To what extent is it the responsibility of every teacher (no matter what subject) to teach writing? Is writing a discipline in and of itself, or is it a tool we use to work and learn in various disciplines?
My approach is to teach writing as a tool we use for critical inquiry; so, in my class, grammar and rhetoric are never abstracted from content. In order for students to have realistic encounters with writing, I have them working with specific subjects, using their writing to engage with and reflect on those subjects. A composition class focused only on grammar and rhetoric seems almost as strange to me as a class focused on pens, pencils, and looseleaf paper. Still, I think writing-intensive courses are important, because they offer a place for students to reflect (in a second order way) on the writing process (and on the grammar and rhetoric good writing employs).
More questions: Should every course be writing-intensive? Is writing essential to learning? It seems like these questions are particularly relevant with regard to online courses, where writing is the primary mode of interaction. How do we (or should we) work with (and encourage) student writing in non-composition courses?
I think it is my responsibility to require certain minimal writing capabilities from my students. I agree with many of your points, Jesse.
ReplyDelete- Dave Trott
Interesting post Jesse.
ReplyDeleteShould every course be writing-intensive? My answer would be 'no'. Math classes communicate in very different ways than say History. Speech also is a study in communication methods other than writing.
Personally, in my Networking courses, I am working with students who are often not very good writers. I emphasize the key is communication and documentation. The next person to come along needs to understand what you are attempting to communicate. So, how you write will differ based on audience and medium.
An example of bad documentation I show them is The Chronicles of George (http://chroniclesofgeorge.nanc.com/tickets1.htm) While extreme, it gets the point across.
Students can send me e-mails with poor grammar and spelling errors. They cannot send Word documents with any errors. In Excel, Access, PowerPoint, or other program files they cannot have spelling errors. I thought about requiring good grammar in discussion posts, but I have to "pick my battles". It is difficult enough to get students to post a thoughtful response, not just "I agree".
ReplyDeleteIf I could have my wish, it would be for about 85% of students to go back to school to learn proper spelling and grammar. Keep the standards high Jesse!
I definitely work with my students on grammar and style, but I lean a little more toward content and voice. One of the major issues with new writers is a lack of confidence. I hear so many stories about students that sit and stare at their computer screens with their fingers unmoving on their keyboards. So, my first goal is to get them writing and to get them to enjoy the process of writing.
ReplyDeleteMy question, I guess, is not whether we should expect high quality writing from students in non-writing classes, but whether every teacher should work with their students to help improve their writing (either through feedback, peer review, or assignments that help students develop creative and analytical writing skills). After all, writing is not something we do (or can) learn in the one or two writing classes we take as college students.
And you make a good point, Nathan, about different disciplines utilizing different kinds of communication. Still, it seems like a speech class could definitely interweave writing and verbal communication, since many speeches are written in advance. Also, I think having students write about math seems like it could be a very useful exercise. I'm working on making my writing classes more multimodal, thinking of ways to have students working simultaneously in various media. In contemporary society, writing is very rarely divorced from images, video, graphic design, etc., so I want my writing students to think both about writing and the many contexts for writing.