But castles aren't the only things that crumble without a proper foundation.
People write about certain subjects, but many students seem to ignore the implications that their subject has on their writing, or worse, don't even understand their subject to begin with. High school education promotes a zealous commitment to structure in writing. The infamous five paragraph essay is the pinnacle of this commitment. The organization of papers in high school is for organization's sake, and does not accurately amplify or even reflect the content of the paper.
Therefore writing consultants should make their first priority to ensure that the writer comprehends her subject. Luckily, many college essay prompts direct the student to a specific passage or area of text that the writing consultant can examine with the student. Of course, the consultant needs to be careful that they do not find their own understanding of the text and simply hand it over to the writer. The consultant should be asking the types of questions that will allow for the writer to come to their own well informed interpretation of the text.
Once the consultant is assured that the writer understands her subject, the writing process becomes much more interesting and clear. Three body paragraphs previously full of "academic bullshit" are reworked into a unique and engaging structure that adjusts to the content of the paper while presenting more insights into the assignment.
Looking at the specific text involved in the assignment with the student is a relatively short process with long reaching benefits. This type of consulting isn't even truly directed at the immediate paper (though of course the student appreciates that it does), but rather teaches the student how to work through all types of assignments.
Comprehending subjects, or how to turn a pile of crumbled cardboard bricks into an A+ castle.
If high-school teachers universally taught the "footstool" essay as only the starting point for organizing thought, I'd be happier. But too many writers come to college with a "one size fits all" mentality, and they use that form for their first papers...then do poorly.
ReplyDeleteInterestingly enough, my blog was concerning the same ordeal. One class in particular comes to mind. Upon writing my first college paper here at Richmond, I found the prompt to be extremely daunting and thought for sure I would not get the kind of grade I wanted. However, after following the writing style that had been hammered into my head from high school, I actually received one of the higher grades in the class for that particular paper.
ReplyDeleteHowever, as the course progressed...my grades did not. I could not understand why the formula that worked so well for the first paper was continually falling short for the others. Thankfully, I did come to realize the "one size fits all" mentally was far from accurate and was able to salvage a decent grade in the course.
As I noted in my blog, unlike high school teachers, college professors place a higher stress on the student's understanding and content of the paper rather than the structure of the writing.
....sadly I learned the hard way
I agree with you that comprehension of the subject is extremely important. However, I feel that in college professors do not direct you to a specific passage and instead ask you to find passages on your own to compare and contrast. With my encounters thus far, professors are really trying to push me to be independent and seek originality. I think my writing is getting stronger because I am making reasonable, original claims with support from texts.
ReplyDeleteThe idea that improving an individual paper is not the ultimate goal of a peer consultant/editor is still novel to me. I have overwhelmingly seen the writing, rather than the writer, as the project that needs work. I see now that I often focus on the short-term goal in undergraduate writing: to receive good grades. With this view, writing is a means to an end rather than a destination itself.
ReplyDeleteIn short, I agree that the writer should be the focus of a writing consultant. The individual piece of writing should be treated as a building block contributing to the "castle" of good writing.