First-Year Composition: From Theory to Practice

by Deborah Coxwell-Teague (Editor), Ronald F. Lunsford (Editor)

First-Year Composition: From Theory to Practice’s combination of theory and practice provides readers an opportunity to hear twelve of the leading theorists in composition studies answer, in their own voices, the key question of what it is they hope to accomplish in a first-year composition course. In addition, these chapters, and the accompanying syllabi, provide rich insights into the classroom practices of these theorists.

Genres: Teaching, Writing

384 pages, Kindle Edition

First published March 16, 2014

Reviews

[Sophie Cornwell · Rating 5 out of 5]

Golly gee the field of rhetoric is so complicated and multifaceted and broad and the more I dive into it the more excited I get to be a part of this conversation with all these amazing scholars omg

[Joe · Rating 5 out of 5]

A series of twelve essays by leading teachers/scholars of writing, in which each author first outlines a general approach to teaching academic writing and then shows how that approach might be enacted in an actual course syllabus. A strong and appealing attempt to bridge theory and practice. I plan to use this book in my Seminar on Teaching Composition in the fall.

[Elizabeth · Rating 5 out of 5]

I thoroughly enjoyed this anthology. Having instructors of various types of first-year comp classes explain how they design their courses and include their syllabi was illuminating, inspiring, and interesting. The editors did a great job soliciting chapters from people who work at very different types of institutions and who foreground very different things when teaching writing. Overall, the book contained loads of practical advice without being prescriptive.

[Leah Brooks · Rating 5 out of 5]

I use this when I teach a graduate-level teaching of writing seminar. My students love this book. It's a very good resource for understanding the practical application of theory and for bridging theory and the daily workings of the classroom.

[Christa Maurice · Rating 4 out of 5]

Interesting if you're trying to set up a composition course. The chapters were all written by different authors so some are going to be more interesting than others. Most chapters have some value even if it's not what you were looking for.

[Janet · Rating 4 out of 5]

These were the most beneficial for me right now (although great for reference):

Setting the Table: Composition in the Last Half of the Twentieth Century | Deborah Coxwell-Teague and Ronald F. Lunsford

Occasions, Sources, and Strategies | Douglas Hesse

A Grade-Less Writing Course That Focuses on Labor and Assessing | Asao B. Inoue

Beyond Text and Talk: A Multimodal Approach to First-Year Composition | Jody Shipka

For the Love of Language: A Curriculum | Victor Villanueva

Attempting the Impossible: Designing a First-Year Composition Course | Kathleen Blake Yancey

A Cornucopia of Composition Theories: What These Teachers Tell Us About Our Discipline | Deborah Coxwell-Teague and Ronald F. Lunsford

[Stacey · Rating 4 out of 5]

A great collection of articles on teaching composition. Most are an effective blend of theory and practice (especially those by Doug Hesse, Paula Mathieu, Jody Shipka, Elizabeth Wardle and Doug Downs). There are only a few dudes that read more like freewriting than thoughtful analysis at times, yet even those have some value. A great resource.

[Suzanne · Rating 3 out of 5]

Helpful for different approaches to comp theory

[Catherine Siemann · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very useful -- I have years of teaching experience, but my background is in literary studies and I'm playing catchup with comp/rhet theory. This nicely pairs the practical with the theoretical.

[Bellatuscana Bellatuscana · Rating 3 out of 5]

I didn't find this book very helpful when it talked about definitions. I liked the rubrics and projects though.