Teaching Discourse

I'll begin by addressing the two points presented with respect to Pearl, and how I have been impacted by this type of instruction. I believe the classroom should be a place where writing students can untangle themselves from their writing processes. I feel it necessary for the student to be exposed to many different methods and processes of writing while in the classroom, as he or she is still oning their craft . Only after having been exposed to various methods and exercises can an individual find their own true voice. In my own experience as a writer, I have benefited greatly from varying forms of instruction. From freewriting exercises, to experimenting with post-writing correction, as opposed to correcting as I am composing an essay or research project, I have benefited from classtime having been devoted to helping with the process, as opposed to classtime having been spent correcting superficial grammatical errors (very long sentence). With that said, I feel students sometimes become too focused on the cosmetic aspect of their work. Although grammar is certainly important, and must be respected, the content of the work, in my opinion, is paramount. In reading Ede and Lunsford, I tended to fall on the side of those who support the Audience Invoked theory of writing successfully. I think effective writers should always consider to whom they are writing, but I do not think they should write "for" them, or consider whether or not the "actual"audience will approve of what they are writing, as I believe Taylor and Mitchell would reccommend. Walter Ong says it better than me. "The writer's audience is always a Fiction"(83). "The writer must construct in his imagination, clearly or vaguely, an audience cast in some sort of role..."83. The extrication process is in always effect when writing this way. I do, however think that the classroom can be a great place for a writer to hone their skills by taking a step back and re-evaluating his or her own work. So, in conclusion, a combination of both techniques works best for me.