Grammar, Language and Good Writing

     After reviewing Douglas Cazort's Under the Grammar Hammer and considering our discussion in class, I found that although I do not tend to make many grammatical errors, there are a few "common mistakes" I can more or less identify with making. Usually, my biggest problem with writing involves overly complex sentences and structures. One of my first professors here told me that as one of his professors once told him, I write like I "have three PhD's." And this, of course, is not a compliment. One important skill is the application of simplicity when your topic is simple, and complexity only when the topic or your thesis demands such a form of discourse. But anyways, back to grammar.... I chose #15: "vague pronoun reference" as my most frequent blunder. The example they give in the book is straightforward - using "which" or "that" instead of a more specific word such as "practice" or "function" or whatever. This weakens writing because it forces the reader to continually go back or at least to consider the surface level of what we are writing far more than what we might actually be trying to say. Nevertheless, we must be careful when replacing these words...if we replace them because we think we have to, we will likely choose a word that sounds good. In that case, I think "which" or "that" probably served a better purpose. We must know what we are writing about and use language to harness our ideas onto the paper; language, itself, cannot create ideas.

How IS this Class Going? FREEWRITE

     Currently, I feel this class is going fairly well. After commenting on a blog a moment ago, I have 50 points. Because I need (want) 80 points on the citizenship grade from blogging, I need 30 more. I think this is an attainable goal. I will have to be sure to blog and comment more frequently than I have during some weeks, but I don't think this will be too difficult all in all. Because I feel that I talk a good amount during class, I expect the 20 points for participation to be a fairly good grade.
    Overall, I feel this class is going well enough. We are following the syllabus as planned, with a few amendments as necessary. I am happy with the student feedback that has been allowed in this class, and the students seem to be willing and eager to share thoughts and ideas about how the logistics of the assignments for the course should work out. I am a bit nervous about the digital story. I have interviewed a professor with another student in the class, which went quite well and was very informative. Nevertheless, I am not the most computer-savvy person and I expect a large amount of stress to inundate me 72 hours or so before the due date.

The Waiting Center, I Mean the Writing Center

     I am currently sitting in the Writing Center, waiting. There are no students here for us to talk to or shadow, but even worse, there are no writing consultants. At first, we thought perhaps we were in the wrong place. We rechecked the signs and looked online to find that we are, in fact, waiting in the correct spot. I phoned a friend who knows the young man I am supposed to be shadowing. After receiving his number, I promptly made a phone call (unanswered) and sent a text (still unanswered). This is when our frustration grew.
     Emma, who is also waiting at the writing center with me, and I began talking about why might this be happening. Perhaps, she said, maybe no one came, and our consultants left with them. This is a bit strange, because I was just in the library and there are hoards of people feverishly preparing documents for classes this week (likely due by tomorrow at 9 AM). Is our school really that lazy? I for one do not think it is purely the product of laziness. At dinner today, I asked a table of my closest Richmond friends where the Writing Center is. I was pretty sure it was the third or fourth floor of Weinstein. . . but why look it up to verify when I have such knowledgeable friends? I shouldn't have bothered asking. Not one person at the table even knew WHERE to go to get help. This is an institutional problem. As Emma and I discussed, publicizing and advertising need to be amended. The best option we thought of was having a classroom-based consultant for as many freshman seminars as possible. In the meantime, I'll sit here in the writing center thinking of ways to maximize my limited Sunday night time until a student walks in.

Technology-Based Assignments: Alternative Work or More Work?

     Considering the work we've been doing this week, I've been thinking about the need for the implementation of technology in the classroom and in academic work. While it is obvious that technology can benefit students in a variety of ways, I admittedly enjoy the comfort associated with writing a paper or even taking a test. When using new technology to complete a project, I have found that these situation often create more all-nighters, cramming, stress, and frustration than do conventional assessments. I think this is primarily because the challenge of learning new technology demands time from busy students and teachers - time that very well could be taken away from producing a product requiring less introductory tutorials and appointments in a technology center. Furthermore, the idea of assigning a technology-based assignment assesses not only a student's conventional "intellect" but computer capabilities and creativity.
     While I hold these somewhat negative concerns when thinking about the technology-based assignment, I see the potential benefit as well. As we are a generation that thrives from up-to-the-minute detail and expect instantaneous and always-available information, it is important that we can use new technology as assigned in order to create a product that meets both the procedural requirements and embodies the formal conventionality (our ideas, concepts, and the presentation of such ideas) necessary in a paper or on a test. Essentially, I do not mind doing this kind of project because I remind myself I should be able to complete such a task. But nevertheless, I think that these types of assignments should be used with caution in classes outside of the field of pedagogy. Can a digital story really live up to an analytical paper? Can a podcast replace a test? Though I cannot give a definitive answer, I imagine the answer is no. These tasks require something different. They respond to the needs of modernity and require different skills, which we need, but not in place of the conventional abilities we as students are expected to master by the end of a liberal arts university education.

The Role of the Writing Consultant

     Considering our class discussion last week, I have thought quite a bit about the specific role of the writing consultant in the context of working in the university environment. Without doubt, the role is complicated by the fact that the consultant is working with the paper, the writer, and the professor of the assigned work. These three (four counting the consultant) "co-workers" can seem to function as team members or have varying interests, which puts additional pressure on the consultant.
     As voiced during class, I feel the use of professorial write-ups to detail the session between consultant and student are a bit limiting for the dialogue between the student being assisted and the assisting party. From the standpoint that we are "peer reviewers," it seems that the threat of telling the professor what the student might say about a class or an assignment that may be unflattering (most students have some such criticisms), censors him or her a great extent. Nevertheless, because we must avoid plagiarism or any semblance of cheating, and because we must recognize the higher authority, limitations must be recognized. I believe that while these limitations might be tedious or seem to curtail our interests, they are certainly not devastating to what our goals must be. Primarily, we must keep in mind that we are consulting with the writer, not the paper. When this level of personality and dialogue are allowed, it seems to me, improvement is most facilitated.
     Considering the complex goals of writing consultants, then, I think we must each consider our individual goals after internalizing the common goal to improve student's writing in a conceptual way. As there is no one perfect writer, there is no one perfect writing consultant. Most importantly, we must respect the goals of the student. If he or she wants an "A," we should be able to help him or her get there. But hopefully, along the way, we can demonstrate and improve a skill more important than what can be evaluated on a grading rubric.

My First "Real" Consultation

     Today was our first person-to-person consultation, which fortunately went pretty well. Before meeting the student I was to work with, I was admittedly a bit nervous that I would run out of things to talk about with him or her. Or maybe his or her ideas would be so off track I would have to tell the student to rethink their topic, causing a possible blow to his or her confidence. Or even worse, maybe the student's ideas and writing would be so good I would have little to advise them on, causing a similar blow to my confidence. Anyhow, I had a student who was quite receptive to the topic of college in general, as I know most college-bound high school seniors are quite interested in their suspected upcoming burst of freedom. She or he was also fairly excited about writing the college essay, unless she or he was doing quite a good job faking. This tells me he'll or she'll either do well in college or be able to "bullshit" her or his way through with ease. She or he was, however, noticeably a bit nervous. She or he asked my advice on a few procedural issues of the application process, but her or his questions centered on how she or he should present herself or himself in the written form. I thought this was a very interesting question, and told her or him the college essay is about showcasing oneself in a positive way; however, we do not want to sound as if we're bragging to the extent of pompousness or arrogance.
     I began my session with the student by asking her or him some basic information, just to make the conversation seem more informal and friendly. I also was sure to use one of my token phrases: "no pressure," throughout our conversation. I felt that my job as a consultant could really only take shape when a dialogue is realized. Thus, I wanted to make sure she or he was at least as equally comfortable as me to partake in the discussion and share only what she or he felt comfortable with. She or he turned out to be very comfortable sharing one of his or her personal stories. She or he was most interested in "the Richmond question," which essentially asks one to describe a time they left their comfort zone. She or he had a great story about a time she or he went to Mexico alone, meeting family she or he had little to no former contact with. She or he encountered familial and cultural differences which ultimately taught him or her the need to express himself or herself more fully and explicitly. I thought there was great potential here to answer the question well. I told her or him to make sure she or he effectively conveys what she or he gained through her or his experiences in Mexico and upon returning to Richmond. To prepare her or him for this writing, I had her or him perform two three-minute free-writes. One, for how she or he might begin the essay (which she or he had a bit more trouble with) and one for how she or he might conclude. I thought these two sections were so important for her or him, especially in the context of the college essay, because these are the sections the admissions officers will most likely remember her or him by.
     I left my contact information with the student and promised to answer any questions he or she might have during the process of writing the essay. I told her or him I hoped the session we had together helped, and she or he seemed to react positively. I think the dialogue, more than anything else, helped her or him feel more comfortable about starting a college essay. One of her or his major concerns was that she or he did not really "reflect" on life the way she or he was asked to this morning or the way she or he is being asked to by the applications he or she is filling out. The process of writing the college essay, which hopefully include her or his meeting with me today, will help her or him transition to a more reflective style of writing which he or she may find useful in college.

Excitement About Writing

     One of the things I've been thinking about since last class, considering both our guest speakers and the reading we did for Monday is the need for interest in one's writing. When one of our speakers was talking about writing in general, explaining the process of issuing writing assignments, she mentioned the professorial goal of "finding a way to care about the topic through a writing assignment." I thought this unveiled a truth (or at the very least what should be true in an ideal situation) about writing assignments that we as a class have not yet talked about explicitly. When I think about interest and writing, I often think about things that actually interest me, which usually means it is not a part of a class writing assignment. I have taken classes at U of R that I thought might be a little boring (but the time slot was perfect, or I needed to get the prerequisite out of the way, whatever). I have found that in these classes (Western literature, for example), I became interested in the topic only after I was forced to generate a new idea about the material. This is, of course, through the process of writing. Thus, it is important to be excited about what we write (because what we have to say is original, interesting, proves something new, etc.), but also, writing itself can facilitate excitement and interest in a topic we may have previously considered "boring."
      I plan to keep this in mind this Saturday when we as a class tutor Richmond high school students for their college essays. It is of prime importance that the students care about what they are saying. And if they do not, they can begin by writing (an early draft) and see what interest might come.

Composition Theory or Genre Theory?

     Based on last week's discussions, I now find that composition theory and genre theory are intrinsically and permanently linked. Essentially, ideas about our writing (or the writing of others) and ideas about classifying and subdividing our writing coexists. We cannot really think about one without thinking about the other.
     Our discussion of the "Bullshit" article demonstrates this well. The importance of the audience (also highlighted with the "rhetorical triangle" emphasized in class) is crucial. The relationship between the writing and the audience is basically as important as the information being presented, whether argumentative or explicative. When considering "what is good writing?" we must also consider "what genre is this?" and "who is this written for?" among other important questions. One particular class moment spurred this idea. We talked about the essay form, and Professor Dolson asked something to the effect of "What is an essay?" The expected responses ensued: ideas about a thesis and supporting evidence were pointed out by students. I began thinking about essays, and I found this to be true, until I thought of a creative writing class I took last semester. We read and wrote creative nonfiction essays, which do not have a thesis per say or supporting evidence, in the quotable form. Personal experience and reflection replace the accepted conventions of academic essays. Nevertheless, the academic community considers these works essays (as do I), because they demonstrate a sort of insight that has been gathered through study and experience. This points out both the difficulty of assessing "What is good writing?" and suggests the importance of implementing genre-specific criteria when gauging the success of a work of writing, making our job all the more difficult.