Teaching Composition

The three cornerstones of my teaching philosophy are as follows.

Process-driven Approach

‘Begin at the beginning and go on till you come to the end, then stop.' (Alice in Wonderland)

Fortunately or unfortunately good writing rarely happens that way. Instead, it is largely an iterative process, being a constant tussle with words and ideas spanning a time continuum. Hence, as a composition teacher, I would adopt a process-driven approach as opposed to a product-driven one. The principal aim of any composition class is to help students turn out quality product/papers. A process based approach emphasizes the idea of ‘going on’ in writing over ‘reaching the end’. The idea behind making students work on multiple drafts is to help them view writing as a constant journey leading up to a final destination. Each draft acts as a source of comparison providing the basis of improvement for the subsequent version, and is a point in trajectory of progress. Such mapping helps students to develop a critical insight into their writing style — the first major step towards improvement. Feedback given in between drafts is more effective since students can incorporate it into their writing. A process-driven approach also encourages students to perceive their writing as an alive, ever-evolving product with an innate scope for further improvement as opposed to a finished/dead product.

Principle of Selection

‘When I use a word, it means just what I choose it to mean - neither more nor less.’ (Alice in Wonderland)

I would also emphasize the principle of informed selection as a valuable component of the writing process. Selection or the act of choosing is cardinal to any act of creation. In the context of composing/writing, this principle of selection operates implicitly at multiple levels. While writing, students make choices in genres, topics, words, ideas, writing styles to shape their response in a way which appears most appropriate to them. However, students will be able to select effectively only when they have knowledge of the full range of options available to them. In other words, any informed selection presupposes research. A composition teacher can help students make appropriate choices in each of the above mentioned categories by making research and analysis an integral part of the writing process.

Formal Correctness

‘The question is, whether you can make words mean so many different things.’ (Alice in Wonderland)

Finally, as a composition teacher, I would place reasonable emphasis on grammatical and rhetorical correctness. Ideas, though important in composition, cannot solely account for good writing. Good writing is not only about coming up with original thoughts but also about being able to articulate those ideas with clarity, accuracy, and individuality. Since ideas are expressed through words, it is important that a part of the craft of writing should focus on inculcating sound grammatical and rhetorical knowledge in students. This invests students with a surer sense of their ability to communicate ideas successfully, a prerequisite to the process of making meaning through writing.