Why do students need
to have a voice when writing? And if they have a voice, should the teacher then
criticize it? If not, then the teacher’s criticizing the mechanics and
structure of the writing. If so, then who is the teacher to criticize the
student’s voice?
What I want to know
is why schools spend so much time using fairytales as prompts to teach children
to read and write, then expect us to abandon creativity/imagination in favor of
academic discourse. It's like the Peter Pan syndrome – no room for mature
writers in the land of imagination. The importance of content, structure,
proper language, a writer's etiquette, takes precedence over authentic voice.
What I want to know
about teaching writing is what type of discourse is going to provide my
students with the best chance of being a successful academic writer. I am torn
between what I'm learning in terms of alternative discourses to teaching
writing. That is my number one issue. I read that the expressive pedagogy is
great and allows an authentic voice but what usefulness other than writing
differently does this serve? When they move on to the next writing class and
the teacher has no experience or is in direct opposition, how will it affect
the student? I just wonder if it is not the status quo and so many of the
institutional level abhor this type of writing, again what is the purpose?
Why does English as a
department carry a stigma that no one who majors in this field will get a
job/took the easy way out?
Why is teaching
(specifically in college) so political/competitive? Why don't college
professors work together more often rather than seclude themselves?
What's more
important: research, publication, or teaching?
How important is
knowing grammar/MLA as a teacher in composition?
Should you take a
year or any amount of time off between MA and PhD to teach? Will this better
your chances of getting into a PhD program?
How do you write/teach
to write dialogue?
What history (of
writing) is most important to cover? What theories are there on writing? There
are literary theories on how to analyze literature – what is there for the act
of writing itself? Do they overlap – modernism, postmodernism, structuralism,
etc.
Please summarize Bartholomae/Elbow
debate – where does it stand now?
More insight as to
why some of the articles are important for students – and more other words more
feedback.
Samples of successful
thesis prospectus
Samples of literacy
biographies
I would like to know
how to work with students who have a phobia of writing. I find the getting the
ball rolling often begins with the opening sentence: I want to get the audience’s
attention in the first line. Sometimes it's a difficult task when the topic is
very complex. Should we encourage “one-liners,” opening sentences and skills
for developing something that catches the eye and ear?
Providing student
feedback
Evaluating students
writing/grading
How do I write
creatively?/Creative writing instruction
ESL students: do I
grade them on form or just content?/Best way to teach composition to ESL
students
Practice with process
How can I help students
organize writing
How to get students
to deepen analysis
Teaching students to
revise and take it seriously
Helping students
invest in writing
Helping students to
brainstorm on their own
Challenging writers
to write more and more often
I need to know my
students. I need to become familiar with their – his and her – writing. I want
to want to need to read and “grade” their writing. I want to not feel like
spending all, most, of my time is a burden. Why should I decide to be this
person – join this morally ambiguous and egotistic elitist field – not to
conform, to upset, destroy (Cixous) and reinvent.
I want to know the
best way to break the mold of the five paragraph essay for younger students.
Alternative forms of essays.
I want to know how to
grade creative writing pieces. It seems completely subjective.
I want to know what
the new “big thing” is in composition studies. Is it all on multi modality in
writing across texts?
How to teach
conclusion paragraphs
Syntax
Effectively connect
paragraphs?
Is there anyway a
rather what is the way to help students writing without it sounding like you?
Or another way, how do you not default into “Well this is what I would say”?
Can you or should you
reward weaker writers for relatively significant improvements in writing even
if it's not near as good as some of the strongest students? And if you should,
how?
Romano says that students need to have more than a voice, they need to "cut loose". However, shouldn't students be taught that there are appropriate ways to "cut loose?" Assuming that most students do not want to grow up and be literary writers, then they will need to know how to write in a way that fits into the business world. What is the discourse of business writing? It is many things, but mostly, it is not "cutting loose."
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