Blog #6: Dominic Lopez

  

 

 

 

 

In this week’s readings, a few things caught my attention that I wanted to discuss for my entry this week in the class blog: 


  • In the Rose piece, I could very much relate with the students that struggled with writer’s block because they always followed a set of rules or structure when writing their papers. I dislike not having a “game plan” when it comes to my writing which means I am like these students because they find it difficult to try out experimental writing strategies if their initial plan for their writing process isn’t working well. I can’t move on unless I write the introduction first, can’t find secondary sources for my argument, don’t have a thesis yet, and so on. I like that the students that didn’t block were able to just keep writing even when they were stuck on what to write. These students will adapt to how their writing is coming out, even if it doesn’t follow the inherent rules we internalize from our school experiences, such as always having three points in an essay.

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  • Another point that really hit home for me in the Rose piece was when he mentioned how the students that did not experience writer’s block always sought out feedback on their writing from their teachers or their peers. These students would go back and forth to their writing based on the feedback they received to test out what worked and what didn’t work for them and the people who critiqued it. This is something I definitely don’t do often if I am not required to do so in class. It could have something to do with that it’s a struggle for me to receive criticism of my writing and that I often feel intimidated by my teachers because of how smart they are and how good they are at writing. I don’t want my writing to fail to measure up to their expectations for my writing. I now understand that writing is a process, and that it’s critical to receive feedback throughout the process instead of relying on reading over your writing yourself and doing it all in one shot. 


  • For the Williams-Ferrier piece, I found it intriguing that she argues that code-switching is actually detrimental to a student’s learning and their cultural identity. It seems like a practical solution at first for students who struggle with using academic language and writing in the classroom instead of the vernacular they would use at home or with friends. I hadn’t thought about however that it makes students feel like their cultural language roots doesn’t have value and feel like they are inferior compared to students who speak “correct” American English. It’s important for students to be able to use their cultural identity in their writing as it helps give their writing an authentic voice and keeps them from feeling reluctant towards writing or intimidated by it. 


  • Williams-Ferrier asserts that students will improve their learning if they are allowed to use the vernacular they use at home or with their friends based on their cultural use of English. I see how this could work, since for instance using a cultural vernacular instead of a regular academic voice could make their writing style more interesting, unique, and effective. I’m all for using unique writing like this, including in the academic setting. However, my question about this method is will the standard conventions of grammar, spelling, and syntax eventually no longer apply if we start using any writing style we like in our academic writing? I’m not sure if we should abandon grammar standards completely at least because having a structure for grammar and academic writing does assist in presenting ideas coherently, the shaping of ideas, and intellectual growth. Some sort of balance is a good idea I think, or to implement things like grammar and academic aspects of writing in the final draft at the end of the writing process. 

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