Composition Forum 27, Spring 2013
http://compositionforum.com/issue/27/

Appendix 3 to Intractable Writing Program Problems: Teacher Response from Adele Richardson

Adele Richardson

This is an appendix to Intractable Writing Program Problems, Kairos, and Writing about Writing: A Profile of the University of Central Florida's First-Year Composition Program.

Adele Richardson, University of Central Florida
adele@ucf.edu

Response to Intractable Writing Program Problems, Kairos, and Writing about Writing: A Profile of the University of Central Florida’s First-Year Composition Program

As someone who was an adjunct teaching to (and I do mean to) a specific sequence of papers at UCF in 2008, the claim Wardle makes about how “the new [writing-about-writing] curriculum challenged . . . students, and thus made . . . experiences in the classroom more engaging” cannot be overstated. This applies to both students and instructors.

Most students come into their FY writing class expecting the content to be literature based much like it was for them in high school, so there is an adjustment period that goes on at the beginning of a semester. However, once students get the hang of reading and applying the theories to their own writing, most begin to have a little fun with it—or at least a little curiosity. During the “genre years,” the usual type of curiosity that was expressed in my classrooms revolved around why they had to learn to write a memoir in the first place. And why wouldn’t they question it? Most never had the need or desire to ever write another memoir once they left the classroom—not that there weren’t things they could learn from such assignments. It’s just that students had a harder time seeing just what those skills were. With the writing-about-writing curriculum, though, students actively explore concepts such as why writing changes between various communities of practice or how simple punctuation can alter meaning—all of which is usable stuff for them outside of the classroom. I believe with the new curriculum writing becomes less intimidating for students because they see the inner workings of the craft more—and that experienced writers can struggle just as much as they do, sometimes even more. Writing takes on a more human, more doable, quality than it had for them in the past. As a result, they become more willing participants.

I look back now and see why a department filled with transient adjunct instructors made teaching genres (“modes”) useful in some instances. Sometimes administrators do need something that can be taught in almost a “recipe” form. However, the drawback I experienced is that each genre paper became something to merely check off the Comp 1 “to-do” list and it didn’t really prepare freshmen for the writing they would encounter in other parts of their lives. Students, consciously or not, seemed to know this and responded accordingly.

These days, I use the writing-about-writing curriculum to teach to department outcomes and enjoy the freedom and rewards that brings. Freedom because, let’s face it, there are only so many ways a person can teach a memoir or a review. However, if an outcome is the goal, the ways to approach reaching it are only as limited as someone’s creativity. I now have the chance to better meet students where they are in life or in their writing level with this approach, which further encourages classroom engagement. Students appreciate me reaching out to them, and while the curriculum is a bit more involved, it actually makes my job as an educator easier because of their willingness to hear me out. To be fair, there will always be a few die-hards out there who aren’t buying what I’m selling in my classrooms. But I have seen their numbers decrease the more familiar I became with just how much freedom I have. And that’s a reward in itself.

Another side benefit I’ve discovered with using the WaW curriculum alongside the teaching to outcomes approach is that with creative scaffolding, plagiarism is for all intents and purposes a moot point. Since students are exploring their own personal writing practices and memberships in discourse communities, I step them through applying theories on themselves. As a result, it is very obvious if someone isn’t engaged, or if they’re borrowing. In fact, during recent class discussions, several students pointed out how it would take more time and effort to successfully plagiarize than it would to try out the material on their own. This frees me up to focus on helping students improve their writing and achieve the goals of the department, instead of wondering if someone lifted a review a student used in another instructor’s class.

Because of the new curriculum, the reduction of adjunct positions, and subsequent attitude changes made here in the department of Writing and Rhetoric at UCF, comments in the halls these days really are about discussing our classrooms and assignments and, a lot of times, to brag about what our students achieved. There is an atmosphere of solidarity that surprises new instructors and guests; we are in this together and are willing to help each other out when needed to achieve our common goals.