ERIC Number: EJ1091939
Record Type: Journal
Publication Date: 2016
Pages: 12
Abstractor: As Provided
ISBN: N/A
ISSN: ISSN-1522-7502
EISSN: N/A
Hidden in Plain Sight: Occlusion in Pedagogical Genres
Neaderhiser, Stephen E.
Composition Forum, v33 Spr 2016
Occluded genres in academia work "behind the scenes" to support and develop an academic's professional identity. However, while significant attention has been paid to occluded genres that support an academic's identity as a researcher, very little scholarship examines how occlusion operates in genres of pedagogy, such as the syllabus, teaching statement, or assignment prompt. These genres promote and endorse an academic's teacherly identity, not only by expressing a teacher's authority and expertise in the classroom, but also by representing a teacher's pedagogical philosophy, activity, and experience in other academic scenarios beyond the classroom. In this article, I explore the characteristics of occlusion associated with these genres as well as the implications faced when their rhetorical complexity is obscured by that occlusion. Ultimately, I argue for an increased awareness and study of the occluded contexts of pedagogical genres so that we may better understand how these genres facilitate the pedagogical activity and identities of teachers within academia.
Descriptors: Professional Identity, College Faculty, Teaching Methods, Teacher Characteristics, Teacher Attitudes, Beliefs, Classroom Techniques, Course Descriptions, Knowledge Level
Association of Teachers of Advanced Composition. e-mail: cf@compositionforum.com; Web site: http://compositionforum.com
Publication Type: Journal Articles; Reports - Evaluative
Education Level: Higher Education; Postsecondary Education
Audience: N/A
Language: English
Sponsor: N/A
Authoring Institution: N/A
Grant or Contract Numbers: N/A