Composition Ideas and Thoughts

In  Naming What We Know  (Adler-Kassner and Wardle), we read about five threshold concepts that scholars have agreed are "critical for epistemological participation in a discipline" (Adler-Kassner and Wardle, 2015, back cover).  Concept 1: Writing Is a Social and Rhetorical Activity Concept 2: Writing Speaks to Situations Through Recognizable Forms Concept 3: Writing Enacts and Creates Identities and Ideologies Concept 4: All Writers Have More to Learn Concept 5: Writing is (Also Always) a Cognitive Activity But, what does that really look like in a typical, learning-to-write classroom, especially  not  in a composition/English class? When it comes to writing, there is always a social factor that comes into play. Whatever gets written, always has an intended audience (reader). In a classroom, students learn how to form their work through word choice (jargon), style, and format (as simple as MLA vs. APA), just to name a few, because when a r...

How does the concept that writing is a social and rhetorical act impact the key concepts of writing transfer? In "Naming What We Know," multiple scholars present their viewpoints about writing and how it is a social and rhetorical activity. They say writing is a tool that allows thinking, makes knowledge, and invokes an audience. When formed together, words have the power to stimulate the minds of the reader. I nitially , the writer controls the words selected but b ecause the meaning of words may change overtime (ie. the use of 'humankind' instead of mankind), the purpose and intention of any piece is left to the discretion of the audience/ reader.  Because society changes and is ever-evolving, the writing composed in one era may not have the same impact or interpretation in another era. However, writing is not "natural" and calls for more effort than speak because writers are constricted by the writing system's limitations.  With that in mind, ...