The “I” in Critical Thinking
I spoke in class yesterday about how I felt that giving the students agency to be a critic is essential to critical thinking. I keep talking about personal writing as a way of giving the student agency, and that seems like a turn-off to some people.
But if you look at the ads we looked at today, you can see the way the personal plays into all the analysis we do. We were, in effect, using our own experience to analyze the ads. Our group’s ad, for example, appealed to the ethos of “Made in America.” To see the value of advertising in this way, we had to know (1) a “good” ethos is established when you refer to something as “American” (2) people like things that are “American” and are often suspicious of things that might be “un-American” or even “anti-American (3) the specific values set of “American” products (e.g. pride in hard work, high quality). We concluded that the ad would likely be most effective in a conservative magazine, because we know that conservatives are more likely to align with the ethos of America.
I feel like whenever I say “personal writing” people recoil because they think of confessional writing about crushes and heartbreak and the like. I would argue, by contrast, that all writing is personal in that it is somehow based on our own experiences. My group was able to do the above analysis because we have grown up in this country, and are familiar with the ad’s ethos. My point here is that critical thinking comes out of “knowing stuff about stuff,” and that personal writing can serve as a “point of entry” into a sophisticated argument.
But if you look at the ads we looked at today, you can see the way the personal plays into all the analysis we do. We were, in effect, using our own experience to analyze the ads. Our group’s ad, for example, appealed to the ethos of “Made in America.” To see the value of advertising in this way, we had to know (1) a “good” ethos is established when you refer to something as “American” (2) people like things that are “American” and are often suspicious of things that might be “un-American” or even “anti-American (3) the specific values set of “American” products (e.g. pride in hard work, high quality). We concluded that the ad would likely be most effective in a conservative magazine, because we know that conservatives are more likely to align with the ethos of America.
I feel like whenever I say “personal writing” people recoil because they think of confessional writing about crushes and heartbreak and the like. I would argue, by contrast, that all writing is personal in that it is somehow based on our own experiences. My group was able to do the above analysis because we have grown up in this country, and are familiar with the ad’s ethos. My point here is that critical thinking comes out of “knowing stuff about stuff,” and that personal writing can serve as a “point of entry” into a sophisticated argument.
posted by Faith | 4:16 PM
2 Comments:
Yes, I have to admit, when you or others say personal writing, it gives me pause, especially when I think of it in relation to formal writing assignments. It's not that I don't think personal writing is valuable, because otherwise I don't think I'd like blogging as much as I do. However, it's the blog posts that link to other posts to support the author's opinions and add additional info that are really the best to read and do show critical thinking.
When I hear "personal writing," I interpret it as personal expression, opinion, and narrative. If I used it, I'm afraid I'd get essays that reveal TMI, right/wrong-uninformed opinions, and narrative that goes on and on and on.
For "academic" papers, I'm more interested in writing that evidences analysis and argument. I would like my students to consider others' opinions, perspectives, criteria, etc. as much as they do their own -- to really weigh issues. It's a really big world out there and I'd like them to consider different contexts than their own for formal academic writing assignments.
I did a bit of googling and I found a page that speaks to managing the 'personal' in student writing. It's a good overview of issues and I do see how personal writing could be used for academic writing if it moves past or through the personal to the analytic. I found the sections on "Personal Writing Assignments that Serve Academic Ends," (good examples) and "Tips for Using Personal Writing To Teach Analytical Writing" helpful.
Also, for more info on teaching writing, go up a level at the above site (Dartmouth Writing Program) and there are lots of additional links/resources available.
Faith, I also agree with you that all writing is personal to the extent that it comes out of the experiences we've had. (Although I guess that means you don't buy the arguement that "the author is dead.") Perhaps it's about teaching students to be aware of how their own experiences will shape their writing and inform certain prejudices.
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