Week 8: Bartholomae Article

While some view writing as internal, meaning that the writer has everything he or she needs on the inside, Bartholomae views writing as an external struggle to carry out the writing process. Writing represents a closed society whereby students struggle to fit in. Since writing is a discourse that is not a student’s own, the assignments must lead them through the process, while allowing room for both failure and mastery.  Not every student will arrive at the same point at the same time.

Instead of just giving students a subject to write on, students must also be given the opportunity to provide their own meaning to the subject. Individual projects should be part of a larger group project to help them develop as writers.  Finally, students should be given assignments that allow them to take time with the writing process, through prewriting and revising activities so that they can grow. 

I have never considered writing as being external.  In my experience, writing has always been an internal form of expression that will blossom as the writing develops.  It is interesting to think of writing from an external point of view. Furthermore, I never really saw it as a ‘hidden society’ to my students.  After reading this writing, it is evident that I must take the time to unlock some of the doors to my students.  This can be done by giving them more time to understand their mistakes and the process in general. 

I recently assignment an article critique, and after reading a few assignments, it seems that most of them have written nothing more than summaries. When I return to class, my new goal will be to help guide them through the process a little better.  Instead of making red marks all over their papers, I plan to allow some class time for both my own coaching and group work.  My goal is to point them to ideas that may work, allow for discussion, and allow more time for revisions.  I believe that this will help them to become better writers overall—many students are just used to turning in an assignment, getting a grade, and moving to the next assignment.  They will be surprised when I stop them in the process and make them go back over their writing.  I hope that they will be willing to give it another try, and I will encourage them to do just that! 

Week 8: The Writing Process

The Writing Process.  The arrow indicates that one can move back and forth between divisions.

Week 8: Reflective Writing

What are you thinking now about “the” composing process? What do you see to be the main parts of such a process—and how would you describe those parts to someone who had never thought about such a process? How do the parts fit together?

How has our reading, discussion, and thinking shifted your sense of writing? How has your writing shifted your sense of writing?

I think that the first article we read on Invention, by Sharon Crowley, helped me to give the writing process a form.  In my opinion, the main parts are invention, arrangement, and style. I am aware that delivery was also included in the process, but to be honest, I am having a difficult time separating that from style. For me, the invention process is the creation stage of writing and this is where the idea begins and pen takes to paper.  The writer at this phase is just beginning the process and not sure of what will happen at the end.  The arrangement process is where the writing begins to take shape and the ideas actually become in order.  Style to me is best describe as the writer’s twist to the document and where the writer begins to refine the document. This is where a lot of grammatical revisions, etc. may come into play.  Delivery is where the final product is complete.  I agree (as we discussed in class) that we move between the parts of invention, and it is acceptable for us to move back and forth. 

Our reading and discussion has shifted my understanding of writing.  I am more conscious of the steps that I take when writing.  I am not sure if this is a good thing for me because I can sometimes focus too much on the process and never get anything done. J  The good part about understanding the process is that I am now able to ‘forgive’ myself if I do not have a perfect product at the beginning.  I am somewhat of a perfectionist, and at times, it is difficult for me to let go of things.  I find it easier to put my writing away and come back to it at a later date.

Week 7: Where is My Writing Today?

Right now, I believe that I am somewhere between the prewriting and drafting stages of writing.  After reading some feedback from my classmates, I was able to solidify my argument a little more and make it stronger.  I am at the point where I am making my argument stronger and I am locating research that will help to support my main points.  For me, I am essentially in the REFINING stage and I am making everything stronger.

The article would suggest that I become more structured in my critique of my writing and begin to ask questions.  My questions may start off as general, such as, "What makes this piece good?" to more specific, like, "What is my thesis statement?"  At this point, I need to make sure that my audience can understand my writing and that it correlates with my true meaning.

Week 7: Responding to My Classmates

I decided to use the old-fashioned approach and write directly on the paper.  I guess I am a traditionalist in that way; I love to interact with paper and pen.  It also works well in that I don't have to logon anywhere in order to respond  The hand-written comments seem to be more personal, and I can write wherever I wish on the page!

Week 7: How to Respond to My Students

The Faigley article was quite interesting in that I do not CONSCIOUSLY grade writing based upon emotionalism.  This article caused me to really think about the fact that good writing is defined by many things, including how interesting it is.  When judging my students' writing, I must say that I am somewhat of a traditionalist.  I appreciate the basic conventions of grammar, but am not overbearing when grading it.  I have YET to find a person who always writes grammatically correct (who does that :).  I also believe that all forms of writing can be valuable, because they help the students to better express themselves.  One advantage of the 5-paragraph essay is that it makes students follow a format and sum up their writing in a few short paragraphs.  The bottom line, though, is that regardless of the format, good expression is a valuable tool in writing.

After reading the articles, I am much more open to grading based upon how well a student told the story.  In the Faigley article, I became immersed in memories of the days when we wrote hand-written letters.  The post office story reminded me of the days when I was in the military andeagerly awaited the letters from friends and family around the world.  It also reminded me of a friend who was in prison at the time.  I remembered how we would eagerly await hearing from one another.

Faigley is right!  The letters were so powerful because of the life experiences we shared, and not because of the grammar or spelling.  While these things are important for a student to express himself, good writing should include more of an expression of oneself.

Week 7: Harris Article Summary

The two articles for this week's reading were both pretty good reads!

The Harris article focused on continuously critiquing a student's writing for the purpose of growth as a writer.  One way in which students can 'grow' is by working in groups and receiving feedback from classmates on what works well and what does not. This group is essentially the student's audience and helps to clarify for the student what a typical audience may experience.  The audience can answer questions such as whether or not they enjoyed the writing, what made it enjoyable, and how it could become more effective.  The teacher's role is to facilitate the process.  At the end of the process, the student should have accomplished some skill in his or her writing and is now able to revisit the paper and refine it using new and improved writing skills.

The Faigley article was quite interesting.  This article also viewed the teacher as a judge or coach.  One interesting thing was that the article looked at a College Entrance Examination Board's review of 2 student's writing.  This review had taken place in 1929!  Faigley analyzed their reviewd and found that at that time, writing teachers were more concerned with how well students could interpret popular literature at the time.  In fact, a student who was unable to analyze literature (using their standards for good vs. bad) was essentially denied entrance into the school.  Overall, the student's analysis must show the correct attitude so that he can fit in with the elite social class.

Fast forward to 1981, where 48 writing teachers entered one example of great writing from one of their students.  Faigley found that not one essay was a research paper. Instead, the papers represented writings about very painful aspects of the students' lives.  For example, one student discussed a rape! What made these papers so valuable, though, was the brutal honesty of truthful experiences.  Instead of the students using literature to obtain that sense of awareness, their used their own writing , or "self" to understand life.  It is interesting to note that neither Harris nor Faigley discussed the importance of good grammar; they focused more on how well the student communicates with the audience through writing.