First I would like to address something Erika said in her blog. She asks "how practical is it to teach students to deviate from the standard?" I don't think we should just focus on the practicality of teaching students to deviate from the standard. The fact of the matter is that if no one in history deviated from the standard, we could still be without the wheel. I think we all recognize that a change needs to be made not in just teaching composition, but the whole academic institution needs change. Honestly, we cannot change the system on our own. We need the help of our students. We need them to understand that deviation from the standard is the only way to start this change. Maybe it is time for people to realize that Standard American English isn't the be all end all dialect of academic writing. The academy is so rigid, maybe it is time for other aspects of American language and culture to be given a chance to find footing in the the academic world. In order to do this, we need to start the change by introducing these ideas to the students. Ask more of them then just five paragraph essays and mimicked sonnets. Challenge them to reach farther. Ask them to scare us, the teacher. Don't let them rest in the familiar. And don't let ourselves rest in the familiar.
On Pomo Blues
I do agree that meaning can be and often is socially constructed. Therefore, personal narratives often have ties to social definitions. But I still think that there is hope for the personal narrative because not all people experience events, ideas, readings in the same way. It becomes personal when we internalize the events and make sense of them with societal definitions. Where it becomes tricky is when you encounter a student who is not ready to analyze these things deeply. Not only that, but it is easier to assign the generic topic and go with convention, because then you, the teacher, don't have to think. That is the problem.
On Personal Writing assignments
The description Connors gives of the shift from academic writing as impacted by the Greek oratory tradition to the student centered personal writing is not just uncomfortable for the teacher. As a student who doesn't ever like getting those assignments, I honestly don't think I'm the only one. The plus to writing in the academic tradition is that you don't have to bare yourself to a person who doesn't really know you. Your experience could be misconstrued, especially if you aren't a very good writer. But there are also advantages to focusing on personal writing. Inputting one's experience could help the reader relate and become more involved in the text. So where does that leave us? Absolutely nowhere.
Again, we face the question of academic versus personal writing and which is best for teaching composition. And once again, I don't think there is a clear answer. Academic writing has its pros and cons as does personal writing. I think separating the two remains impossible. There needs to be a combination of both. As much as I do not like inserting personal stories into my academic writing, the ability to write clearly about one's experiences is an important skill to have and can be incorporated into academic writing if need be. Even if this makes the teacher uncomfortable, in the grand scheme of life the ability to articulate ones experiences and synthesize them with academia could only help because it can add impassion the writing if done correctly.
Again, we face the question of academic versus personal writing and which is best for teaching composition. And once again, I don't think there is a clear answer. Academic writing has its pros and cons as does personal writing. I think separating the two remains impossible. There needs to be a combination of both. As much as I do not like inserting personal stories into my academic writing, the ability to write clearly about one's experiences is an important skill to have and can be incorporated into academic writing if need be. Even if this makes the teacher uncomfortable, in the grand scheme of life the ability to articulate ones experiences and synthesize them with academia could only help because it can add impassion the writing if done correctly.
Bartholomae/Elbow
Bartholomae/Elbow
I strongly disagree with the idea that academic writing must free itself from style. As a matter of fact, I think any writing is inextricably linked to personal choice, which lends itself to personal style. As writers, the choices we make in writing are our own choices. We may mimic others, but we will never be able to truly write what another author writes because our lived experience colors the words. Any choice we make while writing, the rhetorical devices used, word choice, punctuation, transitions, paragraphs, etc, are governed by how the author internalized and makes understanding of their own experiences (this includes what they’ve read and written).
I do agree that academic writing requires more attention and adherence to institutional rules, but even these conventions can be broken. For example, the personal essay students write. It’s not just the idea that makes the essay personal, it’s the way the student expresses the idea. In class we talked about how students make up a personal essay. I’ll admit I’m one of those students. While other students feel comfortable expressing their life changing experiences to a teacher they hardly know, I’m not. But just because I may make up the content of the essay, I don’t think that makes it any less personal. I’m still writing the essay. I’m using my experience as a writer and observer to choose what goes on the page. My choices are still personal, therefore making my essay personal.
As I said before, the choices writers make while writing are personal. The presentation may be different, ie the personal essay, research paper, letter, to do list, creative non-fiction, etc, but the writing remains personal.
I strongly disagree with the idea that academic writing must free itself from style. As a matter of fact, I think any writing is inextricably linked to personal choice, which lends itself to personal style. As writers, the choices we make in writing are our own choices. We may mimic others, but we will never be able to truly write what another author writes because our lived experience colors the words. Any choice we make while writing, the rhetorical devices used, word choice, punctuation, transitions, paragraphs, etc, are governed by how the author internalized and makes understanding of their own experiences (this includes what they’ve read and written).
I do agree that academic writing requires more attention and adherence to institutional rules, but even these conventions can be broken. For example, the personal essay students write. It’s not just the idea that makes the essay personal, it’s the way the student expresses the idea. In class we talked about how students make up a personal essay. I’ll admit I’m one of those students. While other students feel comfortable expressing their life changing experiences to a teacher they hardly know, I’m not. But just because I may make up the content of the essay, I don’t think that makes it any less personal. I’m still writing the essay. I’m using my experience as a writer and observer to choose what goes on the page. My choices are still personal, therefore making my essay personal.
As I said before, the choices writers make while writing are personal. The presentation may be different, ie the personal essay, research paper, letter, to do list, creative non-fiction, etc, but the writing remains personal.
The Last Time I Enjoyed....
This question is really hard for me to answer. I have so many interests, I almost always enjoy whatever activity for which I'm invovled. In lieu of this, I've decided to include several activities related to different parts of my life. The last book I truly enjoyed reading was Christopher Moore's Dirty Job. The last thing I truly enjoyed writing was a poem in my "book." Everytime I hang out with my family i can't imagine leaving again. I enjoy all the time I spend with the BF even if we're just napping in the middle of the day. No matter how much I complain about work, I love every minute I spend in that building. I enjoy myself in the sun, rain, snow, and wind. No matter where I am, what i am doing, there is some aspect that i find joy in. But most of all, I truly enjoy almost any interaction with pen and paper, books, and people. I guess that explains why i'm in pursuit of my teaching certification.
Landmark Essays CH 7, 16
On Perl's Piece:
Her overall arguement that writing involves forward, backword, and reflective movement remains the most valid that i've read in this class. Everything she described I've experienced at one point or another. One question though, what if a writer processes in a linear fashion? She also says "writing leads to discovery," suggesting writers find more about their own process, connection between mind and pen, grammar, literary devices, etc. by writing (Just like I realized that sentence is very awkward). I believe that assertion to be true. If we do not write, or practice writing, how will we know what to do and how we go about doing it.
On Runicman's Piece:
Writing as something fun eh? Most students don't look at a writing assignments as fun. In my experience writing for the non-english major becomes a tedious chore. The same goes for reading. I've never understood why, but then i've found so much pleasure in both activities it is hard to understand any other point-of-view. After reading Runicman's article, I couldn't help but identify with his desire to share the wonders of writing. I choose to write, teach, and share what i've read because i want others to experience the same pleasure in those activies as i do. Trying to inspire hundreds of students with writing and reading may seem niave, but something I'm willing to work for.
Her overall arguement that writing involves forward, backword, and reflective movement remains the most valid that i've read in this class. Everything she described I've experienced at one point or another. One question though, what if a writer processes in a linear fashion? She also says "writing leads to discovery," suggesting writers find more about their own process, connection between mind and pen, grammar, literary devices, etc. by writing (Just like I realized that sentence is very awkward). I believe that assertion to be true. If we do not write, or practice writing, how will we know what to do and how we go about doing it.
On Runicman's Piece:
Writing as something fun eh? Most students don't look at a writing assignments as fun. In my experience writing for the non-english major becomes a tedious chore. The same goes for reading. I've never understood why, but then i've found so much pleasure in both activities it is hard to understand any other point-of-view. After reading Runicman's article, I couldn't help but identify with his desire to share the wonders of writing. I choose to write, teach, and share what i've read because i want others to experience the same pleasure in those activies as i do. Trying to inspire hundreds of students with writing and reading may seem niave, but something I'm willing to work for.
Landmark Essays Ch 8, 9, 11
On Berthoff's piece:
The first time I read this article I didn't understand a word. It took a second reading before I grasped any point Berthoff tried to make. I got lost amongst doubles like "consciousness of consciousness." I do like how Berthoff advocates a multimodal approach to teaching composition. I too believe that form's importance is underrated to academic institutions. We've been taught to focus on developing a voice not form. I also like how she ends with "composing is a process of meaning making." The only way to understand how meaning is made is to analyze the process by which we visually internalize, imagine, then produce.
On Hairston's piece:
I really do agree the prediction of change, but i don't agree with editing being the best way to teach students writing. Addressing the first, we always seem to be on the cusp of change. The problem is always the inability to predict whether the change will be positive or negative. While our education systems have seen many advances in teaching practices and tools, there are foundational parts that are crumbling. Now to my disagreement with Hairston's claim that the best way to teach writing is through editing. Composition is not just about the words and grammatical marks on a page. Editing does not help a writer create ideas, it only helps make them accessible to the reader.
On Reither's Piece:
This article seemed like an echo...I've heard it from all the other process people we've read. I did like the the point about teaching students inquiry strategies because it is really important for secondary education students to learn these before going to college. Many students do not understand how to research or evaluate sources. The internet (the convenient crutch as I like to call it) provides students with copious amounts of information, but they don't understand how to use the information.
The first time I read this article I didn't understand a word. It took a second reading before I grasped any point Berthoff tried to make. I got lost amongst doubles like "consciousness of consciousness." I do like how Berthoff advocates a multimodal approach to teaching composition. I too believe that form's importance is underrated to academic institutions. We've been taught to focus on developing a voice not form. I also like how she ends with "composing is a process of meaning making." The only way to understand how meaning is made is to analyze the process by which we visually internalize, imagine, then produce.
On Hairston's piece:
I really do agree the prediction of change, but i don't agree with editing being the best way to teach students writing. Addressing the first, we always seem to be on the cusp of change. The problem is always the inability to predict whether the change will be positive or negative. While our education systems have seen many advances in teaching practices and tools, there are foundational parts that are crumbling. Now to my disagreement with Hairston's claim that the best way to teach writing is through editing. Composition is not just about the words and grammatical marks on a page. Editing does not help a writer create ideas, it only helps make them accessible to the reader.
On Reither's Piece:
This article seemed like an echo...I've heard it from all the other process people we've read. I did like the the point about teaching students inquiry strategies because it is really important for secondary education students to learn these before going to college. Many students do not understand how to research or evaluate sources. The internet (the convenient crutch as I like to call it) provides students with copious amounts of information, but they don't understand how to use the information.
Landmark Essay's CH 10, 14, 17
On Berkenkotter's piece:
I think the author of this piece found a relatively good way to approach the study of someone's writing process. It is really wonderful that she was able to actually transcribe the process and break it down statistcally. I do agree with Josh's statement of there not being enough time allocated to the study. I also think that her observation about Mr. Murray making his biggest revisions when he turned his thoughts towards his audience. It shows the hypersentivity of the writer to mold his voice in a way that others can understand.
On Flynn's piece:
Really enjoyed this article. The day that we touched on this in class, I wanted to go more in-depth, but alas...there was no time. The included narratives were very helpful defining the line between male and female student writing. Introducing the texts Flynn describes the narratives saying "The narratives of the female students are stories of interaction, of connection, or of frustrated connection. The narratives of the make students are stories of achievement, of serparation, or of frustrated achievement." After reading this, I couldn't have agreed more. Thinking back to all the narratives (written or verbal) that i've heard from men and women, their focus or intended meaning would neatly fit in one of those boxes.
On Murray's piece:
I agree whole-heartedly with his thesis. Every experience a writer has colors experiences to follow. This knowledge and understand can really be seen in someone's writing. There are two quotes that I think sum up the entire article. Towards the end he writes, "We become what we write." This is imperative to any good writer. Living within the words you write gives them vibrancy no matter what genre you are writing in. Then at the end Murray says "That is the terrible, wonderful power of reading; the texts we create in our own minds while we read-or just after we read-become part of the life we believe we lived." Again this goes back to interalizing and making sense of our experiences. Everything we read becomes internalized and applied to the experiences we've had or stored to be applied to a later experience. All of these jumbled together makes us individual characters with specific traits that can be identified in our writing.
I think the author of this piece found a relatively good way to approach the study of someone's writing process. It is really wonderful that she was able to actually transcribe the process and break it down statistcally. I do agree with Josh's statement of there not being enough time allocated to the study. I also think that her observation about Mr. Murray making his biggest revisions when he turned his thoughts towards his audience. It shows the hypersentivity of the writer to mold his voice in a way that others can understand.
On Flynn's piece:
Really enjoyed this article. The day that we touched on this in class, I wanted to go more in-depth, but alas...there was no time. The included narratives were very helpful defining the line between male and female student writing. Introducing the texts Flynn describes the narratives saying "The narratives of the female students are stories of interaction, of connection, or of frustrated connection. The narratives of the make students are stories of achievement, of serparation, or of frustrated achievement." After reading this, I couldn't have agreed more. Thinking back to all the narratives (written or verbal) that i've heard from men and women, their focus or intended meaning would neatly fit in one of those boxes.
On Murray's piece:
I agree whole-heartedly with his thesis. Every experience a writer has colors experiences to follow. This knowledge and understand can really be seen in someone's writing. There are two quotes that I think sum up the entire article. Towards the end he writes, "We become what we write." This is imperative to any good writer. Living within the words you write gives them vibrancy no matter what genre you are writing in. Then at the end Murray says "That is the terrible, wonderful power of reading; the texts we create in our own minds while we read-or just after we read-become part of the life we believe we lived." Again this goes back to interalizing and making sense of our experiences. Everything we read becomes internalized and applied to the experiences we've had or stored to be applied to a later experience. All of these jumbled together makes us individual characters with specific traits that can be identified in our writing.
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