My philosophy of teaching writing is defined by the principles of process and practice. I was first exposed to process pedagogy as a flexible mode of thinking and teaching that emphasizes process over product as well as recursivity and multiplicity of student writing methods. There are valid critiques of process pedagogy, specifically the kind of process that demands adherence to a specific teacher-set process: brainstorm, outline, revise, etc. In my classroom, process is much more flexible, allowing students agency in their own writing processes and understanding that processes will be unique to each student. I do not have a set formula for how students should address invention, drafting, revising, and editing. Instead, at the beginning of the semester, I engage students in a group discussion in which we brainstorm ideas for the writing process; students are therefore encouraged to help one another while being exposed to new ideas that they can test out over the semester. Thus, instead of being given a prescribed process, they are encouraged to mix and match methods to create their own. Furthermore, I emphasize process in my classroom by making assignments fairly equal in grade weight; for example, there is no final project that is worth 70 percent of students’ final grades. Instead, their rhetorical analysis, annotated bibliography, presentations, and final project are all weighted roughly the same. This way, they are able to see that the emphasis of the class is not on producing a final project but on growth and improvement throughout the semester.
The other principle that informs my philosophy of teaching writing is practice. Similar to writing as praxis, my theory of practice is a reflexive concept that I have experienced as a student and an instructor. There is room in my writing classroom to try and to fail; this is why I had my students read, annotate, and discuss “Shitty First Drafts” by Anne Lamotte in the first week of class. They are generally surprised and a bit taken aback by the article, but they are decidedly relieved to hear that writing is never that great the first (or second or third) time around, and that shitty first drafts are a stepping stone toward better–though never perfect–writing. For this reason, I have students do a lot of informal writing, specifically in-class freewrites and Canvas discussion boards. These help them gather their thoughts before class discussions and, more importantly, emphasize that their ideas, no matter how informal or messy, are important and can have a valuable role in their writing. Outside of the classroom, practice has the capacity to help students transform themselves, and I hope that writing as a practice will encourage them to try, fail, and be resilient in other spaces.
I believe that my variation of process pedagogy and the concept of practice are closely linked; process pedagogy informs the types of practice I foster, and the concept of practice dictates how I will spend my time and weigh grades in a process-oriented classroom. Students in a composition classroom are often interested in other disciplines and may not be the most confident writers; as a result, I feel compelled to help them realize the value of their time and effort rather than judge their worth based on a final product. Process and practice also emphasize the importance of writing as a multi-disciplinary skill, one they will use elsewhere in their academic, social, and personal lives.
