English 571: Teaching College Reading & Writing Power Point by Jennifer Collar

Important Themes Thus Far: I. The Question of “Why School?” II.The Role of Standards in Education III.The Purpose of Basic Writing IV.Attitudes About Basic Writing

I. Why School?  Economic Motivation “The Great Equalizer” pg. 12 Mike Rose Why School  Intellectual Growth  Social Responsibility & Civic Duty  Ethics & Aestheticism

II. The Role of Standards in Education  No Child Left Behind Act- Measures must be taken to uphold standards  Standardized Tests-Become the norm to ensure students are mastering standards  Narrowed Curriculum-Inevitable result of gearing curriculum towards the standards of high-stakes tests  James Williams Preparing to Teach Writing  Don Kraemer “Why Studying Standardized Tests With Our Students is Important”

III. Purpose of Basic Writing History of Basic Writing- Following the Civil Rights Movement and GI Bill, universities began to see a new kind of student, many “who were not by traditional standards ready for college” (Shaughnessey 387) So, the Purpose?-To “fix” the problems that exist in the writing of those considered below academic par

IV. Attitudes about Basic Writing Deficiencies in students’ writing needs to be “fixed” or “cured” Basic writers produce such poor writing because they incapable of creating error-free prose The Basic Writer is viewed by others and himself as an illiterate (which is certainly not the case)

Works Cited Kraemer, Don J. “Why Studying Standardized Tests With Our Students is Important.” The English Journal 94.4 (2005): JSTOR. Web. 6 Nov Rose, Mike. “The Language of Exclusion: Writing Instruction at the University.” The Norton Book of Composition Studies. Ed. Susan Miller. New York: W.W. Norton & Co., Print. Rose, Mike. Why School. New York: The New Press, Print. Shaughnessy, Mina. “Introduction to Errors and Expectations: A Guide for the Teacher of Basic Writing.” The Norton Book of Composition Studies. Ed. Susan Miller. New York: W.W. Norton & Co., Print. Williams, James D. Preparing to Teach Writing. Mahway, NJ: Lawrence Erlbaum, Print.