English Composition is designed to make students better writers. That doesn’t sound too difficult….but in actuality I think this is probably one of the most difficult courses to teach at the college level. There is no clear cut definition of what makes a “good writer.” Therefore, teaching composition is more challenging than teaching a course like Algebra where there is simply a right or wrong answer.
Composition teachers have students that are at different levels, and they must first recognize where their students are and then assist them in taking their writing skills to the next level. Teaching Composition is a process, just as writing is a process. Shaughnessy said “we cannot teach students to write by looking only at what they have written. We must also understand how that product came to being.” That is one of my favorite quotes associated with teaching composition! The instruction of English composition is not just about grammar, it’s about clear expression, organization, and reasoning.
In the end, many theories have been examined regarding the best methods for teaching composition, and there is no fire proof method or standard. English Composition allows teachers to be creative in choosing a method that works best for them and their students…. in an effort for students to leave their classroom as better writers than they were before.
Hi, Regina...
ReplyDeleteTeaching is a complex field. Considerations of the students’ abilities, capacities and how they have come to that stage influence an educator’s approach. Teaching is a systematic field, yet the system needs the processes to permit the end result. Unfortunately the end result is not always what is sought after and consideration must be given to the goals of the educators versus the goals of society. I bring this up as we have witnessed the birth of text messaging composition out of our standard composition system. Are we so focused on a standard of composition that we are missing a second and maybe more powerful force of composition, that of ‘violent compositional evolution’ (perhaps a la Thomas Kuhn). We may want to be in control, but have we missed the starting gate and have become too ensconced in our world of English composition that we have ignored a global composition system that lives side by side with our traditional one. I suggest that we consider this as we move forward and encounter this brave new world of composition.
Regina,
ReplyDeleteI agree with your thoughts, but feel that the success bar must be higher than making students into better writers "than they were before." Forgive my lack of sympathy, but student writer need a goal, a mark, or some spelled-out level to shoot for in their attempts. I agree that there is no fire proof method, but perhaps trying to tie their assignments to real-world scenarios may help them to realize that writing is not just a class, but a necessary life skill!