However, in the text of these readings, I'd like to see more of what I call "hedging."
One thing that might turn people off from these readings (thus causing them to say Woah, Nelly! to the ideas encountered) is the way that Boice conveys his message. Everything is so directive. He even goes so far as to call these "rules." There isn't a lot of wiggle room. And, as we've learned from our students and from our own practices, wiggle room is needed. There isn't one right way to write--there never will be. But, it would be easy to read this text as saying there is one right way to write.
To get over this discomfort, I add the hedges myself. Instead of saying "Rule 1," I say to myself, "Suggestion 1." Once I get over my assumption that the advice in this book is necessary for all, and I start to think of the rules as suggestions, I'm able to find ways to apply these "rules" to my own life. And it helps! I'm less stressed, less worried, more comfortable, and I feel like I have something worth saying.
In terms of how Boice's chapters in Advice for New Faculty Members relates to Chapter 7 of the Allyn & Bacon guide, both seem to be about active waiting. The chapter on exploratory writing is all about "wallowing in complexity" and considering all aspects of a problem, many possible solutions, and various ways of asking a question before coming up with a thesis statement and writing an argument. Personally, I love the exploratory essay, and my students did last year too. Unanimously, when I asked which paper I should definitely keep for this fall, they said the exploratory essay. When I asked why, they said it was because they finally had time to consider their topics before writing about them in an argument, and so they thought their classical arguments (which followed) were stronger.
I don't think it's a fluke that students like it. For many, it's the first opportunity they have to wait before writing a thesis statement. As I'm sure many would agree, one issue faced in FYC is that students come to a thesis too quick, and it's often very shallow as a result. By giving students time to wait--to research and question and write in a lower-stress environment--students are better prepared for the thesis driven essay later. At least that's the idea.
So, while the ideas in Boice are unfamiliar and a bit uncomfortable, and while teaching the exploratory essay may also be unusual, I find that for myself, saying "Woah, Nelly!" to my own assumptions is best. And then, I give the new ideas a try. I can't "knock it" unless I try it.
Jes,
ReplyDeleteI really like what you said about the students waiting on their thesis, because I think, for beginning and even advanced writers, it's hard to articulate off the bat exactly what our argument is going to be. I know that, as a beginning writer back in days of yore, it was hard for me to begin without knowing exactly what I was going to write about, and that caused way too much stress overall. However, as I developed my own process more, waiting to form my argument often changed the direction of my work - for the better. So, you know, in the classroom, I'm pretty much all for encouraging students to write their thesis last. I like that whole we can encourage them to write open-prose for this first essay thing. That was highly discouraged in my last composition assignment, but I think it's kind of natural.
I'm glad to hear someone else has noticed the rushed thesis phenomenon. It's just so easy, especially in the standardized test world we live in, to give an answer to a question like "is abortion wrong" and then defend it. It makes me sad when our students don't consider more than one option.
ReplyDeleteAnd, I agree: it's awesome that we can teach open prose writing in this program! In my masters, every paper we taught our students was argument, and it had to be. Everyone had the same syllabus and assignments and textbook. Sure, there was research to back up what was being done, but it got so boring teaching the class. This first assignment (and the second to come) are different from the norm, which I like. I'm glad you liked the open-form part of the first essay too!
Jes--- I think your reaction to Boice was much the same as mine, and I am so glad to see that you also were able to turn his rules into "suggestions". I am finding that all of my students were taught a different idea of what a thesis statement is. On the day we discussed drafting a thesis statement that would help them to begin their research they struggled to understand that it did not have to be final, perfect, or even just one sentences. I adapted the assignment to be more of an open questioning of their possible thesis statement and they seem much more confident.
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