Teaching Composition: A Position Statement

Author(s): NCTE Commission on Composition

Source: College English, Vol. 46, No. 6 (Oct., 1984), pp. 612-614
Published by: National Council of Teachers of English
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Teaching Composition: A Position
Statement

The NCTE Commissionon Compositionhas preparedand adopted this position

paper to state essential principles in the teaching of writing. The statement has
been cleared for publicationby the Executive Committeeof the NCTE. It is an
expression of the views of the Commissionon Compositionand does not repre-
sent an officialNCTE position statement. The membersof the Commissionhope
that this statement will guide teachers, parents, and administrators in under-
standingthe power of writingand in teachingit effectively.

I. The Act of Writing

Writingis a powerful instrument of thought. In the act of composing, writers
learnabout themselves and their world and communicatetheirinsights to others.
Writingconfers the power to grow personallyand to effect change in the world.
The act of writing is accomplished through a process in which the writer
imaginesthe audience, sets goals, develops ideas, produces notes, drafts, and a
revised text, and edits to meet the audience's expectations. As the process un-
folds, the writer may turn to any one of these activities at any time. We can
teach students to write more effectively by encouragingthem to make full use of
the many activities that comprise the act of writing, not by focusing only on the
finalwrittenproduct and its strengthsand weaknesses.

II. The Purposesfor Writing

In composing, the writer uses language to help an audience understandsome-
thing the writer knows about the world. The specific purposes for writing vary
widely, from discovering the writer's own feelings, to persuading others to a
course of action, recreatingexperience imaginatively,reportingthe results of ob-
servation,and more.
Writing assignments should reflect this range of purposes. Student writers
shouldhave the opportunityto define and pursuewritingaims that are important
to them. Student writers should also have the opportunityto use writing as an
instrumentof thought and learning across the curriculumand in the world be-
yond school.

College English, Volume 46, Number6, October 1984

612
 Teaching Composition: A Position Statement 613

III. TheScenesfor Writing

In the classroom where writing is especially valued, students should be guided
throughthe writing process; encouraged to write for themselves and for other
students, as well as for the teacher; and urged to make use of writingas a mode
of learning,as well as a means of reportingon what has been learned. The class-
room where writing is especially valued should be a place where students will
develop the full range of their composingpowers. This classroomcan also be the
scene for learningin many academic areas, not only English.
Because frequent writing assignments and frequent individualattention from
the teacher are essential to the writing classroom, writingclasses should not be
largerthan twenty students.
Teachers in all academic areas who have not been trained to teach writing
may need help in transformingtheir classroomsinto scenes for writing.The writ-
ing teacher should provide leadershipin explainingthe importanceof this trans-
formationand in supplyingresources to help bringit about.

IV. The Teachersof Writing

Writingteachers should themselves be writers. Throughexperiencingthe strug-
gles andjoys of writing, teachers learn that their studentswill need guidanceand
support throughout the writing process, not merely comments on the written
product. Furthermore,writingteachers who write know that effective comments
do not focus on pointing out errors, but go on to the more productivetask of en-
couragingrevision, which will help student writers to develop their ideas and to
achieve greaterclarity and honesty.
Writingteachers should be familiarwith the current state of our knowledge
about composition. They should know about the nature of the composing pro-
cess; the relationshipbetween readingand writing;the functionsof writingin the
world of work; the value of the classical rhetoricaltradition;and more. Writing
teachers should use this knowledge in their teaching, contribute to it in their
scholarly activities, and participate in the professional organizations that are
importantsources of this knowledge.
The knowledgeablewriting teacher can more persuasively lead colleagues in
other academic areas to increased attention to writing in their classes. The
knowledgeableteacher can also work more effectively with parents and admin-
istratorsto promote good writinginstruction.

V. The Means of WritingInstruction

Students learn to write by writing. Guidancein the writingprocess and discus-
sion of the students' own work should be the central means of writing instruc-
tion. Students should be encouragedto commenton each other's writing,as well
as receiving frequent, prompt, individualizedattentionfrom the teacher. Read-
ing what others have written, speaking about one's responses to their writing,
and listening to the responses of others are importantactivities in the writing
614 College English
classroom. Textbooks and other instructionalresources should be of secondary
importance.
The evaluation of students' progress in writing should begin with the stu-
dents' own written work. Writingability cannot be adequatelyassessed by tests
and other formal evaluation alone. Students should be given the opportunityto
demonstratetheir writing ability in work aimed at various purposes. Students
should also be encouraged to develop the critical ability to evaluate their own
work, so that they can become effective, independentwriters in the world be-
yond school.