Engage in discussion about something that captured your attention over the past few weeks in the course. Relate it back to specific class discussions, readings, and your grading/teaching when possible.
I've had a difficult time articulating why I think it's important in a FYC classroom to spend some time on grammar, style, and mechanics, but when I read Peter Elbow's "Inviting the Mother Tongue," I suddenly understood why I valued these things when teaching. Elbow does a fantastic job acknowledging the importance of safety for the mother tongue, and arguing that an instructor should show respect to students' original dialect. In addition, he does this without downplaying the importance of standard written English, which he argues is the "written language of power and prestige." This philosophy seems to me to have it both ways: to acknowledge that what we come in to the classroom already knowing is valuable and rich beyond measure, but that we still have work to do with regards to written language.
I also appreciate his discussion about SWE being nobody's first language, and I think this is a valuable point to make to students: you are not somehow wrong for not intuiting SWE. Nobody does. We all have to learn it, including your instructors.
I think, in addition, this perspective allows an instructor to foster a safe classroom space, one where many dialects are welcomed, but still to do the job of improving a student's academic writing. His answer as to how to accomplish this job is also valuable, I think: to have students figure out how and where to get help, and to focus on copy-editing as a sort of translation process.
To me, this has been the single most practical reading for classroom implementation so far, and I've already put into practice some of his suggestions.
It is really difficult to balance teaching the intricacies of composition becoming a grammar class. Grammar is important because it is the foundation of writing clearly. I think, given that there is so much tech available, we often undervalue grammar. Discussing writing in a way that shows we are all still learning, not matter what our first language is, is extremely valuable and helps students appreciate their struggle and the struggles of their peers. Very interesting post, thank you!
ReplyDeleteNice to hear that Elbow resonates with you. His embracing contrary concept has always inspired me. How can we do both (paying attention to SWE and personal voice) simultaneously? That's what we're called to do as teachers of writing.
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