Shifting Philosophy

As I mentioned in my discussion of the new TA orientation, the addition of a new Director is instigating a shift in departmental philosophy. It was rightly pointed out that our departmental philosophy has never been overtly articulated, but I think it's always been pretty implicit by the few things that all TAs are expected to do in their first semester here. Perhaps philosophy is too formal of a word, what I'm discussing is more like a departmental ethos.

As I sat through another two days of orientation with a group of lecturers, I listened to Dr. Midwest talk about one of the texts she asked them to read. She pointed out a chart in it that highlighted the difference between courses that use "writing to learn" (wtl) and courses that are about "learning to write" (ltw). As false as most dichotomies are, this one comes the closes to identifying the change happening in our department. This chart doesn't address the fact that wtl can facilitate ltw, but that is a different conversation.

During my time as a TA in this department, I would say that the focus has been on making our classrooms places where wtl happens. TAs are given the freedom to bring whatever focus they like to their classroom as long as their students leave with an understanding of the basics of rhetoric and writing process. (Well, after the first semester when they have to use the same text.) The idea being that whatever the topic covered in the class the application of rhetoric and the focus on revision and process would help students develop writing skills.

From what I can tell so far, Dr. Midwest is committed to the composition class being a course about ltw. Her first concern is that students leave the course having developed as writers. That goal is the same as before, it's just that she thinks about the path to that goal very differently. Her ltw approach is very practical, which is demonstrated by the texts the new TAs are using this semester.

Over the next couple of years I think the tension between these two approaches will play itself out in the amount of freedom TAs and lecturers have to design their 101 courses. I'm sure the day to day will stay in the TAs hands, but it would not surprise me if there was a move to a common 101 text. I could be wrong about this. Right now Dr. Midwest has only been here a few weeks. She hasn't had the opportunity to really experience the department. Maybe some of her own views will change over time.

Please remember, this is just the way I've seen our department working and the way I think it may go. I'm sure there are plenty of other TAs who would characterize our department differently. Also, change is not a bad thing. I just think there will be some pendulum swings before the department settles down into its new identity with Dr. Midwest.