Going Beyond a Utilitarian Approach to Teaching Writing >Diane Martinez

Numerous articles in the many editions of this WAC newsletter have focused on two important aspects of teaching writing: 1) make writing relevant to students’ careers, and 2) use holistic grading practices that evaluate content as well as grammar and mechanics. In today’s society, higher education is focused primarily on preparing students for the workforce; thus, we have initiatives like WAC in place to allow students the opportunity to practice discipline-specific writing. Consequently, we gear our composition courses and writing assignments so that they closely resemble the writing demands of professionals in various career fields. This is all valuable practice. I would, however, like to talk a bit about how we make writing valuable to students beyond the utilitarian perspective of preparing them for what they will experience on the job. What about the learning and humanistic aspects of writing?

When I was an undergraduate learning how to teach writing, one of my textbooks was Erika Lindemann’s A Rhetoric for Writing Teachers. It’s one of the few undergraduate texts that I actually read from beginning to end; one of the few I engaged with as evidenced by excessive highlights, underlines, and annotations throughout the book. Obviously, this book evoked some sort of passion in me, because my grammar books don’t have a mark on them (I think the spines still creak when I open them). I have returned to Lindemann’s book many times throughout my teaching career, and when I was searching for a topic to write about for this month’s newsletter, I turned to her book for inspiration; it’s sort of like my writing bible.

Lindemann acknowledges the importance of teaching writing from a practical perspective:

The ability to write well still creates economic power. If we will examine, together with our students, the kinds of writing required in jobs that interest them, they will discover important work-related reasons to improve their skills….Writing well may not guarantee advancement, but writing poorly jeopardizes success. Employers expect written communication to be clear and concise. (Lindemann, 1987, pgs. 4-5)

At Kaplan, we follow this same philosophy and constantly remind instructors and students about the reality of workplace expectations when it comes to communication. And even though our society has changed drastically since Lindemann wrote her book, even in a day when "r u ok?" and "c u soon" are common and accepted textual communications in many instances, there is still no replacement for Standard American English in professional venues at this time. And proper English seems to be what we focus on quite a bit when we teach writing.

That focus is not wrong by any means, and I am not advocating a replacement or modification of it; but, what I do want to discuss is how we can teach students to use writing as a way toward clearer thinking and learning about a subject, as well as how we can teach students "to appreciate [and use] writing that discovers meaning, form, and self" (Lindemann, 1987, p. 7).

While some may say that Kaplan is not a liberal arts college, therefore, we do not have writing classes that encourage this kind of flowery, self-discovery-type of writing (aka creative writing), I posit that writing in any class, even a technical writing class, can encourage writing for learning and self-discovery. How this insight can take place is by using the writing process.

In many of my own articles for this newsletter, as well as when I give presentations to instructors, I am constantly reminding faculty to encourage the writing process with their students by reminding them several weeks ahead that a project is due. I don’t do this to nag (although I have that nagging characteristic to my personality), but I say this because of the unique population that Kaplan serves. Our students are probably the busiest portion of the American population. Many work full time, have families with multiple children and spouses or significant others, are actively involved in the community, and are pursing a college education online. I’m not sure balance is even possible when it comes to handling so many critical life responsibilities. Consequently, many of our students resort to writing their projects at the last minute and put little or no critical thought into what they are submitting. To them, it may be just an assignment. And this is what we want to change.

When we encourage the writing process and even go so far as to implement the writing process in our courses, such as asking for prewriting, outlines, and drafts either as projects or as discussion questions, we show students that the writing process is important. And it is through our feedback to students, as well as through peer feedback, that students can use writing as a way to learn more about a subject, to think critically, and go beyond the obvious or simple summaries they often provide in their projects. By asking questions about what students have written helps them to analyze the subject from different perspectives, and when the writing process is part of the class, it also gives students time to search for answers to those questions and think through their subject in a thoughtful way.

The learning aspect of writing also leads to the humanistic value of writing that Lindemann mentions above regarding self-discovery. Many students don’t even know they are capable of contributing to an existing body of knowledge (see Erica Ellsworth's November article), and when they are set up to follow a process that allows them to think through a subject in steps, they will develop original ideas, and they will have the time to communicate those ideas using proper English, which for some are two amazing feats.

The writing process should be encouraged in every class for written projects. When you stop and think about what a student faces in one week with reading, discussion, and outside obligations, it is not an efficient practice, nor is it conducive to thoughtful reflection, to sit down and write a paper in one night. We can help students write a stronger paper that actually contributes to the body of knowledge in their field, as well as helps them use writing as a way to learn about a subject and what they are capable of achieving by just simple reminders in our weekly letters and by incorporating the writing process in unit activities.

Note: I am aware that instructors cannot change their courses individually, but you can provide course leaders with suggestions about how to use the writing process for discussion and projects, which can be addressed when a course is revised or rewritten. In fact, use this blog to start discussions on ways the writing process can be incorporated in your existing courses.

Reference
Lindemann, E. (1987). A Rhetoric for Writing Teachers. Oxford: Oxford University Press.

Diane is a writing specialist in the Writing Center.