Screenwriting: A Strategy for the Improvement of Writing

Instructional Practices

 

This article reported the findings of a research study that described the implementation of a writing strategy called screenwriting, which aimed to improve the participants’ creative writing skills.

Teachers commonly use activities such as role plays to foster speaking in the classroom, and screenwriting is often part of the process, although not explicitly. However, the writing process and its product are not as valued as the oral production. By reading this article, I could confirm that writing is an undervalued skill in most Colombian classrooms. As Amado (2010) indicated, some schools and English institutes assure a comprehensive education in the English field, which should cover the four skills –reading, writing, speaking and listening. However, the education these students receive shows an increasing emphasis in listening and speaking, in this way, diminishing the importance of skills such as writing.

An aspect to remark about the strategy proposed in this research is the good quality of the tasks and workshops chosen for the development of the strategy. The worksheets and assignments designed allowed the students to express themselves and enjoy writing while they improve their creative writing skills. They were also ideal for them to practice grammar and connecting ideas to generate a story in a very simple, pleasant and creative way.

I think it is important to debunk the belief that writing is a tedious activity for the students. Instead, it can serve as a means for their self-expression, creativity and communication. These type of tasks change students’ perspectives towards writing and learning.

Something I found very surprising in this article is the students’ response to the workshops. Although they were adults, they were engaged enough with the activity to go beyond what they were asked to provide for the tasks, which resulted in longer and more interesting stories than exceeded the teacher researcher’s expectations.

 

To conclude, Harper (2006) states that creative writing is an art, an action, and an activity as a mode of engagement with the world. Thus, as creative writing brings so many advantages and benefits for students, we, as teachers, should document more about this topic, so we can incorporate this practice into our lessons and make creative writing an important part in the students’ learning process.