Real quick thoughts on Freire, and other stuff...
The question of "can writing be taught," and "should writing be taught" used to be the two biggest questions in my mind.
But now, as I think more and more about Freire...I wonder...are these questions valid questions to begin with?
The idea that writing will be "taught" to someone implies some sort of transfer of knowledge, not a creation of knowledge.
And the transfer of knowledge involves a power dynamic...a power dynamic that is oppressive in nature. Oppressive because it is built upon the idea that instructors hold the correct, or true version of knowledge and it is their task to implant it into the minds of the students. But this is not asking the students to think for themselves. It is forcing them to rely on the information of others...a learned helplessness if you will. All too often I have heard the phrase "i want to learn what to do when I write..." even from graduate students. What about students thinking for themselves.
and I wonder...
Is that what we really wish to do to our artists?
Perhaps this means the question goes back to the idea that writing cannot be taught, but must be learned. But how?
Comments
If classrooms were set up for the benefit of the student, it wouldn't be a transfer of knowledge. Instead it would be a collaboration of knowledge between the teacher, student and other students in the class. This creates a new piece of art. Since writing is just a medium for communicating one ideas, the genius of collaboration is that ideas have had time to grow and recreate themselves in the presence of others and become something more favorable that is easier to write about and has more strength (in some cases) than, a simple stale idea.
Sorry, I am not making much sense today, but I remember reading Freire and thinking about some of these ideas, maybe I have to think more to get some clearer insight on this.
Posted by: Nicole | August 1, 2006 2:56 PM
Yep. The student-instructor; instructor-student relationship (i.e., it goes both ways).
Sadly, this is a rarity in most writing classes. The idea, ludicrous as it may sound, is still that the instructor is hired on the basis that they are a good writer, or, that they are a disciplinary expert who has expert advice to give to students. Almost never on the fact that they are a good teacher. (the whole writers who teach as opposed to teachers who write)
Almost never does this even approach anything that Freire might have endorsed (see the other entries for further discussion)
Posted by: Matthew | August 1, 2006 3:31 PM