USING THE PROBLEM SOLVING APPROACH TO TEACH WRITING TO EFL LEARNERS

Abstract

Teaching adult EFL learners how to write in English can be a challenging task as teachers have to consider the students’ learning needs and expectations. This paper discusses past and present writing approaches highlighting some concerns of both teachers and academicians. The paper also provides a description of a trial run of the problem solving approach (PSA) that was used in a writing class for EFL students. This approach combines elements of two current approaches – task-based learning and problem-based learning- in an attempt to find an approach that helps EFL students write better essays. Findings and recommendation of the trial run of the PSA are given at the end of the paper.