The genre-based approach

The shift of the more top-down pedagogy through popularizing the lexical approach furthered the progress of the genre-based approach (Thornbury, 1998).

Particular genres are used to fulfill certain social functions and to achieve certain goals within particular social and cultural context (Paltridge, 2001). Learners might have a range of choices of genres to achieve their particular goals as in using an E-mail message or a phone call for finding particular information (Paltridge, 2001). Therefore, it seems that the genre-based approach can be used in the teaching of speaking, listening and reading, as well as writing.

The genre-based approach aims to make the learners’ awareness of the significant features of the different genres and to empower learners’ strategies to replicate these features on their production (Kay & Dudley-Evans, 1998). It is important that language of model texts is functional and the texts provide the appropriate points of focus (Paltridge, 2001). The emphasis is on the social purpose, the schematic structure, and the linguistic features (Kay & Dudley-Evans, 1998). This approach stresses the role of context and the way of language change by the context in which it occurs, and discusses this in relation to the aspects of discourse, vocabulary, grammar and pronunciation of the language (Paltridge, 2001). These sound very difficult to practice, although I can study at least a little about functional languages this week...

As might be expected from the fact that systemic genre-based approach initially focused on writing on primary and secondary schools (Paltridge, 2001), there is one point of view that the genre-based approach is particularly suitable for learners at beginner or intermediate levels in a second language (Kay and Dudley-Evans, 1998). The approach gives them confidence by giving them security and offering the models, and enables them to produce texts that serve the intended purpose. On the other hand, however, there is a concern that the approach is restrictive and this is likely to lead to lack of creativity and demotivation in the learners (Kay & Dudley-Evans, 1998). Therefore, it seems to be very important especially for learners of higher levels that the model texts have to be treated as prototypes for learners’ individual variations. Uh-uh..., how...?


List of references

Kay, H., & Dudley-Evans, T. (1998). Genre: What teachers think. ELT Journal, 52(4), 308-313.

Paltridge, B. (2001). Genre and the language learning classroom. Ann Arbor, MI: Michigan University Press.

Thornbury, S. (1998, April 7). The lexical approach: A journey without maps?
Modern English Teacher, 1-7.