Why is teaching composition so difficult? Well first of all, we are basically teaching people how to use the language that they think they’ve known for years (in general, here, in Texas). We have to teach them the difference between writing and translating speech into text. Many of the papers I graded this week were written in a stream of conscience. It also seemed that the students thought writing was as permanent as speaking. They did not seem to realize that they were not stuck with the first idea they wrote. However, other students were the exact opposite: they viewed writing as something so far removed from speech that it seems acceptable to write a sentence that in no way could be considered coherent speech. This is not a criticism of the students, it is simply pointing out an obstacle we face as teachers. Students are divided into two groups: those who are flippant with writing, and those who are intimidated by it.
I hope to address this in a couple of ways. First, by actually addressing it. Talking about the differences and asking the students to decide which kind of writer they are (or if they can think of another category – I’m sure my brush here is too broad). Also, I intend to give lots of examples of both, so the students can see the kinds of issues we are discussing. Finally, I will provide materials that are personally interesting and relevant to the students. I think the letters they were asked to analyze this week were difficult, because they did not have a clear-cut purpose and most of the students were confused about the audience. I want the students to focus on writing, so the materials I give them will be interesting, relevant, and clear.
Another challenge that composition teachers face – one which I did not realize until class on Friday – is getting students to understand who is their audience. All of their previous school experience has taught them that the teacher is the audience, and their purpose is to receive a good grade. This is a puny way to look at the world and at writing. When it comes to reading papers, a teacher is a persnickety, and often grouchy, spell check. The teacher’s goal is to make the writing better. This is not the role of the audience. The audience is the group of people they would like to impact while writing. This is an abstract concept for anyone, especially for an undergraduate student that has been trained in school their whole life. I would like to instill the concept that they are not writing to appease the teacher, they are writing to make an impression.
I hope to instill this concept by, again, having very open conversations about it in class. Ask them about who they think their audience is and why. I would like to give little assignments where they are asked to produce something with a specific audience in mind, then change the audience. Giving them real, tangible examples and experiences will hopefully help solidify this abstraction.
Composition has many aspects that makes it difficult to teach; some that I can imagine, and many that I will not fully comprehend until I am in the classroom teaching. However, these obstacles can be made smaller when the students are engaged in learning. A teacher must make lessons interesting, insightful, and always relevant. These students are looking to succeed in the future: it is vital that we impress upon them how instrumental writing skills are in success. Because this class is already laid out for us, with a formula to follow, it could be easy to slide into the prescribed lessons. I intend to be intentional, and I intend to make the most out of this class for my students.
I liked how you made a point to differentiate between speech and the written word and I understand what you mean by students not knowing that revision is a necessary part of writing well. I also agree that this is something that needs to be addressed so students understand where you, as a teacher, are coming from.
ReplyDeleteI want to specifically comment on two things here. First, unfortunately not everything we teach will be of high interest to students. There will be classroom topics that we might find fascinating that our students might hate, and vice versa. There's been plenty of times when I've hated a specific topic that I've taught but my students loved it. One of the best pieces of advice I was ever given as a teacher was: your students read your nonverbal communications a lot more than you think. So if I hate a specific topic and I'm just going through the motions to get the lesson done and over with, my students will behave and react in the same manner. But if there's a topic I am wholly invested in and excited about, chances are my students will respond more positively to it. Obviously this isn't always the case, but it's a good rule of the thumb to start with I think. But in regards to teaching interesting and relevant topics, while yes, this is a general consensus that that helps our students learn better and engage more, but not everything we teach can be relevant and of high interest 100% of the time. It's like teaching classical rhetoric, technically yes it can be made relevant to our students, but more than likely we will have 50 minutes to cover ALL the classics, so sometimes it comes down to get the material out and on paper for them instead of having the opportunity to teach the classics over several class periods using modern examples to pair with the classics.
ReplyDeleteThe second thing I want to comment on is actually a suggestion for teaching audience. I like your idea of having students write to one audience then switching the audience. I used this one in a class I taught previously: I had students write a persuasive email to their best friend asking to borrow $100. Then I had them write an email to their parents asking for $100. Then to their boss or to me, their teacher. Then I took all their letters, blacked out the dear _____, and had the class read their peers work and analyze which letter went to which audience and why.
Nice post, Jill. Ang very helpful feedback here to consider in the comments to your post, Colleen and Meghan. Yes, we're basically teaching people to use the language they've been using, but in very specific ways. There may be habits to break, but more importantly, specific awarenesses regarding audiences to both address and invoke. I like your approach--get them to see what they may not already see. And like you say, half the battle is probably getting them engaged. Engaged learners are more critical in their thinking about a subject. Yes, intend to be intentional!
ReplyDeleteThese are good practices that you mention! Obviously not all the students are going to jump on board with ideas that we think are interesting, but maybe we can open the field to them. Let them choice topics that they think are interesting. Maybe provide the prompt and let the students supply the topic for said prompt? I don't know. I'm just throwing ideas out there, but, as teachers, I don't think we should be afraid to experiment. I think if we attempt to make the classroom more engaging, allowing room for creative flow, then we might help students further their progress in writing. Maybe not all of them but at least some. It's going to be rather interesting in the classroom once we finally get there.
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