ERIC Number: ED371370
Record Type: Non-Journal
Publication Date: 1994-Mar
Pages: 13
Abstractor: N/A
ISBN: N/A
ISSN: N/A
EISSN: N/A
Women Collaborators: Breaking the Rules and Learning How To Win.
Sommers, Elizabeth
Changing from a teacher-centered to a student-centered approach and trying to use the principles of critical pedagogy are not enough to teach writing--both male and female students need to go beyond prescribed gender roles and social roles. Some women students in peer response groups act as though they have composed a secret etiquette guide: they tend to give everybody a chance to speak; they express their ideas without interrupting one another; they do not give much elaborated response; and they reach premature closure. Even after students had received careful training and the teacher was removed from the center stage, both male and female students began their work in peer response groups by relying on the communication patterns they have been socialized to use. However, some women students are talkative, involved, and supportive. A case study of one such student indicated that she set the stage for the group, controlled the group process and turn-taking, listened to responses and actively responded to them, and included her real emotional reaction as a legitimate part of the group. Ways in which writing teachers can help all students in response groups include: make subtexts explicit; encourage metalinguistic awareness; put timid women in more supportive groups; work to find creative configurations for male students; and discuss with students the differences between speaking and writing. (Contains 18 references.) (RS)
Publication Type: Speeches/Meeting Papers; Opinion Papers
Education Level: N/A
Audience: N/A
Language: English
Sponsor: N/A
Authoring Institution: N/A
Grant or Contract Numbers: N/A