As we all probably know, the modal approach to teaching writing stresses writing based on specific types of writing (narration, description, definition, compare/contrast, etc.). Although this approach is relatively easy to teach and provides students with an understanding of basic writing styles (something I have grown to favor and appreciate over the last few years because many students lack foundational writing skills), it also limits student creativity and ignores, in part at least, the fact that different communities use different systems of representation in constructing and negotiating knowledge.
One of my main beliefs that informs my teaching is that, when our students leave our school, they will not just enter a workplace, but a world where their ability to critically evaluate and respond to various knowledge constructions will be crucial to their personal, professional, political, and social success. Education isn't just job training; it's life training. Because of this, it is vital to our students' growth that we strike a balance between teaching writing modes and rhetorical perspective.
The rhetorical perspective moves beyond seeing writing as an entity unto itself. As cited in Laura Sells (2004), K.K. Campbell states that "a rhetorical perspective focuses on social truth, that is, on the kinds of truths that are created and tested by people in groups, truths that influence social and political decisions." Because language, including written language, is a series of representational symbols with socially-negotiated meanings, the "truths" which it discusses are always under construction and negotiation. How a given discourse community constructs its truth and knowledge is connected directly to how it uses language.
How do we incorporate a rhetorical perspective into the writing classroom? The first step is to teach students that there are different audiences based on different values and interests. These "discourse communities" discuss values, interests, beliefs, problems, and ideas, often using language and formats specific to their community.
The second step is to invite students to value critical thinking through analysis. I will provide a five-step method for analysis in a future post that makes analyzing texts systematic and, therefore, easier for students to learn and use. Teach students to think about how words (and, by extension, other representational symbols, such as pictures or movies) make meaning so that they understand that authors choose specific signs when creating ideas, but that these signs are constructing ideas, not merely regurgitating them. Analyzing a text together as a class (I usually start with a magazine cover) can help them see these ideas in a concrete way. I'll post a method for doing this when I post the analytical method.
Based on these steps, the next step is to stress how the representation of an idea might differ if developed by a different discourse community. For example, you might have the students analyze Better Homes and Gardens and then ask the students how it constructs the idea of "Woman" differently than Maxim or Oprah. Another way to go about this would be to find an article to read as a class and have the students consider how doctors might discuss the issues contained therein as compared to lawyers, politicians, and educators. Then have them consider how the National Enquirer may discuss the article's ideas. The students will quickly see that different authors or communities can look at the same facts and create vastly different constructions based on what they choose to focus on and how they write or talk about those things. Furthermore, point out that, at any given historical moment, there are several different versions of an idea ("Woman" according to different magazines, for example) which support, negate, conflict, reiterate, or modify each other. Within this negotiation, "knowledge" is constructed.
Finally, invite students to be a part of knowledge-construction process. Instruct students to carefully consider who their audience is when writing. In addition, stress the importance of choosing the proper language when writing. In order to contextualize their ideas, have them continually ask questions like, "Who am I writing this for? What will they know about my topic? What point(s) do I want my reader to take away with them? Why am I choosing these words to convey my message? What will critics ask me to show or prove about my ideas?" Although trite, these tried-but-true questions keep students focused on the fact that they are creating socially-determined knowledge through their writing.
How are these principles and methods incorporated into a modal approach? Introduce them to students early in the semester before you begin teaching the modes and remind students of them as they practice the modes. Encourage the students to practice the analytical method in order to evaluate supporting materials and provide insight into their topic. In addition, constantly reinforce purpose and audience. For example, if students are writing a compare/contrast paper, a definition paper, or a cause and effect paper, ask them where they got their supporting materials from and how that might affect how they're used. Ask them why they are choosing to discuss the issue in their paper and the implications of their thesis/main idea.
Combining these methods has allowed me to teach my students to be cognizant of "social truths" while teaching them basic writing styles. Blending valuable aspects of these approaches can really give your students an arsenal of techniques at their disposal. I hope you will try to implement some of these ideas into your teaching so that your students can better compose their own social truths.
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