Few would argue with the statement that writing skills are in state of decline. It is readily apparent that something needs to be done to resolve the issues that are preventing students from grasping the fundamentals of composition. However, there is a divergence of opinion when it comes to determining the cause of the nation’s writing ails. Many blame technology, giving cell phones and television particular attention. Others give technology a more indirect blame, claiming that email, instant messaging, and cell phones have robbed students of a desire to learn proper writing skills. While these ideas may bear some truth, the root of the problem lies within the instruction of writing, which to a large extent is ineffective. The writing problems faced by students and adults alike are the direct result of ineffective methods of instruction in composition. As the product of a faulty education, many professional adults write at an inadequate level. Dr. Craig Hogan, the head of a school for business writing, receives hoards of emails daily from business executives desperately seeking a solution to problematic business communication. Email is rapidly replacing the telephone as the mainstay of business communication, and employees are required to write more than in previous years. However, many employees are simply not up to standard. A study conducted by the National Commission on Writing concluded that more than thirty percent of employees write at an unacceptable level (“Corporate”). These poor writers place a huge financial burden on corporate America. Companies are spending billions annually as a result of poor writing. In fact, an entire industry has formed that offers remedial training to both employees and employers, even CEOs (“... ... middle of paper ... ...ereby equipping students to write at the university and the professional level (Deiterich). Works Cited Casey, Chris. “As ‘slanguage’ rises in high-tech age, students’ writing skills decline.” Greeley Tribune (2007): Newspaper Source. EBSCO. Web. 1 Mar. 2010. Dieterich, Daniel. “The Decline in Student’s Writing Skills: An ERIC/RCS Interview.” College English 38.5 (1977): 466-472. JSTOR. Web. 7 Fed 2010. Dillon, Sam. “What Corporate America Can’t Build: A Sentence” New York Times 7 Dec. 2004. Web. 24 Jan 2010. Dillon, Sam. “SAT Scores Show Slight Decline in Reading and Writing.” New York Times 25 Aug. 2009. Web. 7 Feb 2010. Fleitz, Elizabeth. “Profits Over Process: AP English and the Decline of Writing Instruction.” CEA Forum 36.1 (2007). Web. 24 Jan 2010. Kling, Arnold. “Collegiate Writing.” Library of Economics and Liberty 26 Dec. 2006. Web. 7 Feb 2010.
“Although both articles are exploring writing and the change that needs to or that does happen, Peter Elbow’s idea of growth in writing is a more naïve and simplistic approach to writing, where as Somers and Saltz’s article, while still very general, takes a more realistic point of view at the writing experience for students and new writers”.
Graff, G., Birkenstein, C., & Durst, R. K. (2009). The Growing College Gap. "They say/I say": the moves that matter in academic writing : with readings (p. 379). New York: W.W. Norton & Co.
Learning to read and write are both considered to be fundamental human skills, that we begin to learn from the day we start school. As time advances, as do our minds, and we are expected to evolve in our reading and writing skills. Finishing high school is a large milestone for the lives of young adults; however, there is so much to learn in order to reach the next big milestone. To be a writer in college can challenge our preconceived thoughts on how we write. Although some skills remain unchanged, high school graduates are faced with overcoming new ways of doing a skill that seems so simple that it is practically innate. The definition of writing skills for college students is much different than high school. However, considering we have come so far it is time to go over the information we already know and challenge ourselves with ideas that we are yet to learn more about.
Academic Writing. By Gerald Graff and Cathy Birkenstein. New York: W.W. Norton &, 2010. N. pag. Print
In his essay, "Teach Writing as a Process not a Product," Donald Murray outlines the major difference between the traditional pedagogy that directed the teaching of writing in the past and his newly hailed model. Traditionally, Murray explains, English teachers were taught to teach and evaluate students' writing as if it was a finished product of literature when, as he has discovered, students learn better if they're taught that writing is a process. For Murray, once teachers regard writing as a process, a student-centered, or writer-centered, curriculum falls into place. Rules for writing fall by the way side as writers work at their own pace to see what works best for them.
Technology is not killing our ability to write, but it is reviving it and pushing our literacy to new directions. Andrea Lunsford, from Stanford University, conducted an experiment to scrutinize college students way of writing. Her results were alarming, "I think we are in the midst of a literacy revolution the likes of which we haven't seen since Greek civilization." Lunsford discovered that only 38% of students writing occurred within the classroom, the rest was written in their own free time. Most of our socializing now takes place online and always involves text or writing. Before the Internet, most of our communication was verbal. The only time Americans wrote was for a school assignment and if their job required writing. Otherwise most people didn't write another paragraph once they left
While preparing for one of his college lectures, Dennis Baron, a professor and linguistics at the University of Illinois, began playing with the idea of how writing has changed the world we lived in and materials and tools we use in everyday life. This lecture slowly transitioned into “Should Everybody Write?” An article that has made many wonder if technology has made writing too easy for anyone to use or strengthens a writer's ability to learn and communicate their ideas. Baron uses rhetorical strategies in his article to portray to his audience his positive tone, the contrast and comparison of context and his logical purpose.
Bizzell, Patricia. “What Happens When Basic Writers Come to College?” Landmark Essays on Basic Writing. Eds. Kay Halasek and Nels P. Highberg. Mahwah, NJ: Lawrence Erlbaum, 2001. Print.
Is texting and social media killing our ability to write or is it helping it? Clive Thompson argues in his article “New Literacy” that social media is reviving our ability to write, young people write far more than any other generation before them, when they write on social media they pursued their audience and texting and status updating teaches kids haiku like writing skills.
writing” by R. Ramsey, the ability to write competently is a requirement for success in any field.
Conway, J. (2003). Issues and Themes in Contemporary Writing ENG00401 Study Guide Semester Two 2003. Lismore: Southern Cross University.
Although adequate writing skills are indispensable for life, leisure, and employment, quite a few students do not learn how to write effectively. Since writing is an exercise in thinking, it is important to balance the process of writing with the mechanics of writing. The areas of the brain involved in the writing task are varied yet interrelated; therefore, a student’s individual needs will determine the method of instruction they receive. Many students who have low expectations for their own academic success will not make even minimal efforts to complete a...
The use of technology has led more people getting information from blog, which has been criticized by many journalists who doubt the accuracy of the information; and also in this computer age, the use of print dictionaries is fast nose-diving towards oblivion, because every word that is needed is found online. The words are very precise with their examples and one does not need an editor to know what a word means because you can easily look them up online. Students have also learned to understand that they write to the audience and therefore, have to be more creative, persuasive and organizing in their writing in order to get their point across to the audience. It is believed that the previous generation rarely put up a paragraph of their own and most students then, needed an interview before they were able to write something. But with the continuous in class writing in school and online, it has made students become adept in writing.
Crème, P., & Lea, Mary R. (2008). [PDF format]. Writing at University (3rd edition.), McGraw Hill Education. Retrieved from www.kantakji.com/fiqh/Research/ti134.pdf.
Writing has changed because of the efficiency that technology provides. With the invention of instant messaging, writing has started to become something new entirely. People are writing more often and faster to get a message across. Luckily, students know that the writing that they do with friends is much different than what employers are looking for in the work place (Guffey, M.E., & Loewy, D., pg. 3-29).