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last.updated 9.28.08

 

Writing as a (Post)Process

Purpose


With this lesson we begin to make a shift from history and theory to course design. During the late sixties, scholars such as Murray brought to the field's attention that a fixation on the written product was not a useful pedagogy; instead, writing instructors needed to help students work through the process of writing. Although the field's practical response to this theoretical approach has received criticism, teaching a writing process is still a central foundation of most composition classrooms.


Before Class

Freewrite

For the first ten minutes of class, respond to the following prompt:

Breuch, drawing upon the works of Ede and Russell, states, "process became 'co-opted and commidified–by textbooks that oversimplified and rigidified a complex phenomenon, by overzealous language arts co-ordinators and writing program administrators who assumed that the process approach to teaching could be 'taught' in one or two in-service sessions'" (p. 107). How did the textbook you reviewed respond to the writing process?

Discussion: Process and Post-Process Pedagogies

The discussion today will focus on...

  • a review of Murray's argument, in context
  • the implications of Flower & Hayes's research
  • how the process has been incorporated into teaching pedagogy
  • critiques of and responses to the process approach

Additionally we will address the following questions:

  • How does Flower & Hayes build upon Murray's scholarship.
  • Flower & Hayes, Breuch and Hyland discuss the writing processes of non-mainstream students (basic writers, L2 writers, second dialect writers). How does each scholar approach these issue? What argument do they make about the (dis)connection?
  • Does Hyland provide a pedagogical solution to the post-process dilemma that Breuch describes?

Individual Activity I: Outlining Your Course

Taking into consideration the history, theoretical movements, and discussions about the processes of writing, start outlining a rough sketch of your course you will design for your Semester Syllabus. You will submit this outline at the end of class.