English Language Teaching in its Social Context

~ (1990)~ (198GENRE-BASED APPROACHES TO WRITING 207It can be observed that the learners have drawn upon the model provided by the teacherto structure the text appropriately in terms of layout and overall presentation. In additionthey have used appropriate schematic staging, with the heading and statement of generalpurpose coming as an introduction, followed by accounts of previous experience,qualifications and personal details.They have also written a suitable conclusion which refersto the reference and includes a contact number.Although these learners are at the beginning stage in their second-languagedevelopment, they have been able to produce a fairly effective text approximating the genre,‘letter of job application’. I believe that this was made possible because the approach takenhere, based on systemic linguistics and the notions of genre and register, provides an explicitaccount of the schematic structure, organisation and language features of the genre uponwhich they were focusing.Even at early stages in second-language learning, learners can, and must, be assisted tobegin the process of acquiring and extending skills in reading and writing. As there is noreason to suppose that written language acquisition in a second language cannot bedevelopmental in the samc way that spoken language acquisition is generally agreed to be,it is vital that in a technologically oriented and highly literate society, adult learners aregiven instruction in written language as early as possible and in a principled way. A genrebasedapproach provides them with learning activities presented within a social contextualframework, which encourage them to focus on language and which assist them to becomemore independent and analytical learners.NoteI am grateful to the other participants in the NCELTR Literacy Project and in particular toJenny Hammond and Eileen Lustig for their advice and contributions to the writing of thispaper.ReferencesBrindley, G. (1979) The Assessment of Speaking Projciency Through the Oral Interview. Sydney:AMES.Callaghan, M. and Rothery, J. (1988) Teaching Factua1Writing:A Genre Based Approach. Report ofthe DSP Literacy Project, Metropolitan East Region. Sydney: NSW School EducationDepartment.Cope, W. (1989) A historical background to current curriculum changes and the shft to genre.Presentation at the First LERN Conference, Sydney.Halliday, M.A.K. (1985) An Introduction to Functional Grammar. London: Edward Arnold.Halliday, M.A.K. and Hasan, R. (1985) Language, context and text: Aspects oflanguage in a socialsemiotic perspective. Geelong, Victoria: Deakin University Press.Hammond, J. (1989) ‘The NCELTR Literacy Project.’ Prospect 5, 1: 23-30.Collaborating in Literacy Teaching and Research. Paper presented at 26th AnnualTESOL Convention, San Francisco.Martin, J.R. (1985) Factual Writjng: Exploring and Challenging Social Reality. Geelong, Victoria:Deakin University Press.Martin, J.R. and Rothery, J. (1980) Writing Project, Report No. 1, Working Papers in Linguistics No.1. University of Sydney: Department of Linguistics.1) Writing Project, Report No. 2,Working Papers in Linguistics No. 2. University of Sydney:Department of Linguistics.