http://prezi.com/iju37eoknii3/?utm_campaign=share&utm_medium=copy&rc=ex0share
Philosophy of
Teaching Composition
- Nidhi Kaith
My teaching philosophy stems from the Platonic belief that
truth cannot be taught, only learned. Similarly, writing, which is a process of
arriving at truth, cannot be taught, only learned. The teacher is the medium
that facilitates that learning.
Because I believe that truth cannot be taught, I strongly
believe in the kind of teaching that encourages discovery. In my short career
as a teacher of composition and a lifelong position of that of a learner of
writing (among other things), I have come to realize that the form of teaching
where a teacher tells a student what to do precludes the entire process of
learning and discovery. What a teacher can do is to tell a student what not
to do. That steers the young imaginative minds in the right direction. That, to
me, is good teaching- to allow your students to discover without getting lost
in the process. I believe that writing is essentially an expressivist activity
combined with a sound knowledge of what a person wants to write about. My
teaching philosophy revolves around three core beliefs: the power of reading,
the power of language, and the recognition of the presence of
multiculturalism in our classrooms.
In his “The Power of Reading”,
Stephen Krashen highlights the real literary crisis facing the country. It is
not that Americans cannot read and write, “…they just don’t
read and write very well.” (ix)
Krashen further says, “The cure for this kind of literary
crisis lies, in my opinion, in doing one activity, an activity that is all too
often rare in the lives of many people: reading.”
(ix)
The reason why students cannot write well is that they do not read. I am not
talking about reading textbooks. They read those in plenty. I am talking about
the kind of reading that Stephen Krashen calls Free Voluntary Reading (FVR). In
Krashen’s
words, “FVR
means reading because you want to.” (x)
This strong belief in reading and its impact on cognitive development and
writing define my first core value- the power of reading.
It is said that reading is to mind what exercise is to
body. If we had selfies to show off our reading skills and intellect, I think
people would exercise their brains more often. Or let us consider another
example. Would you participate in a marathon if you were not physically fit?
The answer is an obvious no. The process of writing to me is like a marathon. One
must be well prepared. One’s brain must be fit and well equipped
with all that is required to complete that marathon. Reading provides that
mental fitness, that level of cognitive development that is required to be a
good and effective writer. Good readers are also at an advantage as reading automatically
strengthens their grammar, vocabulary, and spelling. While harping on grammar
and spelling alone might not be considered a mark of a very good teacher, there
is no denying the fact that the correct usage of these lends credibility and
authority to one’s writing. Therefore, I believe that
reading is not only an indispensable activity, but also a prerequisite to good
writing. Consequently, I exhort my students to read voraciously. My classes are
not only writing-intensive, but also reading-intensive, with texts from within
the curriculum and if need be, from outside the curriculum.
I also believe in the power of language.
Interestingly, reading and language go hand in hand. I believe that reading is
by far the best way of learning how language works, of how language doesn’t
work, of developing one’s command over the language, and of
learning how to use language in one’s writing to produce meaning. Samuel
Lover once said, “When once the itch of literature comes
over a man, nothing can cure it but the scratching of a pen.”
I
see a possible reunion of literature and composition here. Can we inflict
students with that “itch of literature?”
Why
not integrate the two and end the decades long separation? Why not include
literary texts in composition curriculum and have students participate in
expressive writing? In my classroom, I have my students read works fiction and
works of journalism. I believe that an amalgam of fiction and journalism is an
effective way to teach how language works in different media. I also believe
that the habit of reading these two genres, if you will, is something that
students should not only inculcate, but also retain for the rest of their
lives. Through my classes, I attempt to instill that habit in my students.
As far as writing is concerned, I advocate doing
away with the grading system. Since I believe in expressive writing supported
by a sound knowledge of one’s area of interest (by FVR, of
course), I think writing should not be graded. Honest feedback of the teacher
should be the medium to learn how to write. What grading does is that it
kills the confidence of a student to just write. To force students to do
a specific kind of writing with good grades as their ultimate aim, defeats the
purpose of writing. At least First Year Writing should entirely focus on
expressivism. In my opinion, this is the only way to inflict that “itch
of literature”
on
students. The only way to make literature and rhetoric come together. Let’s
just stop teaching writing. What we can teach, though, is the
functioning of language, the process of the production of meaning. It is
interesting how once one understands how meaning is produced, one finds it
easier to use it in one’s writing. One learns how critical
reading and writing work. This plays a very important role in how one expresses
oneself. I also believe that meaning is produced differently across different
cultures. Different languages function differently and non-native speakers of
English bring with them the uniqueness of their languages to English,
contributing to what is known as “different kinds of englishes.”
This brings me to my third value, which is: a good teacher
ought to recognize the presence of a globalized classroom. It is
impossible to cater to the individual needs of a student, but is not impossible
to recognize the individuality of each student. In today’s
world, American classrooms are as globalized as the world itself. The
classrooms are contact zones in their own right. The presence of a
multicultural mass of students makes it even more difficult to teach writing
and even more important to learn how to write and to just write.
In such a scenario, the value and importance of expressive writing cannot be
overstated. Realizing that international students need more attention as
compared to their American counterparts is essential to good teaching. In my
classroom, I encourage students to work in small groups. These groups comprise
both international and American students. I believe this helps students mingle
and also, students feel more comfortable learning new things around their
peers.
I believe that armed with sound reading, a thorough understanding
of language, and an awareness of the presence of multiculturalism around them,
students can learn not only to write, but to write empathically, emphatically,
and intelligently.
References:
Krashen, Stephen. The Power of Reading. Englewood: Libraries
Unlimited, Inc, 1992. Print
No comments:
Post a Comment