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About Fforum Contents About fforum ..................... 102 Television Viewing Experience : Text and Context in the Development of About fforum: Essays on Theory and Writing Skills Practice in the Teaching of Writing .. 103 Jean Long....................... 165 About this IsSue .................. 104 Evaluating Writing in an Academic Setting The Social Context of Literacy Michael Clark................... 170 Jay L. Robinson................... 105 Practicing Research by Researching The Literacy Crisis: A Challenge How? Practice William E. Coles, Jr.............. 114 Loren S. Barritt................ 187 Why We Teach Writing in the First Place A Comprehensive Literacy Program: Toby Fulwiler..................... 122 The English Composition Board patricia L. Stock............... 192 Metatheories of Rhetoric: Past Pipers Janice Lauer...................... 134 Select Bibliography Robert L. Root.................. 201 Rhetoric and the Teaching of Writing Cy ~noblauch...................... 137 Resources in the Teaching of Composition Science Writing and Literacy Robert L. Root.................. 216 Grace Rueter and Thomas M. Dunn... 141 d Language, Literature,and the Humanistic Tradition: Necessities in the Education of the Physician About fforum John H. Siegel, M.D............... 148 This issue of fforum is the last reqularly ~irstSilence, Then Paper scheduled number of the newsletter which - the English Composition Board will pub- Donald M. Murray.................. 155 lish. As you may imagine, 1 write this news to you with mixed feelings. On the Quiet, Paper, Madness: Place for A one hand, the newsletter has served the Writing to Reach To John Warnock...................... 161 purpose for which it was conceived at the first in a series of annual workshops for teachers in schools, colleges, and universities in the state of Michigan: Published twice annually by Winter, 1983 It has provided a vehicle for continuing The English Composition Board Vol. IV instruction and discussion among those 1025 Angell Hall No. 2 who participated in seminars, workshops, The University of Michigan 48109 and conferences on theory and practice in (313) 764-0429 the teaching of writing sponsored pri- marily by the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation Chairman: Jay L. Robinson and conducted by the English Composition Editor: Patricia Stock Board during the 1978-79 academic year. Research Coordinator: Robert Root Publication Design: David Oliver Editorial Assistant: Ten Adams On the other hand, that dialogue is under- Compositer: Carol Thiry way and increasing numbers of teachers are joining into it. As the Mellon Foundation has made it possible for the ECB to reach out and offer seminars to teachers in publishing a collection of essays from schools beyond the state of Michigan and it; to Bernie Van't Hul for teaching and to invite teachers from across the country guiding its editor; and to Dan Fader for to come to Ann Arbor to study with their supporting and nurturing it. colleagues in Michigan, fforum has moved beyond Michigan's borders, giving form to the concerns that join teachers and Patti Stock providing a bridge across the distance that has separated them. As theorists, teachers, and researchers who have written for the newsletter have sent it to their colleagues, who, in turn, have sent it to About fforum: Essays their colleagues, fforum has traveled from Alaska to Australia and Great Britain to on Theory- and Practice Hawaii. The two hundred teachers who originally subscribed to the newsletter in the Teaching- have introduced it to more than two thousand others who together form a com- of Writing munity created by word of mouth and de- fined by press of pen, a community which In March, 1983, Boynton/Cook Publishers, assumes that teachers of literacy at all Inc., 206 Claremont Avenue, Montclair, - levels of instruction have much to learn New Jersey 07042, (201) 783-3310 will from one another. publish a collection of essays from fforum. The book is divided into six I particularly have benefited from being sections: On Literacy, On Speaking and a member of the fforum community, and I Writing, On Reading and Writing, On particularly shall miss the regular Writing As A Way of Learning, On Writing, issues of the newsletter. However, I am and Rhetoric, and a Select Annotated pleased that I shall not have to miss you, Bibliography. Essays in the collection fforum's readers, who have written or are written by Lea T. Adams, Richard W. telephoned me with comments and sug- Bailey, Sheridan Baker, Loren S. Barritt, gestions about fforum and, in so doing, David Bartholomae, Stephen Bernhardt, Ann have become friends . E. Berthoff, John D. Bransford, James Britton, Wallace L. Chafe, Michael Clark, I want to take this opportunity to thank William E. Coles, Jr., Edward P.J. those of you, who have written for fforum. Corbett, Barbara Couture, Frank D'Angelo, You have created the common sense of a Thomas M. Dunn, Peter Elbow, Daniel r community. Fader, Toby Fulwiler, Donald H. Graves, Jane Hansen, Lee H. Hansen, Patricia And, I particularly want to thank several Harkin, Winifred B. Horner, Helen people who have made special contributions Isaacson, C.H. Knoblauch, Barry M. Kroll, to this newsletter and who have given Robin T. Lakoff, Janice M. Lauer, Ken special gifts to me: to Vicki Davinich Macrorie, Nancy Martin, Jack Meiland, and Carol Thiry for typing fforum; to Teri James Middleton, James Moffett, Barbra S. Adams for all kinds of assistance to its Morris, Donald M. Murray, Lee Odell, editor; to Dorothy LaBarr for arranging Janice C. Redish, John Reiff, Robert its schedules and paying its bills; to Root, Grace Rueter, Jay L. Robinson, David Oliver for its good looks, to Robert Ronald Shook, John H. Siegel, Patricia L. Root for the "Resources in the Teaching of Stock, Sandra Stotsky, Robert J. Tierney, Composition" column he has faithfully Mike Torbe, Nancy J. Vye, James B. White, written for it; to Bob Boynton for Karen K. Wixson, and Art Young. About this Issue In this issue of fforum, "On Literacy," rooted in the purposes and settings of teachers of the humanities, the social our work. Clark maintains that the sciences, the natural sciences, and the methods and criteria we use to evaluate profession of medicine explore the social our students' literacy--specifically context within which we teachers of liter- their writing--must grow out of the acy meet our students and do our work. purposes for which we ask them to write The common sense that emerges from their as well as the contexts in which they writing challenges us all to look again, write, and Barritt urges us to join carefully, at what we do and why we do it. together to look at those problems of our practice which interest us as teachers of The first eight essayists--Jay L. literacy and to let those problems define Robinson, William E. Coles, Jr., Toby the research methods we use to study them. Fulwiler, Janice Lauer, Cy Knoblauch, Grace Rueter and Thomas M. Dunn, and John Finally, in the last essay in this issue, H. Siegel--ask us to re-think our I describe the efforts of the faculty of definitions of literacy and, in so doing, The University of Michigan to develop a to re-evaluate why we teach reading and comprehensive program for teaching writing "in the first place." literacy to its students. The next three writers--Donald M. Murray, Robert Root concludes the number with two John Warnoch, and Jean Long~suggesthow pieces~a"Select Bibliography," on the teachers whose understanding of literacy thematic issue of the newsletter and his is broadly conceived may go about teaching customary "Resources in the Teaching of t writing. In the pair of essays that Composition" column. follows, Michael Clark and Loren S. Barritt remind us that our practices as Patti Stock teachers of literacy must be firmly The Social Context of Literacy Jay L. Robinson English Composition Board The University of Michigan This essay, like most in the genre, has dents in a charged atmosphere. We need its roots in experiences~past,past con- to be sensitive to the prevailing cur- tinuous, and even future since anticipa- rents, if for no other purpose than to tion works on one's mind. Past are seven avoid electrocution. years as an English Department Chairman; past and continuing is my work with the A compelling reason for talking about the English Composition Board at The Univer- social context for literacy is that our sity of Michigan helping to develop a profession has usually avoided the sub- writing program for undergraduates; and ject in spite of its importance, leaving in my future is a chairmanship of a Ph.D. it to sociologists, sociolinguists, and program in English and Education. All of social historians. Let me cite just one these, lumped together with reading that example, borrowed from an essay by Frank a sabbatical has allowed me to do, have D'Angelo (forthcoming). Richard Ohmann, provoked me to think about the topics when he was Editor of College English, addressed in these pages: how literacy requested manuscripts for a special issue functions (and does not function) in our on the publicly proclaimed literacy society; how society influences what we crisis. This was his challenge to his do as learners and teachers of literacy. colleagues: Is there a decline in literacy? in It is important to discuss the social writing ability? context of literacy for several reasons, some of them perfectly obvious. It is If so, what are its causes? To what obvious, for example, that teaching--any extent is it accountable to changes teaching--takes place only in some one or in schooling? To changes in mican another social context: We teach some- society? What can- shoul-1- thing to somebody some place at some par- mqlish-bdoingw ticular time in some particular society. it? Are there dm pqram that What we do is influenced not only by the successfully make up deficits in ver- what, but also by the --where, when, and to kal skills? Is '-d mglish'' an whom.
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