Pedegogy

Writing is not separate from thinking; it is not separate from conversation; though, it seems we have been teaching it that way within what has been called the “current-traditional paradigm” (Schultz 10). And, maybe this has been tradition for so long, we think it is the way it has always been – and, maybe, should always be – but according to R. Johnson in “Isocrates’ Methods of Teaching,” Isocrates believed that education (especially in rhetorical composition) was a matter of “natural ability, sound teaching, and practice” (26), with the most important of the three being – practice.
The idea that "students learn to write" through an "emphasis on memorizing and rules" (Schultz 14) seems to be where many would-be writers have been lost. No one expects us to learn the rules of grammar when we are first learn to speak, but almost from the moment we begin to write, we are given definitions and concepts, forgetting that knowing and understanding must come before any real learning can take place. Suddenly, upon entering school, writing becomes a scary foreign world. We do not learn to ride a bicycle by learning to name the parts of a bike; why do we expect students to learn to write by simply by naming the parts of a sentence?
When we get the students who have become convinced English is a boring, complicated, and often frightening subject that has only minimal relevance to their lives, we must work to engage them in the process of writing; because, writing is a process, and grammar is simply a tool we use in the process. Close reading of texts should also be introduced at even the remedial levels, possibly using reading material which is outside of traditional canonical choices but more relevant to the student's lives, so that the students may learn to “read, write, and reason as they will be expected to do in other college courses, and thus to absorb the sorts of rhetorical moves that will help them survive in college” (Fulkerson 678). I would add that surviving college is not the only goal of critical thinking skills. While it has been my experience that we still expect more from those in four-year colleges and universities than we do of those in high school or even community colleges, it has not been my experience that "good" writing is only a function of higher learning. Authority to write is granted by simply living and having knowledge of the personal experience gained from entering into different situations with different people where each new voice adds something different to the mix; some things, even on the subject of writing, are "known" more intuitively through example than explanation.
New voices entering into this long-standing, on-going dialogue will always need a new language with which to differentiate them from the voices of the past and a community to nurture their uniqueness. I do believe the true craft is often in the revision, but there is still a need for free-writing while searching for the outline, reaching down deep to find the bones of a composition before revising for punctuation and spelling.
Writing focuses your mind and your thoughts and empowers writers as they unfold their own voice. Beginning students often need an understanding of the process of developing an idea and carrying it through a composition as a complete dialogue containing specific thoughts surrounding a central theme. Composition writing can help them to learn to problem –solve and to think critically, not just in an English class, but in other classes and in the rest of their lives. To that end, while I understand what Donald C. Stewart was getting at when he wrote that the “five-paragraph essay represents a mechanical, not an organic conception of discourse” (Stewart 137), new writers may take the disjointed thinking we all share as composers and not know how to order and transition from thought to thought in a way that allows the reader to follow. At least, starting out with a five-paragraph form enables them to visualize the way a piece can flow without rambling and pulling in needless, unrelated details. It certainly can, and should, be discarded as the student's comfort level and grasp of composition as a complete entity becomes more sophisticated.
In the end, the goal has to be to convince students that there is no one definition of "good writing" by allowing them a say in choosing their language and personal style of writing - at least to a point. Without relevance, there is no motivation to write well, or to even care about writing as a skill or practice. Communication is key and mechanics secondary, so that students may walk away with the understanding that “good writing” is just conversation with punctuation.