Literacy Approach or Balanced Approach

in Genre Based Approach (GBA)

What is Balanced Literacy?
It is a comprehensive program of language arts acquisition. It contains all of the components
necessary for students to master written and oral communication. In a balanced approach to
literacy instruction, teachers integrate instruction with authentic reading and writing and
experiences so that students learn how to use literacy strategies and skills and have opportunities
to apply what they are learning.
The Components of Balanced Literacy
Shared Writing

Read-Aloud

The teacher composes a variety of texts with

her students. She often models her thinking
as she writes. The students participate by
listening to the teachers thought process and
then trying some strategies in order to help
compose the text. The teacher writes the text,
therefore taking away the visual sources of
information, so that students can focus on
using meaning and structure as they compose
meaning into the text that is being written.

The teacher reads aloud various types of text.

He often models his thinking aloud as he
reads. The students participate by listening to
the text and the teachers thinking strategies,
and then trying some of them out by talking
with partners. The teacher reads the text,
therefore taking away the visual sources of
information, so that students can focus on
meaning and structure.

Shared Writing and Read-Aloud both focus on building up students' independence in the meaning
and structure sources of information.

Interactive Writing

Shared Reading

The teacher composes an enlarged text with the

The teacher reads an enlarged text aloud.
students. The students participate by writing
The students participate by reading along,
parts of the text. The teacher writes what is too
using strategies when they encounter
easy or too difficult for the students. The teacher
difficulty. The teacher builds the meaning
builds the meaning and the structure up, so that
and structure up, so that students can bring
students can bring in the visual sources of
in the visual sources of information as they
information as they compose meaning into a
compose meaning from a text.
text.
Interactive Writing and Shared Reading both focus on building up students' independence in
the visual sources of information.
Writing Workshop

Reading Workshop

Minilesson

Minilesson

Work time

Work time

Students are working independently or in

partnerships.

Students are working independently or in

partnerships.

Teachers are working one on one, and with

small groups, teaching them strategies that
will improve the quality of their writing.

Teachers are working one on one, and with

small groups, teaching them strategies that
will improve the quality of their reading.

Share

Share

Both have the same structure.

In both, teachers work with individuals and small groups.

In both, students are expected to use meaning, structure, and visual sources of information
independently to compose meaning into and from texts.

1. Shared Writing: Highlighting meaning and structure sources of information.

In Shared Writing, the teacher composes a variety of texts with her students. This is different
from language experience in that the teacher is not simply acting as a scribe for her students, but is
jointly composing the text with her students. The goal of Shared Writing is to help students
develop composing strategies that will move them from using oral language to more literary
language.
The teacher models her thinking aloud as she writes, so that the students see an experienced
writers thought process. The students participate by listening to the teachers thought process.
Then, they often speak (either in partnerships or in whole-class discussions), trying out those same
strategies with the teachers assistance. The teacher acts as a scribe; therefore, she is doing the
visual (or graphophonic) work of writing so that students can focus on strengthening the ways in
they use meaning and structure as they speak. This work will certain improve the ways in which
the students use meaning and structure while writing independently.
Often when I describe Shared Writing in this manner, teachers look perplexed. Ive never
used Shared Writing as a place to teach the composing process, theyll say. Ive used it to model
spelling strategies. Ive used it to model how what we say can be written down. Ive used it to
model capitals, lowercase, periods, commas, but never to just teach students how to write in
detailed, structured ways.
In Shared Writing, the teachers job is to write the text for the students and scaffold what the
students say. The students job is to use both meaning and structure sources of information while
speaking to compose meaning.
2. Read-Aloud: Highlighting meaning and structure sources of information.
Just as Shared Writing develops students understanding of how to use meaning and
structure when they write, Read-Aloud strengthens students understanding of how to use meaning
and structure when they read. Because these two components are so similar, they will enhance or
improve one another. During Read-Aloud, the teacher reads aloud various types of texts. She often
models her thinking aloud as she reads. The students participate by listening to the text and the
teachers thinking strategies. They often talk about the book (either in partnerships or in wholeclass discussions), trying out the similar types of thinking that their teacher previously modeled.
The teacher reads the text; therefore, she is doing the visual (or graphophonic) work of reading.
The students can then focus on listening using meaning and structure to help them comprehend the
text. Next, lets take a look as Millie conducts a Read-Aloud with her first grade class.

The teachers job during Read-Aloud is to read the words of the text and extend what
students say. The students job is to listen and use talk to further their comprehension.
Shared Writing and Read-Aloud are similar because they both help develop students
understanding of how to use meaning and structure as they read and write.
Because they are similar they have the potential to enhance or improve one another. For
example, if Maria wanted to enhance the work that she did with putting like information together,
she might conduct a Read-Aloud asking students to listen to like information and try to
comprehend it. If Millie wanted to enhance the work that she did in her Read-Aloud, she might
conduct a Shared Writing session in which they would work together to compose a text that was
elaborated upon.

3. Interactive Writing: Highlighting visual sources of information.

Moira McKenzie, warden of the Inner London Education Authority, created an approach that
she called Shared Writing (now called Interactive Writing). McKenzie built on Holdaways work
in Shared Reading by providing a similar structure for writing with students. Typically in
Interactive Writing, the teacher composes an enlarged text with the students. The students
participate by writing parts of the text. The teacher and student share the pen. The teacher writes
what is too easy or too difficult for the students.
The teacher begins an Interactive Writing session by building up the students meaning and
structure; that is, she brainstorms (or simply tells the students) what theyre writing that day, so
that students can more easily bring in the visual (or graphophonic) sources of information as they
compose meaning into a text. At the end, the teacher and the students have produced a text that is
conventional (the spelling and punctuation are correct). Because students are writing parts of the
text, they will sometimes write something that is not conventional. Many of the teachers that I
work with use white masking tape to cover up the error. They then give the students a chance to
try again.
4. Shared Reading: Highlighting visual sources of information.
Just as Interactive Writing focuses on the visual sources of information, so does Shared
Reading. In Shared Reading, the teacher reads and rereads enlarged texts aloud. These texts could
be big books, poems, and/or rhymes. You should of course choose different texts, for different
reasons, but the text should be enlarged (just as in Interactive Writing) so that all students can
follow the print.
Different Shared Reading sessions are for different purposes. Early sessions, which Don
Holdaway calls discovery (1979, p. 71), feel more like Read-Aloud because most conversations
focus on what the text is about, therefore just like in Read-Aloud, the students are focusing on the
meaning and structure sources of information. What makes Shared Reading in this instance
different from Read-Aloud is that the text is enlarged and the teacher is running a pointer
underneath the words as she reads. The students (even in these early discovery sessions) might
notice that there is a one-to-one relationship between oral language and written language.
Later Shared Reading sessions, which Don Holdaway calls exploration (1979, p. 72), focus
on rereading these same texts. Because the meaning and structure have been built up, students can
more easily bring in the visual sources of information. The students now participate by reading
along, using meaning, structure, and visual strategies when they encounter difficulty. Any Shared
Reading session could have elements of discovery and exploration in itthat is, the teacher might

begin by reading a new text and focus on meaning and structure and then move on to an old
favorite where they bring in the visual sources of information.
Interactive Writing and Shared Reading are similar because both are working on the visual
sources of information. Because they are similar they can be used to enhance or improve one
another. For example, if Millie wanted to enhance the work that she did during Interactive
Writing, she might conduct a Shared Reading session in which she focuses on skills such as being
able to read a word quickly or looking at the ends of words to make sure they look right. If Shawn
wanted to enhance the work that she did in Shared Reading, she might conduct an Interactive
Writing session where she has the students say the word and listen for the first sound and then
record the corresponding letter.
5. Reading Workshop and Writing Workshop: Putting it all together.
In Reading and Writing Workshop students are using meaning, structure, and visual sources
of information all at once. When I practice yoga, Ive come to realize that the first three poses
(Half Moon, Awkward, and Eagle) are warm-ups for the Triangle Pose. Essentially, in Triangle
Pose your body takes everything it learned during Half Moon, Awkward, and Eagle and puts it
together into one pose. Reading and Writing Workshops have the same purpose in the components
of balanced literacy. Shared Writing, Read-Aloud, Interactive Writing, and Shared Reading are
essentially the warm-ups for Reading and Writing Workshop: In Reading and Writing Workshop
students must use what theyve learned in the other components and put it together. The teacher
gets a chance during Reading and Writing Workshop to assess what the students have learned in
the other components and where their confusions still lie.
Both Reading and Writing Workshop have the same structure. They begin with a short
minilesson during which you teach one new skill or strategy. (In writing, its a writing skill. In
reading, its a reading skill.) Then, there is a work time where students work independently or in
partnerships. During this time teachers are conducting one-on-one conferences and small group
instruction by carefully assessing their students and teaching based upon their individual needs.
The teacher then closes up the workshop by conducting a share session in which both students and
teachers share and reflect upon their reading and/or writing work.
Many teachers that I work with make sure that for the first two or three minutes of Reading
and Writing Workshop they are watching students read and write by themselves rather than talking
with students. Watching students will help you help you assess their strengths and needs so you
can effectively plan for the other components of balanced literacy.
Keep in mind that during Reading and Writing Workshop your students will have fewer
scaffolds than they do in the other components; therefore, you cannot expect them to perform at
quite the same level as they do during the other components. In Part III of this book, I will
examine more of the specifics pertaining to minilessons, conferences, and small group work.
6. Putting the Reading/Writing Connection into Action
Here are some possible skills/strategies that you might teach during reading and writing
workshop.
Writing Workshop

Reading Workshop

How to choose a topic for writing.

How to choose a book for reading.

You use pictures to help you when

You use pictures to help you when

you write.

you read.

What do you do when you get to a

hard word in writing? What strategies
can you use?

What do you do when you get to a

hard word in reading? What strategies
can you use?

What do you do when you think

you're finished writing?

What do you do when you think

you're finished reading?

You write a variety of forms and

genres.

You read a variety of forms and

genres.

The advantages of Genre Teaching

Hayland (2004) elaborates the advantages of genre based writing instruction that can be
summarised as follows.
Explicit. Makes clear what is to be learned to facilitate the acquisition of writing skills
Systematic. Provides a coherent framework for focusing on both language and contexts
Needs-based. Ensures that course objectives and content are derived from students needs
Supportive. Gives teacher a central role in scaffolding student learning and creativity
Empowering. Provides access to the patterns and possibilities of variation in valued texts
Critical. Provides the resources for students to understand and challenge valued discourses
Consciousness raising. Increases teacher awareness of texts and confidently advise students on
their writing (Hayland 2004: 10-11)
Disadvantages of the Genre
Based Approach Much of the criticism has been centered on the disjuncture between the claim
that meaning is encapsulated in textual objects, genres as autonomous systems, and the avowal of a
social constructionist functional model of language (Freedman & Richardson, 1997). From a
theoretical perspective, the objection is to the overemphasis on the formal features of genres and the
consequent downplaying of the socially situated nature of
writing, with its dynamic selection and deployment of a range of generic features to meet the demands
of the particular rhetorical context. And from a pedagogical perspective, the objection is somewhat
similar: Although in presenting the rationale for their approach, the advocates of genrebased pedagogy
argue that text construction is embedded in, and responsive to, social context, in classroom practice the
study and use of specific genres tends to be approached predominantly from a linguistic point of view;
instead of genuine interest and communicative purpose being the basis for working with a particular
genre, the genre is assigned by the teacher and students are instructed in the relevant linguistic features
and then required to use them in the construction of their own written texts.
Despite genres beneficial roles in helping learners to produce written work with confidence,
there are two concerns about the genre approach. One is that it underestimates the skills required to
produce content, and the other concern is that it neglects learners self sufficiency (Byram, 2004, p.
236). The genre approach not only places too much emphasis on conventions and genre features but
also is less helpful for students in discovering the texts true messages due to the targeted aspects of the
specified genre. Likewise, if teachers spend class time explaining how language is used for a range of
purposes and with a variety of readers, learners are likely to be largely passive. Thus, the genre
approach is blamed for limiting learners creative thoughts about content and is criticized in that it

overlooks natural processes of learning and learners creativity (Badge & White, 2000, p. 157).
Finally, Bawarshi (2000) pointed out that, at its best, it helps learners to identify and interpret literary
texts, while at its worst; it interferes with the learners creativity (p. 343). This concern means that
students may end up writing genres as meaningless reproductions.

Two Cycles and Four Stages

Haylands appraisals towards genre-based approach can be understood when one examines
the two cycles and four stages suggested by the 2004 English curriculum.
To implement the 2004 English curriculum the two cycles and four stages recommended are
represented in the following diagram:

Diagram 2: Cycles and Stages of Learning (Hammond et al. 1992:17)

In planning the lessons in foreign language education context, teachers need to go around the cycle twice. In
the first cycle, they start from the first stage called Building Knowledge of the Field (BKOF) where teachers
and students build cultural context, share experiences, discuss vocabulary, grammatical patterns and so on.
All of these are geared around the types of spoken texts and topics they are going to deal with at the second
stage.

The second stage is called Modelling of Text (MOT) where students listen to statements of short functional
texts, conversations, and monologues that are geared around a certain communicative purpose. For example,
if students are expected to produce procedural texts, then, the short functional texts, conversations, and the
monologues are developed with one main communicative purpose, that is, giving instruction or direction. In
short, at the second stage, students listen and respond to various texts with similar communicative purposes.
After listening, students enter the third stage called Joint Construction of Text (JCT). At this stage they try
to develop spoken texts with their peers and with the help from the teachers. They can create different
announcements, conversations on showing how to do things, monologues on how to make something and so
on. They need to demonstrate their speaking ability and to show confidence to speak.
After having the experience of collaborating with friends, they enter stage four called Independent
Construction of Text (ICT). At this stage, students are expected to be able to speak spontaneously or to carry
our monologues that are aimed at giving directions or showing ways to do things such as how to make a
kite, how to make a paper cap, and so on. Thus, the first cycle integrates the development of speaking and
listening skills.
The second cycle is aimed at developing the ability to use written language. The teachers and students go
through all the four stages, but in MOT students are exposed to written texts. Here students develop reading
skills, followed by joint construction in writing texts, and finally they write texts independently. Like the
strategies employed in the first cycle, activities in this cycle are also geared around the same communicative
purpose. Students read short functional texts and procedural texts, and then they write texts similar to what
they have read. In this way, the integration of the four skills is created by the communicative purpose(s) of
texts. Students speak what they have heard, read what they have talked about, and write what they have
read.
Feeze and Joyce (2002) also suggests a fifth stage that can be applied in foreign language contexts
especially if there are bright students in the class or those who are born writers who are able to link
related texts together. The pulling together different genres or texts to create a new larger text relates us to
the concept of intertextuality which refers to the web of texts against which each new text is placed or
places itself, explicitly or implicitly (Bazerman 1994:20). Knowledge on intertextuality can help students
understand how genres change, developed and are transformed for new contexts and purposes (Hayland
2004:81). Citing Crowston and Williams, Hayland presents some facts that among 48 different internet
genres, classifies by their purposes, from a random sample of 1,000 web pages, 60 percent were directly
reproduced from familiar paper formats and another 30 percent simply added technical changes. Therefore
we can say that genre evolution does happen, but it happens slowly. This is the reason why this fifth stage is
optional in foreign language and high school contexts. If the situation does permit, the learning stages can
be extended to cover the fifth stage.
To carry out activities at all stages, teachers need to use various teaching techniques they have already
learned, known and used. Those techniques are still needed and relevant to this approach. What needs to be
remembered when teachers prepare their lessons is that every activity they design has to be aimed at
providing learning experiences to use language and, thus, to achieve communicative competence. There
are some literacy principles offered by the New London Group (Kern 2000) that can be used by in planning
language classes. They are: interpretation, collaboration, convention, cultural knowledge, problem solving,
reflection and self reflection, and language use (Kern 2000:16). Kern suggests that These principles,
although they are framed in terms of reading and writing, are not unique to literacy, but can be applied
broadly to human communication in general (Kern 2000:17). The implication is that when a teacher plans
an activity, s/he needs to keep in mind that the activity needs to engage students in activities that involve as
many of these principles as possible.

Criticisms and benefits of genre approaches

Criticisms
a. Genre approaches instantiate a revival of the "scientific" approach to language learning
b. Genre approaches result in isolation from content disciplines
c. The existence of "mixed" genres militates against genre approaches
d. Genre-based instruction perpetuates hegemony
e. The genre approach is eclectic or hybrid
Benefits

Many arguments have been put forward in support of genre as an organizing principle for the
development of language teaching and learning programmes.
a. A focus on genre sets concrete learning goals
b. Genres embody a system of choices to accomplish social and cultural goals
c. Genre-based teaching is based on authentic user needs
d. The units of teaching and learning are "the right size"
e. Explicit guidance on genre structures and linguistic features is important for additional language
learners
f. Genre competence is a transferable skill
g. Genre-based instruction helps learners to gain access to discourses that have accrued social and
cultural capital in society
h. Genre-based teaching facilitates critical understanding and reflection
i. Genre-based teaching assists teacher development