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  1. Comments: Gated by NETNEWS@AUVM.AMERICAN.EDU
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  5. Message-ID: <01GSV6COVY5E96VMQC@asu.edu>
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  7. Date:         Mon, 28 Dec 1992 22:24:41 -0700
  8. Sender:       "Megabyte University (Computers & Writing)" <MBU-L@TTUVM1.BITNET>
  9. From:         "David E. Schwalm" <IACDES@ASUACAD.BITNET>
  10. Subject:      Re: Standardizing Composition Classes
  11. In-Reply-To:  note of 12/28/92 17:44
  12. Lines: 23
  13.  
  14. Myles, I once went to a seminar offered by Frank Smith who talked mostly about
  15. elementary school kids and the differences between the way they learn outside
  16. of school and the way teachers try to get them to learn inside school. He
  17. noted that learning outside of school (e.g. learning to ride a bicycle etc.)
  18. is usually collaborative, children teaching each other and learning together.
  19. In school, by contrast, the children are usually asked to learn by themselves
  20. in teacher centered situations. By the time students get to college, the norms
  21. of learning inside and outside the classroom are fairly well-established. I
  22. see evidence of this whenever students think of cooperative/collaborative
  23. learning as cheating, when they can't really believe that I'll allow them to
  24. rewrite a paper after they get feedback on it. The point I was making is that
  25. breaking down the distinction between outside and inside (and this is what
  26. Smith was suggesting) requires most students and most teachers to rethink most
  27. of their preconceptions about "school." And this is not easy. In effect, they
  28. have to "learn" to do in school what is "natural" outside of school. (As this
  29. relates to the discussion of "standardizing" comp courses--most new
  30. instructorsleft to do what comes "naturally" would proceed to lecture about
  31. writing. They are as socialized to the classroom as their students are.)
  32.  
  33. -- David E. Schwalm, Assoc. Provost for Academic Programs
  34. ___Arizona State University West
  35. ___4701 West Thunderbird Rd.
  36. ___Phoenix, AZ 85069-7100___(602) 543-4500
  37.