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Annabelle Smith

Dr. Dom Ashby

ENG 405

22 October 2018

The Concerns of Composition

Writing is a way to communicate with each other—whether you’re writing a formal

complaint regarding the parking restrictions before the university’s homecoming or texting your

mom “K” when she wants you to share her Facebook links. Anyway, when the topic of writing

arises, we don’t think of it as a necessary function of daily communication. In fact, when

students are procrastinating, they are likely just writing in a different form—texting their friends

and complaining about writing (this is extremely meta). The differences between these forms of

writing are the underlying expectations associated with “academic” writing. In school writing is

intimidating because it requires one to ask questions, understand information, and form

arguments – there is even a formula that has been used in “traditional” writing that allows

students to merely fill in the blanks with their own ideas. But that isn’t enough to invest students

in writing. To make writing a useful tool for students, teachers must make learning approachable

with expressivist and critical pedagogies to heighten learning and communication.

Writing is intimidating for several reasons but, personally, because it reveals the

distinctions between all students. Students come into the classroom from many different

backgrounds with various perspectives on writing. From A Rhetoric for Writing Teachers,

Lindemann states, “all writers compose messages from unique frames of reference” (12). If that

is the case, why should they all write the same? More importantly, why are we grading students
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for reproducing dull writing when, in fact, we aren’t teaching them to express their voice? Tessa

Terrell, an English Student at Eastern Kentucky University (EKU) relates to these experiences in

her blog, “I typically wrote whatever my teachers wanted to hear or told me to say, rarely sharing

my opinion or thoughts. When I got to college I realized that my opinion and ideas can also be in

my writing.” Similarly, as an English student, I have written essays based on what I thought was

expected. I perceived writing as satisfying an individual reader—"The English Teacher”—

instead of connecting with an audience (Lindemann 99). I did not understand that: “The writing

context is social and active; the writer is concerned with having an impact on an actual

audience.” (Burnham 114). Students have justified insecurities when it comes to writing because

they are asked to speak to an audience that they do not understand and with which they have

little in common. These challenges inhibit students from making personal connections because

they are stepping into unknown territory but with graded pitfalls.

In an attempt to uphold teacher expectations, students opt to mimic the style of academic

discourse they have been exposed through in textbooks—because the teacher selected the

textbook, so s/he has to like what it says. The language students are exposed through in academic

textbooks can distort their ideas and voice in writing. This regurgitation of academic discourse is

called “Engfish” by composition pedagogue, Macrorie. Alesha Grant, an English student at

EKU, comments on how textbooks and Engfish pervade the classroom, “When you become

“anti-textbook” you are teaching students to use their own voice. Students who no longer write in

“Engfish” start to turn in writing that is a reflection of THEM.” While textbooks are important in

higher education, the goal is to remove the unattainable standards they impose on new

composition students. These formative writing years should not be influenced by choosing

“correct” language but give each student an opportunity to learn from personal writing and ease
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into the conversation. Ultimately, Educators are challenged with the task of breaking students

outside of the restrictions that academic composition imposes on writing to allow their voice to

shine through.

To break down preconceived notions of academic writing, educators can incorporate

elements of expressivist pedagogy by using personal writing to jumpstart composition. Burnham

and Powell define expressivist pedagogy in A Guide to Composition Pedagogies as,

“Expressivist pedagogy encourages, even insists upon, a sense of writer presence even in

research-based writing. This presence— “voice” or ethos—whether explicit, implicit, or absent,

functions as a key evaluation criterion when expressivists examine writing.” (113). To foster the

important voice, expressivism gives students the option of freewriting, journals, personal

narratives, and more, to interact outside of an academic context. Introducing personal writing

requires students to engage with facets of their own unique life experiences and translate them

into writing. Personally, I’ve broken into the expressivism mold by writing about something that

interests me to write at least weekly—anything from a movie review to a few jokes I’ve

scribbled down. Providing low-risk, casual writing opportunities allows students to experiment

style and learn that it is not simply “academic” but a means of communication with an

audience—furthermore, communicating within the classroom and creating a sense of

community.

Refining a voice and establishing an audience goes beyond the solitary writing process

but begins by making connections within the classroom. The authoritative hierarchy within

classrooms distances the connection between teachers and students and, by extension, the

relationship between the young writers and their newfound audience. Critical pedagogy author,

Ann George, writes that integrating the learning between teachers and students results in
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“helping students become better writers but also examining academic notions of authorship and

authority” (82). In Critical Pedagogy, students are placed at the center of the learning

environment. By guiding discussions, co-creating the syllabus, and embodying an equal role,

students are permitted the opportunity to narrow the gap between the teacher-student relationship

and focus on the content. In her composition blog, Alesha Grant comments on how this method

inspires students, “The students become more than objects sitting at a desk, filling out papers,

and doing everything one adult says standing in front o the room. Instead, in critical pedagogy,

students become a part of a critical classroom, it becomes “funny provocative, and full of

classroom conversations and activities” (George 81). Making students the integral part of the

class pushes them outside of their comfort zones to share and engage in the collaborative

learning process. As a result, this will allow students to open up and have a purpose to connect

with a real audience, their peers, through their writing.

The path that students must take to get from texting to academic writing can be grueling.

However, there is an opportunity to expose students to a world of writing that is relevant to both

their education and future careers. By elevating the different styles of writing, teachers can

broaden the scope of why learning composition is inherent to all communication. Engaging in

expressive and critical pedagogies introduces students to a style of learning that welcomes their

personal beliefs and respects their unique voices. Furthermore, students will be confidently

prepared to approach writing and learning from a new, creative perspective. As a future educator,

I think the most important gift is making students realize that their voice can be heard. Although

it may take practice, students can captivate an audience by communicating and expressing

themselves through language—and that is far more rewarding than simply clicking a “share”

button to express your views.

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Works Cited

Burnham, Chris, and Rebecca Powell. “Expressive Pedagogy.” A Guide to Composition

Pedagogies, 2nd ed., Oxford University Press, 2014, pp. 111-125.

George, Anne. “Critical Pedagogies.” A Guide to Composition Pedagogies, 2nd ed., Oxford

University Press, 2014, pp. 77-91.

Grant, Alesha. “Expressive Pedagogy.” Alesha Grant’s Blog, 20 Oct. 2018.

aleshadawn.home.blog

Grant, Alesha. “GCS-Critical.” Alesha Grant’s Blog, 20 Oct. 2018.

aleshadawn.home.blog

Lindemann, Erika. “What is Writing?” A Rhetoric for Writing Teachers, 4th ed., Oxford

University Press, 2001, pp. 10-21.

Tate, Gary, Amy Rupiper Taggart, Kurt Schick, and H. Brook Hessler. A Guide to Composition

Pedagogies. 2nd ed., Oxford University Press, 2013.

Terrell, Tessa. “Expressive Pedagogy.” Tessa Terrell’s Blog, 20 Oct. 2018.

tessaterrell.wordpress.com