Back to the Basics. Damn Technology!

Peter Kratzke's article "Recopying to Revise: Composition in an Old Key" struck a nerve with me. He definitely goes old-school in this article. I remember learning by recopying and thus learning. I would have to agree with him on most of his major points.

Writing is a process that produces a final product; I think we can all agree with that. However, Kratzke basically says that students no longer think for themselves when they write. They heavily rely on the computer/Internet for structure and guidance. His reference to National Assessments such as the SAT and GRE prove the decline in student thinking. Scores have declined over the past several years because students no longer think about what they are reading. The instant gratification is not available to them when they are taking the exams. A lot can be blamed for the decline in many assessments nationwide, but a solution must be found. Our educational structure has changed drastically over the past one hundred years, but one thing remains - poor student writing performance.

I think Kratzke fits well with Bizzell and Bartholomae. He says our culture is changing at a rapid rate and students are trying to multitask but multitasking is not so good. Our democratic approach to education is what possibly hurts our national average and standing. Every American - legal or not - is entitled to a free education. Therefore, teachers need to be aware of that and adjust to the changes created by society. How do we teach students who come from a very apathetic world of video games and electronic gadgets and go old-school writing/teaching with them? It sounds almost impossible, but Kratzke does formulate some solutions

The solutions that Kratzke discuss are very practical and basic. It is ingenious to go back to the basics and teach students the thinking process after the writing process. I love the idea of recopying what they have written. I constantly tell my students to read what they wrote out loud so they can hear what they sound like and if it is understandable; but rewriting, it never occurred to me because it is too simplistic. The computer and its grammar check, thesaurus, and spell check have caused me to be lazy because of the instant gratification aspect. So if I am to practice what I preach, I better start practicing.

I think Kratzke ultimately wants us to find a happy balance between the technology and the brain. Much like Bizzell, students must first learn to think before they can communicate their thoughts. Basic steps, baby steps perhaps, seem to be a possible solution to our robotic writing problem. Give them a fish, they eat for a day; teach them to fish, they eat for a lifetime.