Sunday, September 30, 2007
Is there an end to composition?
I would argue that there is no “end of composition”. Composition is an ongoing process where the achievement of one skill leads to the development of another. There is no finish line, only the next skill to learn. The most important skill for students to learn is the art of expressing themselves, or to find their voice. Self expression forms the basis from which all other composition skills are derived. The next is to teach students the proper uses of grammar and syntax. Also, to inform them of the other applications to which they can use the skills developed in freshman composition courses. The method that instructors should use to develop students writing abilities is practice. We should have the students practice various types of writing. Another important method is quality feedback on their writing. Students benefit from constructive criticism. Lastly, a positive environment is crucial to the students’ development of good writing skills. The classroom should be open and engaging. Any lesson plan should accommodate these methods.
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I completely agree with you, both in that teaching and learning about composition are never ending processes and that it is vital to give good feedback in order to really have the students learn. As an undergraduate I did not take a composition class. Instead, I learned what I didn't know about writing through my professors' comments on my papers. In particular, my general education literature class professors taught me a lot about writing. They understood that their job was to not only teach literature, but also prepare those of us who would not become English majors for academic writing. As a result, they made numerous comments on style, structure, and grammar. Even as a graduate student (or perhaps especially as a graduate student) I feel that there is so much about writing that I don't know and need to learn.
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