Methods and techniques for teaching cadets writing in English

Abstract

The article examines the use of process and genre approaches in teaching writing to cadets at institutions of higher military education. Many scientific works about teaching writing skills have been studied to work out exercises in terms of  process approach, as well as genre approach. It highlights the critical importance of developing written communication skills for the effective professional training of military personnel. The paper analyzes current scientific approaches to the formation of writing competence, focusing on techniques that involve modeling real communicative situations, integrating genre awareness, and structured teaching of text production. The process approach contributes to the development of planning, editing, and self-assessment skills, while the genre approach helps cadets meet the requirements of specific text types, such as reports, memos, and analytical briefs.

The article provides examples of instructional tasks that combine elements of both approaches, which support the development of comprehensive writing competence. Various types of exercises are proposed, including gap-filling tasks, text modeling, pattern-based reproduction, and others. Special attention is given to the main stages of the genre approach: modeling (sample analysis), deconstruction (study of structure, language clichés, and stylistic features), practice (writing similar texts), and final production (independent creation of a genre-specific text). The article emphasizes the relevance of integrated teaching methods that consider cadets’ professional needs and the communicative contexts of their future roles. It concludes that the combination of process and genre approaches is effective for developing writing as a key professional skill in military education.