Writing as Exploration and Discovery
Freshman composition pedagogy presents an ongoing challenge and concern for universities everywhere — how do we approach the daunting task of preparing students for professional careers in which sophisticated writing skills will necessarily play a crucial role? I argue that the first step for us as teachers must be to enable students to engage in their task as writers with a sense of personal commitment, to allow them space in which they become able to own their writing process. Typically,students tend to think of writing as a chore they must perform to accommodate the predilections of a classroom professor, and satisfy the requirements for a passing grade. During the past three years, I have conducted action research in my work here at Lehigh with the 200+ students who have taken my course, employing an alternate approach to writing pedagogy in my freshman composition and literature classes whereby I strive to inspire and motivate students by encouraging them to choose their own topics for essays.By means of this methodology, students begin to realize that the writing process is one of exploration and discovery; they develop a strong foundation for critical thinking skills, delving into important academic and public policy issues that interest them as individuals; at the same time, through sharing their work with peers,students learn about themselves and others, and develop a deeper appreciation of the infinite nuances involved in verbal and written communication. Because my students realize that writing is ultimately a vehicle for personal expression, they quickly become fully committed to claiming their written work as their own; pride of ownership promotes steady, sustained commitment to improvement, not just during the course of a college career, but throughout a lifetime of professional and individual experience.