Suggested Column on College Writing

Question: What are some useful ideas about college writing to include in a secondary school professional English journal?

Answer: “Create a featured column about college writing. More specifically, we imagine a regular column that would be highly practical, a column that would showcase a specific writing assignment designed by a particular college professor and then include some kind of practical response, perhaps the professor’s commentary about the assignment or a question-and-answer session between the professor and a high school English teacher. Regardless of assignment and response, the column would provide the opportunity for English teachers to read and analyze, over time, dozens of college writing assignments, across disciplines, assignments that would otherwise not be readily accessible.” P. 80-81.

Comment: Such a column would help to close the gap between what high school English teachers do in teaching writing and professors’ expectations with writing assignments. Gives the high school English teacher a better idea of the kinds of writing their students will be expected to produce at the next level. I would welcome some knowledge of what science, history and English teachers, etc., expect in writing in college. I will be very surprised if there is more consistency at the college level than among the high school faculty. RayS.

Title: “What Do Professors Really Say about College Writing?” E Breckman, et al. English Journal (January 2011), 75-81.