CI: 5461 Weekly Readings Post #2

What I loved about the readings for this week was their ability to create a sense of just freedom in the processes of writing. Instead of providing one “correct” way in which students, as writers, should write the authors provided a plethora of ways in which students could write. The chapters and articles illustrate how personal the writing process truly is.

The first chapter in Within and Beyond the Writing Process details different assumptions that the authors make about teaching writing. They assume first of all that writing is thinking—an assumption I readily agree with. The reason in which we speak and write is to use language to communicate with one another. This communication can come in many different forms and be used with a variety of purposes. Because of this, I think it is important that as teachers we try to position the value of writing as part of the essential process of communication. In doing this, we need to present students with a reason or purpose to write; this can be to tell a story, communicate a dream, present a resume, or critically analyze a piece of literature. In a similar vein, the text quotes Frank Smith who says that, “words are the map of the way we think” (4). I myself feel much more eloquent and comfortable with written language than in spoken language—especially when it comes to presenting fuel for arguments. For me, writing gives me the ability to take my time and sift through the words entering my head, pulling the best out of the melee, and creating something that is worth communicating. An example would be the failed debate in our last class. My ideas were written on paper, but in the heat of the moment—and after Josh’s Karate Kid references—I am horrendously ill-equipped as a communicator to think on my feet. Writing gives me the right pace at which to process my thoughts and reread them as they are composed on the page.

As the Ede and Lunsford piece suggests, writers are writing as much for themselves as for their audience and it is important that they acknowledge that in order to take pride and responsibility for their writing. Of course, they also need to be aware of the other audiences of their writing--as many of the readings suggest, providing a real audience to readers can be extremely beneficial in helping them focus their writing. The duality between readers and writers in which "writers create readers and readers create writers" matches the ideas from Within and Beyond the Writing Process about writing and learning.

I loved the idea that humans learn to write and write to learn. As with the other assumption, this one draws upon the ability of writing to help organize one’s thoughts and facilitate both critical thinking and artistic expression. I think many students fear writing because of the “red-ink” effect, but with a variety of writing genres and tools in their pockets, students can use writing to help them explore their knowledge, solve problems, “reason, remember, understand, and imagine” (Dornan, Rosen, and Wilson 7). I especially like the idea of using writing to help students “imagine.” Writing in the classroom should be about imagining an audience and writing with a purpose intended for that audience. Students can use writing to help them create new thoughts and organize the new; writing has no bounds.

When it comes to teaching writing, I think daily writing and the retirement of the red pen can help students become comfortable with all aspects of the writing process. During Intercession at Crosswinds, we used an informal bell-ringer to help get the creative juices flowing and to get our students writing without fear. They were able to use this writing later on and craft something much more polished. I loved the Dornan chapter that detailed the different ways in which the authors write—from pre-writing ideas to the dreaded revision process. I think it is clear that people have different writing methods—everyone is different so why should anyone assume that one prescribed writing process will fit all. Personally, I use different process of pre-writing depending on the assignment and my comfortability with the subject matter. The revision process is the same, sometimes I have someone look over it for content issues, other times I read it out loud to myself to listen for structural and content issues, and on occasion, the revision process does include rewriting the piece from scratch. What is comes down to though, for me, is the reality that writing is a recursive process—what goes around comes around. Writers are constantly pre-writing, drafting, revising, editing, etc.

I also think it is best to present as many different methods to students in an effort to help them find the techniques that work best for them—after all, they are the writers. An effective way to do this is by assigning a variety of writing assignments that utilize a variety of techniques, provide opportunities for a variety of genres, have meaningful agendas to the writer, and adhere to student interests. A writing portfolio—as used in the Kent chapter of Teaching the Neglected “R”—is one way to provide students with the chance to engage in different writing activities and acquire writing skills along the way. In order to ensure that these skills are taught in the best capacity, teachers should remember to create positive working environments that encourage communication and critique among all its members. Positive experiences foster learning and the retention of that learning and we need to get students to believe and find the positive side of writing.

Resource Link:

http://grammar.ccc.commnet.edu/grammar/

This website provides a variety of handouts and information about grammar and writing from the basic sentence level on up to research paper guidelines. There are even powerpoints on different forms of punctuation and clauses. It also provides answers to some of the English languages more difficult conundrums. Overall, great resource for teachers who might need some help with their grammar and writing coaching!