Response to Reading: What About Basic Writing?

Many scholars of basic writing refer to Errors and Expectations as the Bible of  basic writing.  I've read this book many years ago.  I don't remember everything about it, but I look forward to learning more.  I have many questions. What should I be learning while reading Errors and Expectations?  How will my teaching of Basic Writing be different?  What will I learn about students?  What will my students' errors tell me about their writing and about my instruction?  Will I learn who basic writing students are and what basic writing is?


The Bedford Bibliography for Teachers of Basic Writing is another book that I'm reading as a graduate student. What new scholarship will I read that will inform, change or affirm my teaching?  How will reading this book make me a better educator?  What new information will I learn about basic skills?

I ask myself these questions before I read to focus my attention.  It is always my goal to be better.  Having an agenda in mind while reading helps me achieve my goal.

The Norton Field Guide to Teaching is my favorite book of the course so far. If I could have a crush on a book, this would be it!  I love reading it.  I've learned so much about how wrong I was teaching.  Composition classes shouldn't largely be lecture (dahh) and lesson-plans should be a collection of mini-lessons focused on a particular area of writing, yet all lessons should connect to the day's lesson.

After reading the first sixty pages of Bullock and Goggin's book, my faith as a student was confirmed.  Despite the large bill of commuting to school each week, I feel even more committed to my learning.  I mean, I'm learning how to be a more effective educator.  That's priceless!

From this week's reading,  I learned that my classroom teaching could be more effective by having my students talk more to each other, doing more in-class writing exercises and incorporating writing tasks at the the beginning of each class.  This gives the shy student a chance to participate in classroom discussion.

I would like to become active with the Council of Basic Writing.  I'd like to know what's going on in the world of basic skills.

Does this clip describe basic writers? Watch the clip and see. Teachers Discuss Basic Writing