Response to Mike Rose "Remediation at a Crossroads"

Mike Rose brings up a good point. The scholars of remediation and basic writing should be open to view the field from “multiple disciplines, multiple methodologies and from multiple lines of sight.” Combined scholarship may open avenues of understanding and learning not explored or taken into account by the other side. Students deserve as much support as we can offer.
The basic writing classes are filled with students from various backgrounds who are hoping to achieve academic and economic success. They know that having a college degree means you will likely earn more money than someone who doesn’t. Some students are first in their families, some are returning after long absences and still others are coming after only a few years out of high school.
Mr. Rose says “there’s not a lot of close analysis of what goes on in classrooms…” and if current classrooms are not being analyzed for scholarship, I think the time now is ripe for analysis to take place. If change is necessary to move remediation forward then we need to study what is going on with how students learn in the 21st century classroom. Students come in with so many different variables it would be interesting to see if a longitudinal study of today’s classroom would reveal any new information. As teachers we need to arm ourselves with as many resources we can so that we may reach the varied students that are in our classrooms.