Genre and the Classroom

4/9/2024

So far this semester we've considered who the writer is and the what the process of production looks like for different writers at different inflection points in their lives (our own included). This week, we are looking more directly at the texts that get produced, which leads us to a discussion of genre.

Bartholomea's central argument is that school writing is a very particular genre--that, in fact, school, the university, is a genre of behavior--and that, for many students, it is like another language. We can see this as the next step in the evolving effort in the discipline to understand who our student writers are, what they need.

Bartholomea is old school about it. Adler-Kasner/Wardle come at it from a very different perspective--genre is a threshold concept because if we understand genre as a writer, we will learn the characteristics of that genre regardless of what kind of genre are writing in.

For tonight's post, please trace how each other contributes to a useful definition of genre. Once you've posted that, read through your colleague's post and respond in writing about how you see or don't see or wish you saw genre functioning in your own classroom with your own students.

Due to the limitations of time this class, I'm hoping to have both a theoretical and a pedagogical conversation all at once.

28 Comments

Peyton DiTullio

4/9/2024 03:26:39 pm

Bartholomea's perspective emphasizes the institutional nature of genre, particularly within the educational setting. Additionally, he discusses issues of access and authority, writing as socialization, and marginalization of student voices. Viewing school writing as a distinct genre acknowledges the conventions, expectations, and discourses specific to academic environments. By recognizing this, educators can better understand the challenges students face when navigating these genres, especially if they come from different linguistic or cultural backgrounds. Bartholomea's approach highlights the importance of linguistic and cultural diversity in the classroom, advocating for pedagogies that are inclusive and responsive to students' needs.

On the other hand, Adler-Kasner and Wardle's conceptualization of genre as a threshold concept offers a broader framework for understanding writing practices. They argue that genre awareness transcends specific writing situations, as it involves recognizing underlying patterns and conventions that apply across different genres. This perspective encourages educators to focus on teaching students to analyze and adapt to various rhetorical situations, empowering them to become more versatile and effective communicators. Basically, Adler-Kasner and Wardle highlight writing as a transferable skill.

For me, teaching students about the institutional nature of the genre is important. Many of my students are interested in STEM, yet don't learn much (or anything) about writing in those specific academic fields in high school. Next year, many of my students will be in college writing papers in those disciplines, and I often feel as though they are not prepared. I think it is important for students to examine language and learn about rhetorical strategies in these fields.

Cassie Peterson

4/9/2024 03:38:36 pm

Yes! Cross-subject literacy is so improtant. I don't want my students leaving my class only knowing how to write in one genre. I'm curious if you've found any way to incorporate cross-subject literacy though? This is something that I also struggle with, and i honestly have no idea where to start.

4/9/2024 03:42:04 pm

I haven't found a way to do this yet, but I am hoping to partner with a science teacher at some point. Maybe in writing a lab report?

Nick

4/9/2024 03:39:01 pm

Peyton,

I really like the way that you differentiate Bartholomea and Adler-Kasner and Wardel's viewpoints here! Understanding genre as a method is something I think the two share, but separating them into a way to develop perspective into students experiences and a method to develop frameworks for thinking and writing as skills is a great way of summarizing the arguments (at least, to me! This topic was one I struggled with a bit, and your explanation helped solidify some parts of it for me!)

And as to your students, I am also finding so many of my students interested in fields like vocational careers and STEM, and the ways that writing is taught in our school does not really help them develop the understandings that they may need. Writing literature analysis is cool and all, but it isn't going to help all my students find success.

Kasey P

4/9/2024 03:40:29 pm

I think your last paragraph is so important! My students are interested in certain disciplines but don't necessarily understand how writing applies in these disciplines. The biology teacher and I are trying to coordinate a cross curricular unit with an ecology book and walk them through variations of science writing.

4/9/2024 03:32:21 pm

The way that I understand genre is that it is a series of rules/guidelines that inform the reader's expectations for a certain work- be that in writing, reading, or speaking. The way genre was taught to me, at least in the early years of my education was that genre was a way to classify books- this one is horror, this one is romance, etc. I feel that Bartholomea's argument is a step beyond my initial understanding; that genre is not only applicable to a piece of work, but that really anything can be a genre (like school). That larger aspects of life also have similar sets of expectations that can be used to draw conclusions and base expectations.

I also understand Adler-Kasner/Wardle's argument to line up with this idea of transferability and wider understanding, that once a writer/reader/speaker understands genre, they can understand aspects of really any genre because genre is a series of similar expectations. This is one way I hope to teach my students about genre; that it isn't just a classification for texts, but a way of anticipating and understanding.

Devon

4/9/2024 03:39:15 pm

Nick - I was also taught this in relation to reading and genre repeatedly. With teaching high school, I've never really emphasized genre other than starting a novel study (dystopian, for example). I'm sure I would at an elementary level. I really appreciate your last sentence about teaching students about anticipating and understanding - I think this is really applicable/translates well at the high school level.

4/9/2024 03:33:24 pm

What's interesting here is that I think that one of the flaws of college level writing at the introductory level is that we teach students how to write essays--not much different than five paragraph essays, just longer. But we don't teach them about the relationship between writing and disciplinarity. We act like writing essays is like this natural thing that just makes sense--is just logical, but that's not really the case. Not at all. I think what you've identified here is a good argument for teaching genre-analysis--which is a kind of reading, to learn how to write in any genre we need to be able to understand what the characteristics of that genre are.

One last thing here: there is a movement, that starts about now, called WID or Writing in the Disciplines that aims to get at this issue. at BSU we sort of try to do this in our first and second year seminar, but I remain unconvinced that they are trying to do this. I think a workshop on genre analysis would be a helpful thing for the faculty who are teaching these courses.

Sara

4/9/2024 03:33:47 pm

In “Genre” by Irene Clark, she conceptualized the idea of “genre” as being a flexible category that changes based on social situations. She enters into this conversation at a moment when genre is being re-categorized as something that people use to “do things in the world” (182).She elaborates on this concept by suggesting that genre is not just a classification of texts, but rather it is a social construction based on what is being asked of the author. Clark emphasizes that rhetorical purposes and social situations are what contribute to her fluid perception of “genre” and prevent it from being a set of classifications. Bartholomae would agree with Clark in some sense because he also believes that genre is dynamic because it is based on different rhetorical purposes. He sees school as a genre in and of itself which demands that students learn how to “write for school”. Bazerman (from the Adler and Wardle reading) seems to be situated in the middle of this conversion. He recognizes that social situations shape writing, text, and genre.He also focuses on discussing how our own perception of our rhetorical situation can be a barrier because what we perceive to be true and what is true may be different things. In all, all these scholars contribute valuable insight into the discussion about genre and what that word means both theoretically and practically.

4/9/2024 03:37:23 pm

In terms of my own classroom, I wish that my students would see the value in "non academic" writing. I've had candid conversations with students where they express how much they used to love writing in elementary school because it was more creative and disciplinary- driven. They would write school newspapers and conduct interviews etc. This more performative aspect of genre is something that I see less of in the upper secondary world. I want my students to see more connections between social situations and writing. One way I am fostering this connection is by talking about this with my 10th grade students in my current unit about rhetoric.

4/9/2024 03:44:38 pm

Sara,

I'm finding a lot of the same observations with my classes as well- students are tired of writing analytical essays (especially with MCAS wrapping up). I'm trying to bake in more choice and creative freedom when it comes to writing in my classrooms. I recently did an interview activity with some of my students, though last year and this year it doesn't seem to do well. I want to ask my students what they are looking for in an assignment like this, because so many of them admitted that they liked assignments like interviews more than essays. I also agree with them that writing essays gets old, so I want to be able to offer them these choices and still have them profess the same rigor and standards as the essays.

4/9/2024 03:34:50 pm

In looking at the Adler, Kassner, Wardle piece, I found their description of genre to be much akin to the key on a map. They say that understanding of genre provides a deeper understanding of the text, just as a key on a map tells us what each symbol means. According to these authors, if you know the genre, you know more about how talk about your subject.

This is interesting to me when put into conversation with Bartholomea's text . If school and academic writing are a genre of behavior then isn't it true that students who understand that genre do better at that kind of writing? That is the conclusion that I come to. But this presents a new problem: the students who are unfamiliar with the genre. When it comes to rigid genres like academic writing, there are ELLS, transfer students, and students with varying levels of literacy who certainly do not fully understand them. It's not accessible for everyone.

I do not think that "academic" should be the genre. rather, I agree with Kassner et. al. in thinking that context is key. Pre-teaching is essential in my classroom in order to make sure that all students are provided the tools to understand the readings and write effectively.

4/9/2024 03:44:06 pm

I loved your analogy for Kasner and Wardle piece. I think that genre is certainly about context and having more understanding of experts in different genres should give more insight. I am not a big fan of "academic" as a genre either. I think that we all have an understanding that colleges may work that way, but those writers don't necessarily make a point any better than someone of a "non-academic" genre. It feels exclusive to me.

4/9/2024 03:48:06 pm

Accessibility is everything! And there is so little of it in the academic genre! Different kids think differently, and there needs to be a breaking open or elimination of academic writing as a so-called genre.

4/9/2024 03:44:45 pm

I appreciate how you and Sara talk about Clark. I tend to neglect the stuff in Clark, but you point out what is very smart about it--that genre is connected to social situations--it's about what is the appropriate way to express something given the conventions and expectations of the milieu. That connects with earlier comments, about how we often only learn and study genre as a literary term and not as a way to describe the kind of writing that is produced. Writing in the business world is genre writing--how we write emails, versus memos, versus annual reports. There are rules that are governed by the situation and the audience. Genre, then, is very connected to the Greek concept of "Kairos" which is a favorite idea of mine. I talk about "kairos" when people ask me what to wear to an event. You have to think about what is appropriate to the occasion and to the people attending it.

4/9/2024 03:46:02 pm

Cassie,
Yes! I see this too with the problems you recognize. With talking about genre, I think its important to recognize those experiencing culture shock and how not understanding current slang/references may impact genre. I didn't even think about pre-teaching which I think is essential to get students to care about genre and is a huge part of class structure too when teaching a new novel.

4/9/2024 03:35:20 pm

Prior to this week's readings, I never fully saw genre as how Bartholomea argues, and ever since reading it I can't unsee how school works as its own genre. Bartholomae’s argues ways students must learn to navigate genre and conform to the standard conventions of writing of public schools and transition to higher education. Bartholomae touches on the student writing gap and how students must adopt the community of the college/university they attend to learn the language and inevitably transition this into their own academic voice.

One way that Adler-Kassner Wardle's "Concept 2" contributes to Bartholomea's is to the notion of how writing is performative. By acknowledging audience and situation, students are able to show what they know depending on the prompt. I found this section to be the most intriguing, and definitely want to incorporate talking about audience in the future with my classes. Adler-Kassner Wardle argues this more as a threshold concept and defines ways students should recognize genre awareness.

In my class, I see genre or grouping of something working in a few ways. There is the grouping of the different subject levels (H vs. CP) for what I teach. I see the grouping of literal partners/small groups for working on writing activities in class etc. For ex) I teach this concept of grouping for discussing differences on argument vs narrative writing. I give students examples on how to identify these parts and save time for them to practice this skill etc. One thing I struggle with incorporating genre into my class is what skills to really focus on with high school seniors as they transition into college level writing. I think audience and performance comes into play? I'm open to suggestions.

4/9/2024 03:40:17 pm

These are some great reflections and I empathize with you and your struggle to incorporate genre meaningful in the classroom, especially with older students. One of my coworkers is having her seniors write resumes and she is doing workshops with them for those. She was shocked to see how much they don't know about resume writing, so that could be an activity you could use.

4/9/2024 03:44:30 pm

I only taught seniors once as a long term sub, but I find that they get engaged with connections to the real world. I had students write essays and cover letters and made them focus on voice, tone and audience. We even had an interview day where they got bonus points for showing up in business/business casual attire. I am not sur if that's something you could try, but it could also connect to a larger research project on jobs, as well as provide an opportunity for them to write in the language and tone of their chosen disciplines.

4/9/2024 03:45:58 pm

That idea--that you can't unsee it. I feel that deeply. I think that was my experience of reading Bartholomae. I wonder what would happen to MCAS prep if we thought of it--and taught it--as genre. Rather than as some innate way to think and write.

4/9/2024 03:48:15 pm

I think that your questions at the end are something I sometimes struggle with too. My English department is trying to take a few days together to coordinate how we teach different writing genres to create more consistency and ease for the students. Recently, I have incorporated more debates and speeches, because from college standpoints, as Bartholomae points out, much of academic writing is about being able to push back on ideas or formulate an argument from them. I have found debates an interesting way to get students to respectfully rebuttal other students and articulate themselves. Speeches too allow them to defend an idea as an expert which is fun!

4/9/2024 03:35:24 pm

If we start and look at Clark's chapter, Clark's explanation of genre feels more like an overview of key details. She starts off with a description of different schools and their approaches to literature, but then she shifts her topic. From there, she dives in to the specific genres and how they intersect with those who read and write it. I specifically gravitated towards her section on genre and how it can be discussed in a constructive manner in a class setting. In particular, she points out the ways in which writing can help students understand varied reading and writing strategies, but in particular I liked where she mentioned that genre writing can help students understand social and political power structures. She references how student become understanding of how to format language to suit a person of power (200), which to me connects directly to Bartholomae's argument.
Bartholomae's argument is centered on the ways in which students writing for college have to appear a certain way. Students must articulate themselves in a manner that shows them as a person of authority in certain areas, maintain some degree of grammar free language, and assert themselves as almost superior in an area. He points out that sure, there are plenty of basic writers, but to be different, they really have to work on structuring language in a way where they can not just discuss a topic, but almost argue or push back on something else. This is clear in most college essays. Aside from the examples he uses, I take part in coaching students for college essays, and though it feels silly since we always teach students to write, college style writing sometimes feels far removed from what is actually taught in school. While he makes valid points on academic writing as almost its own genre, I specifically resonated with Adler-Kasner and Warner.
The two authors look at the concept of genre as much more open and dynamic. They address genre for the chaos that it is and specifically, how important variation is. They point out how teacher all these different genres allows students to understand how to respond to various situations in life, because writing genres allows new insights to new situations. Also, there is a point to be made about the end of the chapter where it references the performative aspect of writing and genre, something I think all chapters tied in. All writing, no matter the type, encourages the readers to write for the approval of someone. Often, students just see the performance as for a teacher, but as they get older, they understand how writing genre, truly is an opportunity to reach out to someone around you.
Truly, I believe that I get to talk about genre in class a lot, which is great, but I'm working on doing it more. I try to create variety for the students and allow them to see the different approaches to writing as they expand their horizons. From letter to congress to debates about grafitti and street art, I hope my students can grasp the complexity of genre.

4/9/2024 03:46:57 pm

One thing I have noticed when helping kids with college essays is that they try to use their "academic writing voice" in their college essays, and they don't know how to turn that voice off. Additionally, they try to map out their college essays like a life summary (aka essay) which sometimes makes it feel like you're reading an obituary. It definitely makes you think about how much that "genre" of writing has been ingrained in them.

4/9/2024 03:51:10 pm

This is a great observation. It also feels more natural for students to write using "we" when commenting on literature. It feels more like a conversation.

4/9/2024 03:47:09 pm

Open and Dynamic. Key takeaways

4/9/2024 03:48:58 pm

So cool about writing civic action letters and debates about grafitti! I love and appreciate this.

Dawna Vella

4/9/2024 03:45:24 pm

In Clark, genre is described in relation to “purpose and action.” The importance of genre lies in its functionality, and it is defined as writers’ responses to repeated rhetorical situations. Clark draws an explicit connection between genre and the writer’s identity/role. The concept of “genre awareness,” or an understanding of how texts relate to genre-specific purposes and rhetorical functions, is emphasized.

Similarly, Adler-Kasner/Wardle note the situational and social elements of genre. They view genre as a conscious, active, and socially relevant decision–”genres are enacted.” In this view, genre helps both the reader and writer understand the rhetorical situation and differences in disciplinary writing styles.

Bartholomae builds off of these perspectives by incorporating the idea of audience awareness, which seems to be a more specific extension of genre awareness. He argues that all writing is situated within a discourse, meaning that how we view ourselves in relation to our audience (specifically in terms of power dynamics) affects how successful we are as writers. This connects back to Clark’s discussion of genre and identity as well.

4/9/2024 03:50:50 pm

Functionality. That's a good word for this. How does that writing work in the situation it is written in? Who does it work for? Function determines form in most settings--what do you need the writing to do and then how do you figure out how to make that into the writing.

Genre and the Classroom

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