrated
on writing course, as writing is normally deemed as a personal task and confined to personal expression, whereas project-based
approach incorporates more people to collaborate in learning. According to Geoff Scott (2005), “learners will need to be immersed
in learning situations that engage them in action, that are authentic, reflective and collaborative” . Therefore it can be fruitful to
teach English writing in a project context. Free writing is a prevailing approach in teaching writing, as indicated and proved in
many studies. This article will review literature on project-based approach and free-writing approach to synthesize a new approach
which can assist teachers in teaching writing.