“Smith even ‘effort so congratulates force high school teachers back to teaching the basics of essay writing’ (16; italics added), when there is nothing "basic"about the five-paragraph essay. Its enforcement, however is certainly felt by many students and their teachers.” (16)
I’m thinking about how there is a push of the 5 paragraph essay and why that may be the case. I think the idea is that there is structure and it is clear to explain to students and I can understand that. Students sometimes need a formula to get them started. We did this in physics. There were multiple formulas, you just have to figure out when and where to use them...sometimes you inadvertently created your own formula! However, the more I think about this, the more I see the flaw in formulaic writing. Students who are taught the formula of the five paragraph essay rely on the structure and they can't expand beyond it.
Those who are for the five paragraph essay are pushing for a mastery of the "basic" and then students somehow (magically) moving to more "advanced" structures of writing.
This is a typical discussion in my high school social studies class.
Me: Alright guys, you have an essay for your test on Hitler. Choose 1 of the essay questions and respond. You have 45 minutes.
Student A: Ms. Summers, I just need to write 5 paragraphs right?
Me: No, you probably will need more--because you have a lot of things to address to answer the question fully.
Student A: How many paragraphs do I need then?
Me: There's no set number. Write as much as you need to answer the question.
Student A: *Stares back at me in utter confusion*
Me: *Inside: doing the Charlie Brown UGHHH!*
Students can not understand what I could possibly mean by write as much as you need. They think there is a magic number that every teacher is looking for when they ask for an essay question. This is explain is a much more academic way by Robert J. Connors: “"They represent an unrealistic view of the writing process, a view that assumes writing is done by formula and in a social vacuum.They turn the attention of both teacher and student toward an academic exercise instead of toward a meaningful act of communication in a social context"(119).
So alas, the problem with the five paragraph essay is that our students get stuck into this mindset of what writing looks like. They see novels, short stories, poems, etc--but when it comes to writing a response themselves they don't play with other genres, they stick to the five paragraph essay.
I decided to look up what the twitter-verse is saying about five paragraph essays and what I found was quite entertaining. When people want talk about arguments or points to be made, they mandate a 5 paragraph essay (it is making of joke of the assignment). See below.
The request for a five paragraph essay isn't to get information, instead its to dissuade dissent. That isn't what we want to convey to our students! I'm really interested in finding ways to "teach" writing without letting it become formula, which is something I have struggled with. I see the problems with the methodology, but I'm not sure what to replace it with.
You are really onto something super interesting here, Erika. The tweets you found are fascinating. It's like everyone knows it a joke, but like you say, it's so ingrained that other possibilities seem distant.
ReplyDeleteI think inquiring into alternatives with students could be super interesting. How do writers organize their pieces in different conversations? Students and teachers together could look for mentor Texts in the world and see together so many possible ways of structuring an essay.
It's incredibly difficult for my students to break this habit, especially in AP. And yes, I remember the hamburger model. : ). Maybe we could make a new model-- hold the lettuce. Lol
ReplyDeleteUnfortunately, sometimes the magic number is write as little as you can to get a passing grade. For teachers, it all goes back to why do you do it that way? (Answer: because we have always done it that way.) That doesn't make it right. If everything else is changing, maybe we do need to take a look at some other things.
ReplyDeleteFormulas restrict, constrict, and generally constrain thinking. It doesn't help writing either. Better to start out with free writing to get as many complicated thoughts down on paper and talk to thinkers about those ideas. Teachers do think children need a linear sequence of steps--but writing, like ballet, doesn't happen this way, even though they both happen in time. Art is just different.
ReplyDelete