Must-Read for Freshman Comp Instructors

My only regret about reading They Say/I Say: The Moves that Matter in Academic Writing (Graff & Birkenstein, 2006; 2e 2010) is that I didn't do it sooner. This book would have been immensely helpful to me before I began teaching argumentation.

The idea that good academic writing joins an ongoing conversation is one I certainly teach; it's always a good idea, for example, to state your thesis as a response to others' ideas about your topic (and thus to answer the "so what?" question). What hadn't occurred to me is Graff & Birkenstein's central thesis: that students might benefit from templates demonstrating how exactly the discourse might be joined. For instance, Graff & Birkenstein offer the following template students might use to put forward their own argument:

     In recent discussions of _____, a controversial issue has been whether _____. On the one hand, some argue that _____. From this perspective, _____. On the other hand, however, others argue that _____. In the words of _____, one of this view's main proponents, "_____." According to this view, _____. In sum, then, the issue is whether _____ or _____.
     My own view is that _____... (2e, 9).

I understand why some instructors might bristle at the idea of teaching from templates, a method which may discourage invention and creativity in favor of slavish imitation. But the authors frankly address this criticism in the preface, rightly pointing out that most students will not independently learn to make "the key intellectual moves" experienced writers absorb unconsciously. It follows, then, that such moves must be taught.

I'll be teaching my students some new moves this fall.


They Say/I Say: The Moves that Matter in Academic Writing

An Inspiring Link for Educators at All Levels

 If you haven't already, treat yourself to watching Zoe Weil's inspired TEDx talk, "The World Becomes What You Teach," which advocates for "solutionary" education:


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t5HEV96dIuY

My Core Curriculum Philosophy Statement

       Following is the full text of my "Core Curriculum Self-Statement," which I was asked to write as part of a nomination packet for the UTSA President's Distinguished Achievement Award for Core Curriculum Teaching (Non Tenure-Track):

     In her address titled “The World Becomes What You Teach,” Zoe Weil, founder of the Institute for Humane Education, speaks of the need to create a generation of graduates who are “solutionaries,” her word for visionary problem-solvers. Weil argues that it’s not mere content knowledge, but ethical awareness and critical thinking which will be of most value in a world increasingly constrained by a growing human population and diminishing natural resources. Students need, she insists, “the knowledge, tools, and motivation to become conscientious choice-makers and engaged change-makers for a restored, healthy, and humane world for all.” Weil’s vision of humane education seems remarkably consistent with many UTSA Core Curriculum goals: “to promote intellectual adaptability [and] ethical awareness,” “to identify and solve problems,” “to prepare students to meet the demands of change,” and “to move to the future with an informed and flexible outlook.”

            As a core curriculum instructor, I keep these goals at the center of my Freshman Composition II (WRC 1023) course. My class sections, which are focused on the environment, expose students to a wide range of issues, from biodiversity loss to climate change. These environmental problems often give rise to controversial questions about public policy (e.g., Should the U.S. open more areas to domestic oil exploration? Should nuclear waste repositories be sited in Texas? Should the city of Brownsville place a ban on single-use plastic bags?); such questions have an array of possible answers and have real consequences for a range of stakeholders. As students formulate their own written arguments about these issues, I urge them to research the positions of competing interests and to be honest about the costs and consequences of their own positions.

            The environmental focus of my class excites the students, many of whom select the course based on the subject and who enter the class with tentative positions about the issues we discuss. My essay assignments require students to adopt a stance on these issues, but these stances must hold up to challenges. Resisting easy answers that dismiss or ignore opposing viewpoints, students must grapple with difficult questions and build common ground with those who see their issue in a different way. One way in which my students confront opposing views is through an activity called the “roundtable.” During the roundtable, students share their working thesis statements with their peers, who offer counterarguments and questions about each claim. This activity is fruitful because it challenges students’ assumptions and forces them to think about their issues from other perspectives. Students emerge from the roundtable activity more confident drafting their arguments because they can anticipate and respond to opposing views.           

            Although it provides a useful framework for teaching Freshman Composition II, the  environmental subject matter of my class is not its most valuable aspect. The real lessons of my class—intellectual adaptability, ethical awareness, and an informed, flexible outlook—are transferrable regardless of subject focus. I know these lessons are taking root when former students contact me, as one student, Cristel, did last month. Cristel shared her excitement about a Creative Problem Solving course she is taking this semester; she wrote that my class had not only prepared her for this course, but that it had inspired her to change her major—and her career path. Cristel, already interested in environmental issues, is now studying economics because she wants to mediate between businesses and environmental interest groups, seeking solutions that satisfy both sides (i.e., solutions which are both environmentally and fiscally sustainable). I was delighted to hear that she credited my class with inspiring these changes. Cristel is certainly among the “solutionaries” Zoe Weil urges educators to create, and I am grateful that my job as a Core Curriculum instructor allows me to participate in the creation of such visionary problem-solvers.