First-day fodder:
“The question, of course, is what is expertise in writing? Is it the ability to write without grammatical errors or to write with complex syntax? Is it the possession of a large repertory of structural models or of powerful composing strategies? Indeed, I suggest that one of the problems with teaching writing in general…is that we do not know what it is that comprises expertise in writing.
…At its most basic, I define the development of expertise as the movement from behavior that is governed by general process strategies to behavior that is governed by specialized knowledge. The development of expertise in writing is the movement from global writing strategies to sophisticated knowledge of special rhetorical situations. Expertise, then, is the result of specialized knowledge that comes from experience in a specific writing situation. As this knowledge grows, the writer is able to write within that situation (and others that are similar) much more quickly and efficiently” -- Michael Carter, "What Is Advanced About Advanced Composition?: A Theory of Expertise in Writing."
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