Rhetorical "Art" and Action
An Introduction to Teaching Pedagogy
"Naming What We Know: Threshold Concepts of Writing Studies" is both a supplemental tool and aid for the field of education and its many educators. I plan on using the textbook, as well as its many concepts, throughout the course of my professional writing and teaching career. The text covers many key concepts -- formally known as threshold concepts in education. Threshold concepts can be used as a tool to lay a foundation and a path for students and educators. These concepts are forever changing and developing in the minds of students and teachers and will continue to shape and develop these students and educators well into the future. They are not always measurable by certain amounts of time but can be seen as a rite of passage for potential knowledge and success.
One of the first threshold concepts is the act of writing as both a social and rhetorical activity, and, this concept also includes many other related sub-topics and concepts, which all work together to add meaning to this idea. By understanding these concepts, the educator and student can be more self-efficient, independent, knowledgeable, and confident in their studies and academia. Threshold concepts craft anxious freshman students into working and educated young adults, transforming educators, young and old, into understanding, patient, and respectable instructors.
These threshold concepts have been, for the most part, accepted by academia, including many universities. For instance, Western Michigan University's academic article, "The Threshold Concepts of Writing Studies in the Writing Methods Course," credits and acknowledges the idea of threshold concepts in the classroom. Johnson says that these concepts "cast the reality that writing is a "imperfectible" skill (sorry perfectionists!) and that failure is developmental -- {they offer} learners {the chance} to reframe their feelings about difficulty and failure" (Johnson 12). Failure should be as accepted as a part of the writing process, and fellow perfectionists -- including myself - have a lot to learn, not only in the classrooms where we learn and teach but also in our professional writing careers.
Following this, writing, as rhetoric, should be seen as both a rhetorical art and a "technology." As an art, it brings new ideas into the world while encouraging thinking. Meanwhile, as a technology, writing allows us to use our minds to generate thinking to create new materials and content. Several of these concepts caught my eye, offered insight, and allowed me to see education from a new perspective.
Writing as a Social and Rhetorical Activity
Most writers and readers consider writing informative and educational but give very little thought to the idea that composition is more advanced and complex than we could ever imagine. However, writing, as defined by Kevin Roozen in the text, is "always an attempt to address the needs of an audience" --- no matter the text or form of media used to produce the written material (Roozen 17). No matter the situation, you always address your audience and use rhetorical means. Your response could be in a text message to a roommate, asking for them to wash their dirty, neglected dishes; or perhaps in a text to your significant other, asking for them to watch a film with you; or by emailing your professor; asking for an extension on an assignment. No matter the context, we are constantly drawing upon "other people" to communicate and "drawing upon our experiences" to accomplish our "purpose" of reaching our "intended audience" (Roozen 17). This can even be applied to our classroom setting, where in a "meeting of minds," we work together as a group to resolve any questions or concerns or kindly critique our teammates to help bring them to our potential. By working as a team, we engage in the rhetorical and social act of writing.
We are always thinking rhetorically, even in social situations. We reflect and consider our thoughts and opinions before pressing "send". Our minds are constantly working hard to communicate with others and provide context to our written responses, even in our everyday lives. Writing as an act is not limited to academia, and should be seen and acknowledged as a "social and rhetorical activity" (Roozen 18).
One may ask why writing can be seen as an act. After all, many of us understand and acknowledge the act of writing as rhetorical and an "art." But this complicated topic expands the idea of writing, as we know, into something much more complex. Roozen defines writing as a concept that "can never be anything but a social and rhetorical act, connecting us to other people across time and space in an attempt to respond adequately to the needs of an audience" (Roozen 18). We are constantly (and subconsciously) using writing in this sort of way, communicating with others, sharing our thoughts and ideas, engaging our thinking, and sharing our thoughts with the world. Through connection and rhetoric, we create and generate meaning that can be socially and rhetorically understood.
Through many different types of contexts -- including rhetorical and social contexts - we can better understand the writing process. This multimodal component from The Write Place: Guides for Writing and Grammar shows us how writing works in many different ways. I found it to be an excellent example of the text and its many concepts and a helpful way to see how writing can be applied to all areas of life.
Works Cited
Adler-Kassner, Linda, and Elizabeth Wardle. Naming What We Know: Threshold Concepts of Writing Studies. Utah State University Press, 2015.
Johnson, Kristine. "The Threshold Concepts of Writing in the Writing Methods Course." The Journal of Writing Teacher Education, vol. 6, no. 1, 2019, pp. 1-24.