#2nd Response to "Facts..."

I want to build off of the comments I made on Sofia's page about how the assignments were structured and the "kind" and "gentle" language Sofia refers to in her post.

In creating these assignments the authors have thought to use language that is welcoming while engaging them in a topic that is universal for the student population.  In addition, the students do not have to go too far back in their memory for a significant or insignificant incident in their adolescence.  These are carefully orchestrated baby steps for students "who have learned to think of themselves as incapable" (138).  The non-authoritative instructions and the redundancy of directions in assignments 2 through 6 (140) makes the work seem capable.   The almost cavalier attitude about not checking for correctness in the first couple of essays can even put the student at ease.  An emphasis is placed on getting every detail on paper placing grammar and spelling on the back burner so to speak.  The writing assignments are numbered and the reading assignments are lettered with the writing assignments continually asking the students to re-see their work, the work of their classmates and the work of the assigned authors in relation to what they have read.  When they re-see, they re-think and become less afraid of sharing their thoughts and more committed in shaping them.  Using non-fiction material along side fiction, with students who may have never read a complete book, provides a diverse and varied foundation in their reading career.  There's a great deal of scaffolding here as well as Krashen's i+1.

The assignments build upon each other, referencing the previous assignment as well as the class discussions. Each writing assignment is a little above the level of the student but it does not intimidate him. "Most of you have written about how unique or extraordinary experiences have made an impression on you.  For this paper, we'd like you to write about yourself as a representative case..." (63).
These are the beginning instructions for Writing Assignment 6.  By this time the students have been writing and revising their essays on significant issues that have happened to them in adolescence. Assignment 3 asks students to rewrite their essay incorporating the professor comments and what they have come to know to present a more "precise and insightful representation" of what they have come to understand through previous readings and discussions.  By Assignment 4 they are being asked to give comments about the difference between insignificant and significant events and in Assignment 5, because the commentary wasn't fully realized previously, they are asked to work on it again while being cognizant of teacher comments during the revising.
The constant revising, re-seeing, re-writing, re-thinking makes reading and writing an active, almost tedious task in the 70's.  In addition, all of this writing is done manually (except for the midterm) so the considerable amount of time that went into creating this basic writing course is being transferred to the student who must put in a considerable amount of time to pass this course.



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