Berlin’s Contemporary Composition: The Major Pedagogical Theories

At first I was excited to read this article because I want to know more about composition pedagogical theory. But then I found the article difficult to understand; it is definitely writer based prose. Moreover, I think he assumes prior knowledge; it almost feels like he’s writing in the philosophical tradition.  He says that he is concerned about how these different schools perceive “writer, reality, audience, and language”.  He is also concerned about truth and how these schools define or situate truth. He seems to conclude that most of these schools adhere to the “myth of an objective reality”.  I wonder if he is talking about academic discourse and it’s “rhetoric of assertion” [Olson] since he also criticizes some of these schools for being scientifically based. Again he mentions truth, and says, “Whatever truth is arrived at, moreover, is always the product of individuals calling on the full range of their humanity, with esthetic and moral considerations given at least as much importance as any others” (777). He ends by saying that yes, everyone teaches process, but in different ways; ie, based on their school of thought and beliefs about reality, language, and truth. He believes that whatever process the teacher teaches should have “significance for the student”.