Salma Al-hasan

Writing Conference: the Effect of a Proposed Conference-based Programme on Developing Writing and Critical Thinking Skills Salma Al-hasan

Writing conference is a strategy recommended for teachers worldwide to equip learners with the means for efficient essay writing and critical thinking. The writing workshop and the writing conference help rid learners of their frustration caused by the inability to write. The proposed programme takes the students into an enjoyable and engaging journey of discovering the innate writer within themselves. It provides them with opportunities not only to practice writing, but also to discuss it with their peers and teachers; such integration of writing and speaking in the writing conference would inevitably lead to the enhancement of the writing and critical thinking skills. The writing conference conversations would facilitate spontaneous conversational skills and help learners acquire the necessary negotiation skills in addition to equipping them with the communicative competence necessary for getting future professions in a highly competitive world. Finally, a good reader is a good writer, and the aim of the Programme is to expose the writer to alternative ideas through discussion while maintaining his/her responsibility and ownership for the writing product itself.