Teaching Philosophy
“Write to discover. Revise to dazzle.”
David Swarthout
Writing is a journey of discovery. We discover who we are, what we think, and why we think the way we do. The very act of writing forces us to think. So good writing doesn’t always come easy. Not even for good writers. It takes work. But it is worth the effort—and it can be learned.
Two ways to become a better writer are to write more and to read more. In another words, practice. It also helps to understand the principles of good writing and then to practice those principles. I emphasize the process of writing in my class, and teach the principles in an organized manner as they build upon each other. I structure the writing assignments to practice the principles I teach, but leave the topics pretty open-ended so students can discover what really matters to them to write on. We write better when we write on things that matter to us.
We also write better when we revise. In fact, that is where good writing really comes from: the “dazzle” part. Lots of students think they aren’t good writers or could never be good writers because they compare their writing to published writing. What they don’t realize is that the published writing has gone through multiple drafts! Sometimes as many as 20 or 30 drafts before it is actually published. Hemingway said he rewrote the ending to Farewell to Arms, the last page of it, thirty-nine times before he was satisfied (qtd. in Trimble p. 117). Rewriting is part of the process of writing—polishing it. Susan Vreeland says about revision, “It is no mere coincidence that the last stages of writing are called polishing….With this polishing comes the refinement of voice, the unexpected uncovering of inter-relatedness, the possibility of suggesting something meaningful with a detail that reaches into my readers’ lives” (11). We are often better thinkers and writers than we give ourselves credit for, and we realize this when take the time to revise our writing.
Because good writing usually comes from good revision, I structure my writing course to allow for at least two revisions before I see a paper to grade. Students finish a rough draft, peer review that draft, and do a revision based on the feedback they received. Then I conference with them on the paper and they do another revision. If students have taken time on the revision, the papers usually come in pretty well written—and students are usually happier with the final grade.
I also believe in keeping things relevant to our lives—both in how I teach and in what we write on. Socrates once said that “the unexamined life is not worth living" (qtd. in Plato, Apology 38a). I encourage students to examine their lives and to find connections between what we learn in my class to their everyday lives, to their other classes, to books they read, or to conversations they have. To connect. This connection is what academics refer to as “critical thinking.” It can take courage to do our own thinking—but it also offers great dividends.
Here are some of the principles I emphasize in my class:
Plato. Plato in Twelve Volumes, Vol. 1 translated by Harold North Fowler; Introduction by W.R.M. Lamb. Cambridge: Harvard UP; London, William Heinemann Ltd. 1966. Print.
Trimble, John R. Writing With Style. Boston: Prentice Hall, 2011. Print.
Vreeland, Susan. Girl in the Hyacinth Blue. New York: Penguin B, 1999. Print.
Two ways to become a better writer are to write more and to read more. In another words, practice. It also helps to understand the principles of good writing and then to practice those principles. I emphasize the process of writing in my class, and teach the principles in an organized manner as they build upon each other. I structure the writing assignments to practice the principles I teach, but leave the topics pretty open-ended so students can discover what really matters to them to write on. We write better when we write on things that matter to us.
We also write better when we revise. In fact, that is where good writing really comes from: the “dazzle” part. Lots of students think they aren’t good writers or could never be good writers because they compare their writing to published writing. What they don’t realize is that the published writing has gone through multiple drafts! Sometimes as many as 20 or 30 drafts before it is actually published. Hemingway said he rewrote the ending to Farewell to Arms, the last page of it, thirty-nine times before he was satisfied (qtd. in Trimble p. 117). Rewriting is part of the process of writing—polishing it. Susan Vreeland says about revision, “It is no mere coincidence that the last stages of writing are called polishing….With this polishing comes the refinement of voice, the unexpected uncovering of inter-relatedness, the possibility of suggesting something meaningful with a detail that reaches into my readers’ lives” (11). We are often better thinkers and writers than we give ourselves credit for, and we realize this when take the time to revise our writing.
Because good writing usually comes from good revision, I structure my writing course to allow for at least two revisions before I see a paper to grade. Students finish a rough draft, peer review that draft, and do a revision based on the feedback they received. Then I conference with them on the paper and they do another revision. If students have taken time on the revision, the papers usually come in pretty well written—and students are usually happier with the final grade.
I also believe in keeping things relevant to our lives—both in how I teach and in what we write on. Socrates once said that “the unexamined life is not worth living" (qtd. in Plato, Apology 38a). I encourage students to examine their lives and to find connections between what we learn in my class to their everyday lives, to their other classes, to books they read, or to conversations they have. To connect. This connection is what academics refer to as “critical thinking.” It can take courage to do our own thinking—but it also offers great dividends.
Here are some of the principles I emphasize in my class:
- Everyone can learn to write
- Really good writing comes from good rewriting
- Always keep your audience in mind
- Allow your voice to be heard in your writing
- Write on things that matter to you
- Keep things clear: Clarity trumps everything!
Plato. Plato in Twelve Volumes, Vol. 1 translated by Harold North Fowler; Introduction by W.R.M. Lamb. Cambridge: Harvard UP; London, William Heinemann Ltd. 1966. Print.
Trimble, John R. Writing With Style. Boston: Prentice Hall, 2011. Print.
Vreeland, Susan. Girl in the Hyacinth Blue. New York: Penguin B, 1999. Print.
What I Value in Writing
All teachers have certain things they value when they grade. Here is what I look for:
I look for depth of thought (critical thinking), a tight organization, a sense of flow from idea to idea and from paragraph to paragraph, a student’s own voice coming off the page, and attention to the details of the paper (punctuation, formatting). When students pay attention to the details it tells me they care enough to do it all the best they can.
And if the paper also happens to have a classy title, a compelling introduction, and a satisfying conclusion that takes me to a true destination on the topic at hand, well then, it is, indeed, a joy to read and a paper I am delighted to give an A to.
I look for depth of thought (critical thinking), a tight organization, a sense of flow from idea to idea and from paragraph to paragraph, a student’s own voice coming off the page, and attention to the details of the paper (punctuation, formatting). When students pay attention to the details it tells me they care enough to do it all the best they can.
And if the paper also happens to have a classy title, a compelling introduction, and a satisfying conclusion that takes me to a true destination on the topic at hand, well then, it is, indeed, a joy to read and a paper I am delighted to give an A to.