“Experts’ knowledge cannot be reduced to sets of isolated facts or propositions but, instead, reflects contexts of applicability: that is, the knowledge is “conditionalized” on a set of circumstances (31).”
As a Composition II teacher, my role is to prepare sophomores for research writing. I have spent a great deal of time searching for creative lesson plans via the internet, building my creativity, and listening to veteran English composition teachers to ensure that I do not make the semester long course a “boring” one for my students. Fall 2006 was my first time teaching this course. While it was challenging, I have learned a great deal about my teaching style and the wants and needs of my first semester students. My biggest challenge: how do I get my students excited about writing their lengthy research paper which is due at the end of semester? Even more, how will research writing be applicable to the world they will conquer soon?
Yes, it is all about application. I always tell my students that even though they may not be future research writers or doctors who write lengthy medical journals, they may be future law enforcement officials who will need to write an investigative report that may save people’s lives. The reader of that report must understand what is going on in the investigation. Therefore, the report must be written well.
Most especially, writing is a skill that one must have for almost every profession. Nowadays, summer trainees may be required to write memorandums to employees of the company. (I know I did.) Also, even writing a simple phone message at home needs to convey the intended message to the receiver.
My first class sessions are spent reviewing the Eight Parts of Speech. Then, I delve into writing the Five Paragraphs. For every paragraph, I try to engage my students into an activity that will make them enjoy writing the paragraph. The Expository Paragraph was a hit last semester because I allowed my students to bring in the result of their paragraph which “explains a process”. We gained about five to ten pounds that week because everyone brought in their food dishes. Of course, they had to explain their process by reading their paragraphs to the class. So, this paragraph segued into the Demonstrative Paragraph. And yes, more pounds were added to our hips.
What sparked this activity, I think, may have been my mention of the famous chef Emeril as I introduced the Expository Paragraph. I told my students that either he or his writer had to have explained a process down on paper first.
Lesgold (1984) and Simon (1980) suggest that “one way to help students learn about conditions of applicability is to assign word problems that require students to use appropriate concepts and formulas (43).” I have helped my students to learn “when, where, and why to use this knowledge they are learning” about Expository Paragraphs.
In essence, I support the third principle of experts’ knowledge.
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