On Week 3 #567crt

In some ways, I think the facilitation was more helpful than the later discussion. While structured as a mock first-year composition class session, we were all in on the simulation. It was a meta-classroom situation. This allowed for some interesting meta-commentary moments, including the quick realization of the puzzle exercise as emblematic of process theory. Unlike first-year writing students, we were quite aware of how and why Michelle E. structured her facilitation. This awareness and experience also provided a different foundation for additional thoughts on the assigned readings. Some students pulled more from the facilitation than from prior classroom experience; this kind of immediacy made for a more fruitful discussion.

Still, a couple students might have been a little too quick to write off (ha ha) the idea of discussing audience with students. Talking about audience with those who haven't the best awareness of it can be difficult, but that can't/shouldn't mean we avoid it altogether. For as offensive or problematic David Foster Wallace's SWE/SBE speech might be, don't we have a responsibility to help students foster that awareness? And if not a direct conversation, can we devise activities/exercises (if not full assignments) that address?

Related to these questions, though, are others, including that of just what first-year writing students can handle (as well as how much). Which tools are now in/essential to teaching first-year composition? How much direction is to be provided? What does it mean to afford students the opportunity to be creative, particularly with those students who resist? What do we force on students vs. simply ask of them?

Perhaps we should put a disclaimer somewhere on our future syllabi: "your audience may vary."

4 responses

I think one thing we know for sure is that, as first-year comp professors, we have to take into consideration because the students we receive are shaped, for better or worse, by the ideology of their high school writing teacher. I'm more concerned with what to do with students in college because that's what I'm here to learn. On one hand, I think it is beneficial to be aware of what goes on before we get students through our door but my concern with what goes on in the harsh reality of the public school systems ends there because I am curious about how to approach the questions of teaching first-year composition that you just presented in a college setting. It seems as though all college students are going to be damaged in some way because their teacher is either handicapped by the requirements or really opinionated on what a prospective college student should be capable of. What does all of this mean for those of us who are teaching first-year comp at a college rather than a writing class in a public high school?

— Kevin VanNatter

I am very split on audience. Sometimes I get frustrated with it and then other times I understand the value of keeping it in mind. I do think you can become so focused on audience that it interferes with what you are trying to accomplish. As for what I think first year students are capable of and what should be expected, I think that basic clarity, an ability to build a persuasive argument and a working knowledge of the rules of MLA, would not be too much to ask.. I think the direction should be geared towards helping students find who and what they are as writers and giving them the tools needed to succeed and build upon what should be a solid foundation. As to what that foundation is, beyond what I've mentioned, I am not all that certain. It is a good question.
As to your comment, Kevin, I agree. I have a friend who is convinced that everything she learned from her high school drama teacher is all she will ever need to know about reading, writing and even research. I think we need to be prepared for such students, but our job is to do our job, which is to prepare students for the next 3-11 years of school. As we have seen in the course, so far, there are limitless ways of accomplishing that goal.

— Adam Ferenz

@Kevin: In my experience working with the 18-30 yro crowd, which is the basic age range of the majority of community college students, students have already developed a preconceived idea about writing as well. Maintaining awareness and perhaps an open line of communication with high school English teachers as a community college composition instructror makes sense to me. Perhaps the main concepts that the community college instructor hopes to have addressed will be.

— Kimberly Clark

I think it appropriate for writers/students who are serious about pursuing English composition, writing, poetry to consider audience, to have a discussion about it. It seems appropriate in grad school and, probably, 300 - 400 level writing classes as an undergrad, but until the basics are mastered, aren't we just pushing audience as a concept of Marketing? Otherwise, all writing assignments are supposed to be in SAE,without slang or other ideolect inclusions.

— melodie bolt