Bloor's approaches in real life

Many authors have analyzed the connection between writing and other aspects, such as reading, writing in first language (L1) and second language (L2), and the relationship between writing and vocabulary. Paying a special attention to the connection between writing and reading, Bloor (1985) ´s claims are decisive. According to him, reading in academic contexts can be approached in at least by four different techniques. In real life there are different indicators that reflect these approaches.
The first approach mentioned by Bloor (1985) is the psychological approach, in which students practise the processes involved in reading. This approach can be developed through many different activities in the classroom; all of them are related to the recognition of simple words and their interpretation. Looking for a specific word in a text according to the definitions given is a clear example.
In the linguistic approach, the aim is to draw students’ attention to the words and sentences in the text. Under this approach, many activities are found and they are mainly focused on grammar. When a text is interpreted and its general meaning analyzed, the teacher generally uses the same text to present a grammar point. At that moment, this approach is generally present, since the teacher will also ask to look for more examples that show the usage of the grammatical point being studied.
There is a third approach, which is named as the content – oriented approach, where the main assumption is to give students a specific purpose for reading. Possibilities are varied. Students can read a text to check their predictions, to solve a true or false activity, to answer questions or even, to give their opinion about it. in addition, It is believed that students must always read for a specific purpose and it will not matter if the purpose is just pleasure or interest.
The pedagogical – oriented approach is the last approach described. Under this approach, the texts are chosen according to the students’ interests and experiences. In Bloor (1985) ‘s words, “[s]tudents are presented with self – access materials which they can use at their own pace” (Bloor, 1985; as cited in Jordan 1997). When selecting the pieces of writing, students will have the chance to express their ideas in a specific situation or topic. Apart from that, it will be a great contribution to students’ motivation, if they are interested in reading the text.
In conclusion, writing is not a single process. It is connected to other aspects, such as reading, first language and second language, and vocabulary. Bloor (1985)’s four approaches for reading in academic contexts influenced the everyday routine in many classrooms. Activities presented when reading a text, are always related to one or various approaches.














References
Jordan, R. R. (1997). English for academic purposes: A guide and resource book for teachers. Cambridge, UK: Cambridge University Press.