This is a chapter from The Bedford Guide to Writing Tutors. It's really more of a reference than a heavy-duty scholarly piece. I like it, though, because it speaks to the importance of understanding one's audience and that audience's expectations. In fact, when working with students on their research essays, PowerPoints, resumes, etc., we could look over the appropriate checklist with the student.
I'm intrigued with the question of audience because so many writers appear to be oblivious to it. I'm not talking just about students--we see it in public spaces, too. For example, Gov. Walker states that he's complying with the wishes of Wisconsinites, completely ignoring the thousands of protestors at the capitol in Madison and all the negative media coverage.
I guess the deeper question is: Why? Do some writers/speakers just not think about who their reader (or listener) is, or do they just not care? Is it difficult for some of them to imagine any attitude different from their own?
What do you think?
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I agree that this article really makes the writer think about his/ her audience. I think that going through the check lists with students is a great idea. I think it may also be helpful for a lot of writers if we had handouts with these checklists available for reference from the beginning of their writing process.
ReplyDeleteI think it is interesting that just as a lot of writers seem oblivious to audience, many of them also don't realize the difference in voice that is required in different disciplines. For example, passive voice is prescribed for lab reports, but it is a weak practice in argumentative papers. One new thing that I learned is that Literature papers are supposed to be written in present tense. I think one of the biggest transitions for a lot of writers from high school to college, is learning to write in a discipline specific manner.
I also enjoyed this article. This is something I will definitely reference when working with students and when doing my own writing. As I was reading, I also thought about going over the checklist with students who come to the Writing Center.
ReplyDeleteI have worked with many students who come in for help that seem to not consider audience. Some realize this when I mention it, but others do not. I am not sure why this is. Sometimes I forget to think about my audience, too. Perhaps students with certain majors get comfortable writing in one way, and then forget to adjust for a different audience if they have to write for a different class. For example, I am an English major, so I can very comfortably write a literary analysis, but if I had to write a lab report, I may have a hard time.
Writing with a specific audience in mind seems to be a skill you have to develop, but that most people do not realize needs to be developed. As Kristen said, people become comfortable writing in one discipline or for one type of audience, and switching it up for a different assignment can create a challenge. I liked the directness of this article in outlining what needs to be included or considered for papers with various audiences; having these checklists available to students would be a great idea.
ReplyDeleteAs I was reading the article and the responses to it, I began trying to figure out how I learned about different voices and audiences in writing. Although those topics were touched on in my college writing classes, it was through reading a variety of different writing styles that I really started understanding the whole idea. I think discussing the intended audience with students who bring papers into the Writing Center would be beneficial because it is a topic that often is not given much attention or thought. This semester alone I can think of several instances where I have talked with students about the difference between informal and formal writing, as well as when each is appropriate, and after reading this article I think those conversations would have been helped by discussing the role of audience.
I agree with what everyone said here, particularly Cassie's suggestion about using these checklists while tutoring. Since we have a copy of this guide in the writing center, I'll make sure to remember to refer to it while tutoring a student who needs help with a paper in a style I'm not familiar with. Since I've never seen a lab report, and so far I've never worked with a student who brought in a PowerPoint or book review, referring to this guide will be very useful in pointing out to me, the tutor, what the most important aspects of these items are, so I can be the most helpful if I do assist students with these.
ReplyDeleteBeyond giving me a checklist for working with the types of writing I'm not as familiar with, this guide's descriptions of research papers, argument or position papers, and literature papers, which clearly indicate how they differ from each other, are particularly useful. As tutors, we know how these types of papers differ, and how the audiences for each differ, but sometimes it's difficult to explain clearly to someone who's not familiar with the concepts of "writer-based prose" and the kind of terminology writing centers use. These descriptions and checklists can also come in handy for the occasional "I know this, but I just drew a blank..." which can happen if a tutor has been working for a few hours with little time between students, and is starting to experience brain freeze.
It appears to be unanimous. I, also, am in agreement with my colleagues. This article, written in an all comprehensive format, can be a help to tutor and student, alike. The checklists are excellent simple guides, reassuring the writer and tutor that the main components of the paper are addressed. Besides, it is to the tutor's advantage to hand a pertinent checklist to the student, versus verbally explaining what is vital to the quality of the written product. Rationale: Sometimes less said is better absorbed. Thus, voila! The best is produced and all are (hopefully) feeling confident and valued in providing a well-written paper or resume'.
ReplyDeleteI like the helpful checklists this article includes. It might be a good idea to have these available for our students. These are quite common in textbooks, and I always point them out to my students.
ReplyDeleteI guess I would like to add that it's always important to start with the instructor's instructions for whichever assignment is being considered. I recently assigned a review to my WRT 3100 students, and my instructions ask for a specific organization pattern not mentioned in the checklist in this article.