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“The third paragraph of your essay just didn’t tie in the thesis as strong as it should.”
How many literary scholars are you creating in your class? It’s likely that only a very small percentage of students will go on to academia or become classic literary scholars. Why do we focus so much time on writing with such formality when most of the modern world revolves around business speak? Should we not take time away from our essay writing to review the setup of a marketing strategy? Students will be graduating with a skill set that could help them facilitate a university class. We really need them to be prepared to deliver interesting ideas through a connected medium. It’s difficult to see where the classic essay fits into that world.
This is a great question, Jason. I think it would be interesting to hear what your students have to say about this. Do they see any relevance in learning to think and communicate in this format?
Literacy has changed dramatically over the year. Consider asking yourself, your department and students this question: “When was the last time you read an essay that had a meaningful impact on you?”
Then, consider the answers. Are we not seeking out essays enough? Are we not engaging in this style of dialogue enough?
Then show them this: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=snjLWKsR3d4
Thanks for this prompt!
Jason, your question is a great one, and I’m in the midst of creating a similar action plan in my english classroom. I’m trying to determine how I might better prepare my english students for the unknown… do formulaic essay structures still have relevance in our 21st century world? How does voice and choice play a role here? what are the core competencies that we should be teaching our students as they move on to university, college, citizenship? Let me know if you want to talk more. Great stuff.