"Language is a method used to establish and perform individual identity, as well as form connections between individuals and their society." - Leah Heilig
I'm hard-pressed to critique this analysis because I find Heilig's methodology so perceptive and encompassing. I pulled this particular quote to start my analysis because I am so impressed with Heilig's recognition of language as a performance tool, not just for writing but for human identity. She seems deeply aware of the powerful but also tenuous bond between teacher and student in the classroom, and how the teaching of writing can strengthen and reinforce students' ideas about education for their entire lives.
As both analysis and "job application," I think Heilig expertly toes the line here between pedagogical jargon and putting things into her own, more digestible words. Particularly as a candidate for a position in composition, this balance proves she is a strong teacher with a broad understanding of the history and current state of FYC in America. One of the most difficult things to do as a teacher of FYC is to put the "big terms" into "understandable terms" for students. By doing both of these things within her analysis/application, Heilig presents herself as a measured, thoughtful teacher and colleague.
As I stated before, I'm excessively impressed with Heilig's awareness of student bias and also their neediness. Even the most disengaged student is in that state because he is in need of something - affirmation, attention, stimulation. It seems that Heilig aims to create a classroom wherein students understand the broader implications not only of writing but communication in all its forms. As she says near the end of her piece, "Developing
awareness, both of their own biases and rhetorical constructs such as context,
exigency, audience, and purpose goes hand in hand with the development of their
identity as students, writers, and citizens."
It is no secret that I see the classroom as a space for citizen-creating. I applaud Heilig as a more technically-minded compatriot in this belief, and think her analysis reveals an incredibly nuanced but also clear-cut understanding of what needs to be done in an FYC classroom, and how best to do it. Were I on the committee at UW - Eau Claire, she'd have my vote.
Hey Jessica, thanks for choosing to review my write-up/analysis!
ReplyDeletePerformative writing is a big part of my M.O. in studying technical communication, especially with such integrative platforms like social media that call for regular performance/the creation of persona through multi-modal composition. One thing I really love about studying composition is seeing how writing is approached from different epistemologies (I totally think lit, creative writing, rhetcomp, and rhettech all have their own flavors of the writing process/delivery) and where some principles overlap. For the most part (from my whole one sit-in of the LCWL comp class), it seems like there's a consensus on producing mindful citizens, and I think it's great to see those conversations stem from studying writing theory.
I like Leah's statement, too. If language is a performance tool, what are the best ways to assess that students are performing well? And, performance, like Elbow says with embracing contraries, needs to be analyzed in terms of voice as well as attention to SWE; perhaps in your case, voice is seen, too, as being authentically moving toward being active citizenship. So, language is power, and responsibility comes with power. I often tell students that getting a college education comes with a responsibility to use knowledge for good, to help others, to create better communities.
ReplyDeleteYou might enjoy reading Irv Peckham on post-process thinking. He just posted his thoughts on PPT in his blog. Reminds me of something we've been talking in class this past week: writing should be engaging for students (and for teachers) in order to maximize learning.
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