Teaching Writing as Reflective Practice

by George Hillocks

Book Overview

What is involved in the effective teaching of writing at the secondary and college freshmen levels? In Teaching Writing as Reflective Practice, George Hillocks, Jr. starts with the basic assumption that writing is at the heart of education, and provides a metatheory to respond to the above question. Hillocks explores "Reflective Practice" and argues that it requires an integration of a variety of theories (including general writing process theory, Vygotskian learning theory, discourse theory, and a Deweyan constructivist theory of inquiry); a personal practical knowledge of students and of teaching practices; research--where it is important to examine the implications of theory and submit theory to questioning. ;The book examines these areas of knowledge and how they contribute to reflective planning, teaching, and research. This concern with theory and research is offset by Hillocks' attention to the practical matters of the classroom--an unusual combination of theoretical argument within the personal concrete narratives of practice. ;The book outlines the theories involved, explains the bridges between them, and provides a coherent basis, or metatheory, for thinking about the teaching of writing. Practically, it shows how to plan activities and sequences of activities that are appropriate for students--that are within Vygotsky's "zone of proximal development". Focus is placed on inventing "gateway activities" that allow students to operate on a higher level, at first with support and later independently. Such invention cannot be approached mechanically, but is part of the art of teaching. ;Teaching Writing as Reflective Practice is a must-read for teachers and professors who teach writing at the secondary and college levels and will be an important resource in courses in writing, literacy, theories of teaching and learning, and general English education.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0807734330
• ISBN13: 9780807734339
• Release Date: June 1996
• Publisher: Teachers College Press
• Length: 264 Pages
• Weight: 0.05 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.7" x 6.2" x 8.9"

Customer Reviews

A Useful Metatheory, and Practical Concrete Examples

Hillocks outlines well the "whole" territory (or the main important parts) of "what is involved in the successful teaching of writing." The idea of "inquiry" and "discourse" as the double helix of what writing entails seems particularly useful to me. This was coupled well with the admonition that particular writing tasks can be broken down into their salient features, and those features can be taught both in terms of what they are (teaching features of "discourse") and of how to create them (teaching processes of "inquiry"). One of the strengths of the book is that Hillocks provides many practical and concrete examples for what he is talking about. These include descriptions of particular assignments, transcripts of student discussions, and other narratives from inside and outside the classroom. These work well to balance the critique of some that the book is a bit inaccessible. The book is at times dense and jargon-filled, such that I think that those who already know something of composition theory will benefit most. But even for those who don't, if they are reasonably skilled readers, the book is not too dense to read; the jargon is always carefully explained. This "density" seems necessary in order for Hillocks to reach the level of abstraction necessary for a "metatheory" of writing that can be useful in many contexts. The book emphasizes active learning and collaborative learning. It emphasizes designing and sequencing practical concrete writing activities. It also emphasizes, as the title indicates, reflection on teaching during planning, while in action teaching, and after a teaching session. These reflections, Hillocks maintains, ought to take place within a working framework or theory of what writing entails, like the one the book lays out.