On July 18th, 2012, nine interested academics gathered at Stockton College. For 71 minutes we discuss ways to re-envision teaching in the Literature classroom. See the meeting agenda here: Rethinking Thoughts. Below is the first of several posts digesting our conversation.
The relationship of non-traditional assignments to critical essay writing was an important point of discussion at the #RThink meeting. The pedagogical necessity of essay writing is usually taken for granted. The more writers practice, honing skills through sophisticated writing projects, the better they become as writers, readers, and thinkers. Can any other sort of writing assignment equal the utility of the practice essay?
The answer to this must surely be yes – or at least maybe, or it depends. Shifting to alternate assignments may signal a reshuffling of the skills that are being cultivated and strengthened. Substituting a panel discussion or podcast creation for essay writing develops public speaking, research, and presentation skills. Google maps (of the geography of Hamlet, for example) emphasize close reading, research, and organizational skills. The various and creative demands of exhibitions, newsletters, YouTube assignments, etc., are evident as well. It is not clear that any of these assignments require the same skill set that is demanded (and reinforced) by essay writing. But it does seem clear that alternate assignments can be constructed that develop and practice very useful literary skills.
One problem with non-traditional assignments is how to maintain rigor. Students are familiar with the demands of essay writing (whether they can write effectively or not). They are less familiar with the demands of alternate assignments: how do you write an exhibition blurb or a short piece for a newsletter, craft a podcast, develop a smart and skillful YouTube interview? Students will need guidance for these assignments, and such guidance takes time away from traditional classroom discussions. Is this acceptable? Do non-traditional assignments, when substituted for critical essay writing, offer enough value to counterbalance the loss of classroom instruction focused upon texts?
Similarly, students are generally familiar with the ways that critical essays will be assessed: grammar, sentence structure, logic, depth of analysis, mastery of subject matter. The grading of non-traditional assignments is less familiar. What is the rubric for grading a twitter exhibition, or a Google map of Sam Johnson’s London, or an illustrated calendar of nineteenth-century American literati?
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