Fundamental Qualities to Teaching Composition

I am just beginning to understand that understanding is critical to the foundation of college-level teaching, especially when teaching composition courses. An understanding that writing is so closely linked to thought empowers the entire subject of composition. That writing is critical to every aspect of life enhances the importance of the composition class. Furthermore, an understanding of the variety that is included in the “average” composition class is critical to communicating communication to a diverse population. The students as an audience speaking to their own different perceptions of an audience creates fascinating levels that must be traversed with care. The timeliness and attitude of the instructor and thus the peer-review sessions or conferences the instructor sets up require understanding as well. The understanding that even pen and paper was (and is) technology should embolden our outlook as we engage new technologies in the everyday lives of students and the professional possibilities of the future as it relates to rhetoric.

The understanding that writing is personal and reflective seems to require an intuitive care about the students, especially when the instructor offers feedback for improvement. I’ve encountered this on such a small scale in my writing studio days. Students were asked to write an essay about a photograph, and one student wrote about the last picture she took with her father before her father passed away. She wanted help improving her grammar and grade, but to remark on a thesis statement or organization became incredibly challenging when she was barring her heart about such a difficult subject for one of the first times.

As Nancy Myer’s defined pedagogy as “the art of teaching” (Tate et al, 3), the teaching of college-level writing requires an understanding of the beautiful, mystifying art form of writing and the teaching of writing. This seems most fundamental because beautiful cities can be built on a foundation of understanding and appreciating an art.

I’m beginning to understand how much the first-year composition course attempts to accomplish. These essays in particular emphasized three different approaches to the focus.

I liked the way Redd explained the thought process behind all of her actions and assignments. From explaining the stance in which she wrote the chapter by paraphrasing Aristotle’s thoughts on the purpose to explaining to her students why conventions are important, Redd’s disclosures welcome learning.

I thought that Redd’s desire to help students develop a sense of authority as a writer was important. This fulfills the standards well. Though the population might be different at Georgia State, I think this hope is widely applicable. Even in drafting the literacy narrative, I find myself questioning my own authority. Should I really be in this class among writers? What will they think? I needed the reminder that I do possess a sense of authorship and it will be a future joy to convince other students that “they can write and that they know something worth writing about” (148).

Redd’s chapter also reminded me of the brief conversation begun in class on the teaching of grammar (another aspect of the standards). I like the idea that the process is necessary for transferable skills. This in addition to the theory that conventions fulfill expectations and are thus important made me, someone who has never excelled at grammar, excited about the subject. The discussion on grammar also reminded me of the “Advanced Grammar” class I had in undergrad. We were offered extra credit for bringing in examples of grammar mistakes we found in the world. On billboards, flyers, and books, the examples sparked discussion. Noticing Redd’s policy on extra credit made me question the standards. Is extra credit taboo? Do university policies on extra credit exist?

Reid’s chapter also stirred questions. Though I felt slightly overwhelmed when the challenges were so bluntly laid out in the introduction, it also excited me to meet the challenge. Though the course offered by Reid certainly fits the standards as presented by NCTE and WPA (especially in the overall goal to offer students the opportunity to “develop a durable, productive writing practice appropriate for the compositional networks in which they operate” (186)), and the context of diverse students seemed similar to GSU, I questioned his thoughts on risk.

The idea that a cultural lag exists in the privacy of the classroom fascinates me. I like the addition of risk (and potential rewards) in creating a more public sharing space. I resonate with this in another class I’m currently taking where my work is much more public than anything I’m used to. I spend more time reviewing it and thus it is more similar to work that I would prepare for publication because of the public nature. However, the risk Reid associates with grades makes me slightly uncomfortable. Knowing I’m a student who found comfort in knowing what was expected of me, the idea that an A is unattainable without risk would seem to add unnecessary stress. I had a professor for theater appreciation take a similar approach. He told us that the best example of a project, the only project presentation in which he’d ever awarded an A, used blood and urine to demonstrate a point. I left his class defeated and intimidated. While Reid’s risk certainly doesn’t seem to be on the same level and some manner of risk is important in creating independent thinkers, it did raise a question.

Sphika’s essay (along with Redd’s) made me question the use of theme. I liked Shipka’s approach because it balanced well the teaching about composition in embracing the subject but still allowing for variability in the four areas of scholarship for text selection. Her methods involve great reflection, and I think this depends slightly on local conditions. Just because I like the subject of composition doesn’t limit it to a too personal theme selection in this method of choice and with the thought that composition is indeed a necessary subject to discuss in a composition course.

#Tate #TeachingComposition #NancyMyer #understanding