!

ana 8oslnskl
CC8 632
16 CcLober 2013

8eLhlnklng edagogy

8eadlng uoug uowns and LllzabeLh Wardle's 8elmaglnlng Lhe naLure of l?C: 1rends ln
WrlLlng-abouL-WrlLlng edagogles", !ames urdy and !oyce Walker's Llmlnal Spaces and
8esearch ldenLlLy: 1he ConsLrucLlon of lnLroducLory ComposlLlon SLudenLs as 8esearchers",
eLer Llbow's 8anklng, LvaluaLlng, and Llklng: SorLlng CuL 1hree lorms of !udgmenL", and
nancy Sommers' 8espondlng Lo SLudenL WrlLlng" ellclLed a meLa-reflecLlon perlod for me Lo
pause and Lake sLock of my own (new) Leachlng aL Lhls Llme beLween glvlng sLudenLs feedback
(and a grade), worklng Lo open up revlslon LogeLher wlLh Lhem, and worklng Lo desLablllze how
Lhey encounLer LexLs (whlle expandlng Lhelr noLlons of whaL counLs as LexL) ln researchlng (and
acLlvaLlng Lhls process of lnqulry wlLh acLlon). Lach of Lhese ls worklng on quesLlons, doubLs,
shorLcomlngs, and goals l have ln/for my own Leachlng. 8uL ln a larger conLexL, ln Lhe
conLlnulng work of Lhe fleld, parLlcularly ln graduaLe educaLlon and Leacher Lralnlng, Lo make
vlslble Lhe LheoreLlcal, pedagoglcal, and eplsLemologlcal frames we (as graduaLe sLudenL-
lnsLrucLors) work ln/from.
uowns and Wardle's plece works Lo reframe Lhe flrsL year wrlLlng classroom as a space for
wrlLlng abouL wrlLlng, a means Lo overcome problems and llmlLaLlons Lhe class has lnherlLed
hlsLorlcally from belng poslLed as a skllls course dlvorced from conLenL, or slLuaLed wlLhln
llLeraLure conLenL because of composlLlon sLudles' home wlLhln Lngllsh deparLmenLs. WrlLlng
abouL wrlLlng ls a move Lo read composlLlon sLudles conLenL (Lo boLh valldaLe sLudles wlLhln Lhe
fleld and slLuaLe whaL we work on ln wrlLlng wlLh sLudenLs) Lo make wrlLlng relaLed knowledge
(wrlLlng, llLeracy, and dlscourse) Lhe cenLer of Lhe course. uowns and Wardle explaln, ln oLher
words, we began Lo feel LhaL composlLlon courses could serve as lnLroducLory conLenL"
courses ln much Lhe same way as do lnLroducLory courses ln oLher dlsclpllnes" (130). 1hey are
careful Lo arLlculaLe Lhe varlance ln WAW currlculum - Lypes and number of composlLlon
sLudles readlngs, Lypes and number of wrlLlng asslgnmenLs, Lhe end of sLudenL learnlng
emphaslzed (growLh vs. conLrlbuLlon Lo Lhe fleld), and Lhe perspecLlve Lhe course Lakes ln
sub[ecL maLLer and how research ls framed (139). 1he readlng lefL me feellng confllcLed: l see
value ln focuslng Lhe course on wrlLlng knowledge and meLa-awareness (Lhough l Lhlnk Lhey
gloss Loo easlly over wrlLlng research meLhodology) ln developlng wrlLlng, as well as LreaLlng lL
as sub[ecL maLLer, noL [usL a neuLral sklll seL, buL whaL seems Lo be mlsslng from Lhls plece ls
Lhe odd relaLlonshlp composlLlon sLudles has wlLh conLenL knowledge, process, producL,
ldenLlLy, and slLuaLlon - cruclal conslderaLlons, buL noL ones oLher lnLroducLory courses dwell
ln. AddlLlonally, Lhough Lhey menLlon lL ln passlng, noL much space ls glven wlLhln Lhls plece Lo
dlscuss Lhe role of flrsL year wrlLlng as a servlce course Lo Lhe unlverslLy, arguably, Lhls ls Lhe
focus of much scholarshlp Lo Lrouble, buL Lhe ouLslde aLLlLudes are noL as dynamlc ln shaplng
whaL ls posslble ln Lhe space of Lhe course. lnLro courses ln oLher dlsclpllnes don'L have as Lhelr
goals LhaL sLudenLs leave feellng llke an auLhorlLy or a growlng scholar ln Lhe fleld (lnLroducLory
asLronomy doesn'L make asLronomers - Lhere ls knowledge of Lhe fleld, and ln some parL,
meLhod), l'm noL yeL saLlsfled wlLh how WAW handles wrlLlng | wrlLer ln Lerms of experLlse, Lhe
explanaLlon of whlch seems Lo sllp lnLo grey LerrlLory.
Sommers and Llbow's pleces on respondlng Lo and assesslng sLudenL wrlLlng mlghL lend
some lllumlnaLlon on Lhls grey area - ln flrsL year wrlLlng, we are worklng Lo develop process,
and ln WAW wrlLlng abouL wrlLlng as lL develops (ln forms, meLhod, and conLenL), ln oLher
lnLroducLory dlsclpllne courses, lL seems LhaL Lhe producL ls whaL ls assessed as represenLaLlve
of Lhe auLhorlLy one ls developlng ln Lhe course based on knowledge masLery. Sommers calls
for Leacher commenLary on sLudenL LhaL helps moLlvaLe and model revlslon for sLudenLs Lo Lake
on of Lhelr own lnLenL, whlch works as dlscovery ln Lhe deslre Lo seek and (dls)/(re)assemble.
1he process of wrlLlng and revlslon ls ln learnlng, ln Lhe maklng and remaklng of wrlLlng, based
noL only on knowledge wlLhln ldeas, buL an undersLandlng of audlence and purpose and Lhe
consLrucLlon and communlcaLlon of LhaL knowledge. Llbow argues for assesslng sLudenL wrlLlng
Lhrough evaluaLlon by looklng hard and LhoughLfully aL a plece of wrlLlng ln order Lo make
dlsLlncLlons as Lo Lhe quallLy of dlfferenL feaLures or dlmenslons" (191). SLudenLs are learnlng
composlLlon sLudles as Lhey are wrlLlng - ln lL, of lL, ln response Lo lL - as sLudenLs, wrlLers, and
flrsL year composlLlonlsLs. 1hey are engaglng conLenL and process and producL slmulLaneously,
and dlfferenLly ln Lerms of whaL may have been Lhelr wrlLlng course experlence before. 1hey
are belng asked Lo move ln and ouL, as well as across, Lhelr wrlLlng aL varylng scales ln
reflecLlon, connecLlon, and slLuaLlon. 1hls fosLers developmenL of rheLorlcal dexLerlLy", as
uowns and Wardle descrlbe, quoLlng Lhe work of Shannon CarLer.
urdy and Walker's plece works Lo brlng LogeLher respondlng Lo and assesslng sLudenL
work ln Lhe maklng, as well as ln Lhe process of developlng awareness and knowledge of wrlLlng
abouL wrlLlng, ln expandlng whaL lL consldered Lhe process of research. 1hey are carefully
worklng Lo develop a focus on !"#"$!%& ()"*+(+y, a
confluence of skllls, knowledge, aLLlLudes, and pracLlces LhaL comblne when an lndlvldual
engages ln research acLlvlLles. Such ldenLlLles can be cruclal for how sLudenLs approach
boLh furLher work ln Lhe academy (as undergraduaLes and beyond) and as clvlc
parLlclpanLs ln Lhe world" (9).
1hls seems, Lo me aL Lhls momenL, Lo work more expllclLly Loward meLhodology - how sLudenLs
mlghL enacL wrlLlng abouL wrlLlng as a process of lnqulry. Worklng Lo make vlslble rheLorlcal
moves ln wrlLlng, as well as knowledge abouL wrlLlng processes and producLs avallable Lo
compose wlLhln, along wlLh changlng how sLudenLs do research and wrlLlng ls as comforLable as
l can be wlLh Leachlng wrlLlng abouL wrlLlng ln Lhe flrsL year composlLlon classroom. lnsLrucLlon
and feedback seem Lo Lake on more complexlLy ln order Lo aLLend Lo lndlvldual LexLs, Lhe
wrlLer, conLexL, and desLablllzlng how sLudenLs approach wrlLlng, researchlng, and revlslon.