Original content by Bethany Cole
Mary Lou Odom, associate professor of English at Kennesaw State University, has written an article on the intersection of WAC and reading in which she identifies an overlooked root cause for issues encountered in the writing classroom. While it’s an ongoing issue that students don’t read, the more foundational problem is that they can’t read. Post-elementary school, students receive little to no explicit instruction in reading (Odom, 2). Not only that, faculty unwittingly overlook the necessity of familiarizing students with the conventions of discourse in the disciplines, yet most students have had no exposure to the genres native to their respective majors (Odom, 3). If students are not familiar with the modes and forms native to a discipline, they will struggle to write skillfully within that discipline (Odom, 4). This familiarity comes from being explicitly taught how to read different kinds of texts. Until then, we cannot expect students to read (let alone write) in ways that are completely foreign to them (Odom, 4). Odom concludes that implementing the core tenets of WAC can help us re-envision our reading instruction (3).
When it comes to the pedagogy of first year composition classes, Odom’s analysis of the issue should shift our thinking towards drafting a curriculum that prepares students for WID (writing in the disciplines) by teaching RID (reading in the disciplines). As with writing, we should begin by familiarizing students with the most fundamental concepts of reading. Close reading, annotating an argument, understanding tropes, analyzing lengthier texts, etc. are all foundational concepts that apply across disciplines. Once the basic concepts have been mastered, students may then move on to higher/more specialized concepts native to particular fields. Readings would be assigned as paradigmatic examples of the concepts being taught. This means that students would need to be exposed to a much wider variety of genres than is typically done. The end goal would be for a student to be able to read with understanding the most common texts of any field. Ideally, an entire semester would be devoted to this before moving towards explicit writing instruction.
As students are being inundated with texts, they will have ample material with which instructors can teach concepts related to grammar, style, and mechanics. By looking at the ways which particular kinds of texts utilize language, students will be able to start learning what it means to implement those same practices in their own writing. Reading thus allows students to imitate and learn from the ways masters of a field communicate in the world of ideas. Assignments such as summary and analysis are highly applicable here; once students have had extensive time learning how to read a text, they will not only be able to summarize the key content but also examine and critique the ways authors are utilizing the forms and styles of a given genre.
Practically, teaching reading has effects beyond simply preparing students for writing. Reading in the disciplines will teach students critical thinking skills that are applicable to any discipline. In addition, it will prepare them to engage in public discourse as critical consumers of information. Not only that, getting exposure to texts across the disciplines will help students find their vocation, for many students enter college undecided or change their major at least once during their undergraduate program. Thus, an emphasis on reading instruction will serve students well beyond the writing classroom.
Odom, Mary Lou. 2013. “Not just for writing anymore: What WAC can teach us about reading to learn.” Across the Disciplines, 10 (4). Retrieved from https://wac.colostate.edu/docs/atd/reading/odom.pdf