Author John Poole makes a compelling point about "contingent identity": It's common among many adjunct faculty, part-time university employees, and students who live mostly in "the real world."
Like other universities throughout the country, Madonna's population of nontraditional students keeps growing. Many are returning students, many have families, many are part of an ethnic, racial, or religious minority. Most of them work.
In composition classes, we frequently make the distinction between "academic writing" and other types of writing. But after four years--or however long it takes to graduate--most of our students will never write another academic paper (and they'll be glad of it).
As present and former students, what do you think about this? How do we empower our cautious writers? How do we foster a sense of belonging in our academic community? How do we help our students discover their unique and powerful writer's voice?
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I don't fully agree with the author of this article; since my Comp I and II with Dr. Edelmayer, I have seen and felt that my professors are trying to teach me how write--how to compose, organize and present my thoughts, opinions and feelings. Poole states that, "my students suggest that university conventions are about proper grammar and never fully articulate a desire to learn 'about' writing." It has always been stressed to me that grammar is not the most important aspect of writing, that I need to focus first and foremost on the organization and presentation of ideas. All of my writing professors (and most of my other professors as well) have been mainly interested in what I was saying or trying to say, not how properly I said it.
ReplyDeleteI felt safe sticking my neck out and manifesting my thoughts and feelings because I have had several professors who were able to create a classroom dynamic and environment in which I knew that I would not be negatively criticed for saying something wrong or "stupid". I was made to feel that I was quite safe in voicing/writing things when I wasn't sure if I was "right" or not. This is the key to encouraging student writers--not merely telling them that their opinions matter and that they need to write/talk even when they're unsure, but listenting to them and attaching worth to their thoughts while helping them to improve their arguments.
I'm glad to hear about your positive writing experiences at Madonna, John. Looks like we're doing something right!
ReplyDeleteOn the other hand, you're a remarkable student: You understand and easily adapt to academic forms of writing. How do we reach students who really struggle to articulate their thoughts?
Maybe we do that the same way we work with a lot of students here in the Writing Center: by getting our students to talk about what they're writing. Maybe oral conversation is the link to written conversation.
It seems to me that one of the most effective ways to encourage anyone to write is to have a conversation. A blank page can be rather intimidating, but if the writer takes a minute to turn away from the computer screen and simply talk with someone about her ideas a lot of good can result. Often times people have more success articulating their ideas by discussing them than by writing them, at least initially, and so this builds the confidence needed to then move on to the task of actually putting words on paper. I have seen other tutors using this tactic, and it generally seems to puts the students at ease and encourages them to have a more positive attitude towards their writing.
ReplyDeleteThe author of the article mentioned student writers sometimes feeling uncertain about whether what they have to say is important, or if they have the required skill to say it. I have noticed that especially with students (traditional and non-traditional) who feel they do not have strong grammatical skills – speaking about a topic that interests them, these students make excellent points and can present the information clearly, but when it comes to writing that same information down they suddenly become hesitant. Surface details trump content, and so the writing can become stilted or unsure. This is not the case for every student, but when it does happen returning to talking about the topic seems to be helpful. It provides a reminder that there is more to writing than knowing exactly where a comma goes (though, of course, grammar is still important).
I was a very reluctant writer. In fact, I hated it. I think that what encouraged me the most was the comments on my papers that encouraged me as a writer. They told me what I was doing right and informed me of what I could improve on.
ReplyDeleteWhile I may never write another acadmeic paper in my life (but I probably will if I decide on grad school), the writing that I've done here at Madonna has overflowed into other areas. I now have a love of writing. I blog for fun (which if you had told me four years ago that I would enjoy doing this, I would have laughed at you) and I've been teaching my sister how to write an academic paper.
I wouldn't have had that without the encouragement from the progessors here. I also found what works for me when I write. I have to talk it out first. I don't want you to comment as I talk about it; I just want you to listen so I can get a clear idea in my head of where I'm going with this paper.