Theory and practice

Positions, Positions:

A Look at Three Position Statements in the Field of Writing Pedagogy

Goodbye, Grammar?

Whenever a friend, a colleague, a family member, or even a local cashier learns that I plan to teach English composition and creative writing classes, I get the same kind of response. There I'll be, just trying to purchase my Stephen King books and my decaf latte in peace, and the question comes up: so, you're into books, huh? I am, and I'm also into writing. And teaching writing. That's when the knowing smirk comes, and the follow-up question that makes me want to turn and run out into the open air of the strip-mall parking lot, book it to my Camry, and race home to throw my well-loved copy of The Elements of Style out the window. 

They ask if I like grammar.

I do.

And then that well-meaning person has an idea that I should hear immediately. You should make sure you focus on teaching these students about grammar. This generation doesn't know grammar anymore. 

And I want to tell them exactly what I've learned about the importance of global concerns over local concerns from my time as a tutor in a writing center. I want to tell them that being too prescriptive can have negative effects and overwhelm students. I want to tell them about the need for focused learning objectives and the targeted feedback those objectives should inform. I want ... I want ...

I want to read them the Nation Council of Teachers of English's (NCTE) position statement on grammar exercises in the classroom. Then they would know that there is a long, and frankly, an inhibiting history of grammar-focused writing courses, and that research has proves this type of focus "does not lead to improvement in students' speaking and writing, and that in fact, it hinders the development of students' oral and written language" (NCTE). In reality, the NCTE tells educators that the best thing to do for students is not bleed their comma-splices with an abundance of red ink or quiz them meticulously on fixing dangling modifiers. We must ensure that "class time at all levels is devoted to opportunities for meaningful listening, speaking, reading, and writing" (NCTE). An obsession with grammar is, after all, an obsession with product and not with learning. Learning, as I have learned from both the texts Naming What We Know and How Learning Works, is a journey of processes and failures (as mentioned in my former blog post). A concentration on processes, on messing up, and on seeing how rhetoric and communication can evolve and grow to meet different societal and individual needs is something that I want to highlight as an instructor who is very much still on her own learning journey alongside her students. I do not wish to use my knowledge of grammar as a means of expressing authority in the classroom, and it is no secret that a focus on grammar can also alienate students from different backgrounds, cultures, and experiences. Focusing too much on what we call the grammar of "Standard American English" can create an implicit form of belittling or diminishing the diverse voices and perspectives that students offer. 

Yes, I like grammar. But I will not stand at a podium in my classroom and use grammar as a tool to enforce product over the rocky steps of effective learning and communication. If I left a comma out somewhere in this text the odds are good that you would still understand it. But if I were writing this with no consideration of my audience, if I lacked memorable style and voice, or if I lacked coherence or even a main point, that would be far more worth looking into.

That doesn't mean I would never go over grammar with my students, especially if it was interfering with the overall clarity of their writings, but it is not uncommon now to see professors put grammar in the backseat. My own mentor professor does the same, and this practice of lowering grammar on the importance scale helps to keep students from feeling hopeless or downright afraid of turning in their projects or taking some risks in their wording, stylistic, and structural choices. Educators should encourage a little risk because staying within a comfort zone does not foster true progress.

Instructor's Freedoms

If my grammar anecdote above indicates one thing (other than the fact that I struggle with small talk), it's that everybody has an opinion on what educators should an shouldn't be doing in their classrooms. Again, most people mean no harm by expressing their thoughts, feelings, and concerns on matter of English composition, but the bottom line is that there must be an understanding that teachers are generally credible and usually have the best interests of their students in mind when they design and plan out their course materials. None of us are perfect, of course, but it is necessary to let we educators do what we feel is right for our students and our field. This is why the NCTE's "Statement on Academic Freedom (Revised)" is so significant.

The gist of the statement is that educators have a responsibility to stay up to date on the knowledge and common practices of their field, and that because of this stated responsibility, they should be trusted to use their knowledges, interests, and specialized areas of theory and research to benefit students without the fear of facing "harassment, censorship, imposition, and retaliation or sanction from politicians, administrators, corporations, or members of the public" (NCTE) for practicing those freedoms in ways that are not harmful and that serve a purpose for aiding students' education. In a time of increased book bans and cancel culture, this message is crucial to remember. If I, as an instructor, want to utilize traditionally feminist rhetorics like invitational rhetoric--which is a rhetoric that focuses on communicating one's point of view for the sake of reaching understanding rather than for the sake of persuading others to adopt your ways of thinking--in my classroom to give students new perspectives and to teach them about the many means of communication, then that should be allowed because it is being done for a justifiably (and well-informed) educational cause. 

Bringing Writing Beyond

Finally, I'd like to spotlight the Conference on College Composition and Communication's (CCCC) position statement on "Principles for the Postsecondary Teaching of Writing." It serves as a list of principles--many of which reflect the threshold concepts introduced by Linda Adler-Kassner and Elizabeth Wardle--that are meant to serve as guidelines for composition teachers as they strive to help students find "success in college and beyond" (CCCC). Beyond is the keyword here, of course, as the many principles include teaching practices that will enhance students' communication skills as a whole rather than just steering them toward better grades. The first principle, for example, says, "Sound writing instruction emphasizes the rhetorical nature of writing" (CCCC). This is something I am currently coming to realize as a TA whose university focuses on early composition courses through a rhetorical lens. The textbook I'll be using for my class next semester is even called Becoming Rhetorical, and that is indeed a phrase my cohort and I use very often with our mentors.

This idea of focusing on rhetoric over prescriptivist grammar practices (as mentioned above), literature, or even highly structured essay writing (like what we might see with the dreaded five-paragraph essay) helps students become more informed communicators and more effective writers overall as they learn about writing in non-standardized ways through considerations of different modes, genres, and aspects of ever-changing rhetorical situations. In essence, then, this principle makes students more flexible and adaptable writers, which is a benefit in the fast-paced and fluctuating world we find ourselves in.

Other CCCC principles, such as #12 ("Sound writing instruction is assessed through a collaborative effort that focuses on student learning with and beyond the writing course"), emphasize that writing is social and collaborative, which is an idea that can teach students the value of both their own voice and those of others if handled with care.

Something to keep in mind is that educators generally do care, and that is why I have chosen to become one myself. I hope to utilize these position statements and to add to the field in my own way while showing students that their worth, their capabilities, and their intelligences extend far past the need for red pens, for limited course scopes, or for restricting teaching practices.

That being said, dear reader, go enjoy a nice book today, and try not to think too much about the typos you come across if the message is a freeing one.