Andragogy, and How it Applies

I’ve never considered the term andragogy until this class, and it’s an important term to consider when teaching FYC.  Andragogy means the method of learning for adult learners, and the question is how do we approach teaching of first year composition with this term in mind. How do we get adult students to approach a subject such as composition? We can aim for motivating at a level that applies to them. In a class full of diverse students (a classroom full of different majors and ideas), teachers need to get creative when it comes to motivation. We have to think about making it relatable to our students, and we can attempt this by making the lessons simple and applicable to the students’ aspirations; sustaining a strong energy level as best as we can manage; keep the classroom open for discussion so students can voice their opinion and concerns; enforce professionalism to instill what it’s like in the real world as well as the rest of their college career; and not to be afraid to challenge them.

Adult learners can have a difficult time understanding why they need to take a composition class. And as teachers, I think we need to establish a constant reminder that composition applies to any field that the students are interested in. But also, reminding them that it can fun. We can create writing prompts with a specific writing style in mind. They can either aim to write in their directed field or they can experiment in a different direction. We can also have them write a speech, an email, a letter (with an interesting tone maybe) directed towards their choice of audience. Even have fun writing satires or persuasion pieces, with prompts like, “Pick a villain and convince your audience on why they should like or appreciate them.”

Participation in and outside of the classroom can be effective, and I think the use of technology can be very useful here, especially since we’re living in an age overrun by all sorts of technology. Outside of the classroom, we can create a discussion form to discuss topics of compositions, ask questions about the readings, and post questions that students have in general. We can always create a blog and have prompts for each given week that keeps the class discussion flowing. In the classroom, we can have participation in group activities, peer reviews and class discussions—and for class discussions, if students are shy or want to jump ahead with the discussion before class they can shoot an email to their professor with questions or thoughts in mind. Keeping a line of communication helps make the learning environment simplified, and keeps students engaged with the material.

Enforcing professionalism helps prepare them for the future, in both their desired career and their academic careers. Creating a balance of strictness and understanding, teaches adult students that they are expected to aim for excellence, but also, we should remind them that they are human, and providing that zone of understanding helps keep the pressure off their shoulders. Also make them see that you, as their professor, our human too.

Which reminds me that we should strive to carry the majority of the momentum in the classroom. To make students feel motivated, even remotely excited to come to their composition class, we need to come to class enthusiastically ourselves, to show that we care and that we are passionate. Even if life gets us down, we can show that we struggle, as teachers, too but still are able to keep the energy. I think if we attempt to strive for this in our classes it’ll make the learning environment more approachable.      

Teaching Philosophy

The philosophy behind my teaching is based on the idea of individuality and how it plays a significance in the practice of writing. In the classroom, I want to establish an open environment to give students the freedom to explore writing with their own individual desires in mind. My job as their teacher is to strengthen their writing skills so they can perform those aspirations successfully. What I want to bring to this open environment is creativity in order to stimulate innovation in fields applicable to students; introduce speech and communication to better teach the essence of persuasion and demonstrate to them the power of writing through voice; emphasize on research and reflection in order for them to address their audience successfully through the discoveries they made over their designated topic; and to stress on the importance of revision, for writing is always a craft that’s continuously evolving.

Creativity is such an important element that should be interwoven into any aspect of teaching. Through composition, it’s essential to encourage students that they are capable of reaching this ability and to remind them that it is appropriate for any field that they want to venture on. By introducing journaling, practicing expressiveness through writing prompts, and letting them explore topics that speak to them on a personal level, I believe I'm giving students the opportunity to explore this skill in their own terms.

Speech and communication is highly necessary in any field, but it can’t be achieved effectively without strengthening the skills in writing. By hearing the essay performed by a speaker the students can hear the entirety of the essay, from the outline and the inductive reasoning to the tone and style. They’ll hopefully learn to gain perspective through this lens of composition, and learn that they can better persuade any audience by experimenting with arrangement and style through their own writing. I will attempt to introduce my students to speakers and the world of format speech so they can train their ears to how essays really captivate their audience, especially if done correctly.

To communicate effectively, students must learn how to research appropriately and reflect on those discoveries. They will practice by picking topics they’re passionate about and spend time researching more about those topics so they can confidently express their positions to their audience. In class, I’ll have group assignments and discussion forums to helps students grasp an understanding of certain aspects of composition and to discuss current and future projects with each other.

And finally, the importance of revisions will be highly emphasized. Students need to believe that editing and reworking their pieces is essential to assure that their papers/topics are fully expressed. Every writer has to be familiar with criticism and learn that everyone makes mistakes, it’s just their job to correct them.   

My Teaching Philosophy

            Based on your teaching philosophy (which may change over time), what are the types of assignments you would include in your FYC syllabus?

I feel like I can only answer this question as a creative writer, and for teaching First Year Composition, I want to instill an environment of critical thinking with a blend of creativity (or invention). What I’ve discovered in my grading is that students struggle with critical thinking, on how to analytically interpret a piece, and some students in their introductions admit that they lack creativity, that they don’t have the imagination to be writers. Sure, we’re not writing stories here but we are persuading audiences in favor of our positions. 

An instructor once told me that a writer should at least spend fifteen minutes a day writing. Obviously, this can be easy for passionate creative writers, but when you’re dealing with a diversity of students, devoting fifteen minutes of their time to such a craft can be difficult. What I want to introduce instead is assigning a discussion forum where the student posts once a week. As we learn different techniques in critical thinking during the week, the students can still practice outside the classroom. With a discussion forum they can present their observations with the rest of the class, including a link to the original source so that everyone can be fully involved. It’s a way where people can work together, and ask the questions that they were too shy to ask in the classroom. Sometimes we can bring those discussions to the classroom to further discuss certain topics and any issues that popped up during the discussion forum session.  

 Group work and peer review will be incorporated in the class as well. Putting heads together covers more ground when trying to identify purpose/audience, rhetorical choices, or even mistakes and issues in given examples. Peer reviews add needed perspective to drafts. Writing is a process, and we learn through peer reviews that there is always work that needs to be done, improvements needed to be made. Plus after peer reviews, I want to give the students enough time to really work on their paper before they turn them in so they can fully investigate those trouble spots. 

For invention purposes, I want to give the students the choice to pick their own topics they feel most passionate about. Writing feels easier when they are know the topic, and this is great for practicing. I'll give them writing prompts that help explore those topics, like for example, freelancing on what they know about the topic or address the topic to a given audience. The more we write the more of a writer we'll become. Through writing prompts, students can figure out how they can arrange their essay, they can try to identify what voice fits perfectly for a certain topic, and they can better express themselves and try to create appropriate sentences for their essays. They can slowly become more comfortable as they go along with this practice.  

These are just a few ideas that I have for a future syllabus. From what I can see, some assignments need to be tuned, but as I learn more about the art of rhetoric I’ll have a better idea of how to motivate my students. There’s a part of me that’s nervous and yet excited to embark on this journey. Hopefully I can brainstorm further into these ideas and create other ideas before my journey in the teaching realm officially begins.  

Changing The Way We Think

Motivation, I believe, is the most difficult thing to teach in the teaching of writing. When you have such a diversity of students in your classroom, you have to start getting creative in the ways you motivate them to understand the importance of rhetoric. Asking them, “Why do you think rhetoric is important to your everyday life?” is like asking, “When are you going to use the Pythagorean Theorem in your everyday lives?” The answer will be blank stares, shrugs, and maybe a cough or two. It’s hard to put things like that into retrospect, and I have to admit that it was hard to understand things like this as a high schooler. I did actually say, “What would I ever use this for?” but you slowly begin to realize that you do need it. That’s why, as the teacher, you have to provide different outlets and perspectives to the classroom. And again, it can be a difficult thing to accomplish.

Well, let’s actually ask the question, “How would you use rhetoric in everyday life?” Oh, the Ancient Greeks would know. They make the best examples for this question because they did use it everyday, and we’re talking average citizens using it. Good rhetoric got you places, and people listened in on it, so you know that it was something of a big deal. They used it through philosophy, religion, politics, and bargaining. Well, guess what. So do we, in the modern age. Let’s all open our eyes to this. We should have activities that incorporate the real world with the classroom. 

I think we should point out that each field is going to have to use rhetoric in their lifetime. In actuality, it should be a skill requirement. How many times does a scientist have to stand in front of a crowd of people and persuade them that their theory will change the way we think of things? Or an engineer convincing their customer that their car needs a radiator instead of a battery. Or a salesman persuading a client that they’re better off with this high-end microwave than this off-brand one. I’m assuming my point is being made, and if we’re going to get too redundant, we can throw out there that even politicians do this during their campaigns, during their speeches, and during whatever they got to do to keep their followers by their side. In all honesty, rhetoric is what makes the world go around and if we can get our students to grasp this concept on the first week of school then we’re doing very well. Or at least if we can get them to leave on the last day of school with a better understanding of this skill then I think we can pat ourselves on the back.

To even begin this we need to start adding more to the mix with the assignments. Prompts can be an efficient way to handle this. Start the class with a writing assignment, like have them write a scenario or a dialogue with a client that’s a difficult challenge to negotiate. Give them an issue that they have to write a speech on, like a politician. Even observing a speech being performed can change a perspective; watching or listening to a platform speech can put the idea that the essay that the student wrote can actually become something. Anyway you go about it you can always change the experience of the student, you just gotta get creative doing it. So think about it, make a list of interesting ideas for your students, and remember, to use those special rhetorical skills to get your students on the same page as you so that you can have a successful start to your year.