The+Right+to+Experiment

= The Right to Experiment =

"Formulas for writing are based on the faulty premise that a piece of writing has only a few component parts - like plumbing. All we have to do is connect them in the right order, and everything works beautifully" (Spandel 117).

As a writing instructor, one of the questions my students most frequently ask is, "How long does this essay have to be?" While I understand many students' desires to follow the rules, earn a good grade, and meet her teacher's expectations, I have difficulty prescribing a one-size-fits-all formula for effective writing. Is there such a thing as a the "perfect" page length or the "perfect" thesis statement? Is there only one type of introduction or conclusion that grabs a reader's attention? Must every paragraph be organized around a topic sentence, with every detail laid out in chronological order? As an instructor, my job would be made tremendously easier if such a formula for writing existed. However, as a writer, I am keenly aware that good (if not the best!) writing occurs when one breaks free of formulaic constraints.

To be a good writer, I believe a student needs to move beyond her comfort zone. Some students are naturally articulate; they easily mold philosophical and theoretical ideas into concise arguments. Other students may be more artistic. They may believe the structure of an analysis or argument essay stifles their creative energy; such students might prefer writing lyric poetry or fantastic short stories. Then there are those students who are literacy non-conformists. They pride themselves in finding innovative, outside-the-box ways of "interpreting" their instructor's assignment (just ask me about the one-act plays and four-page epic poems I've received from students).

Regardless if a student is an academic, creative, or innovative writer, she most likely understands her writing strengths and learns to use them to her advantage. That is, most writers write using the styles, genres, and language they feel most comfortable using. While I do think students should be made to feel comfortable in the writing classroom, I also believe students should be given the right to experiment.

Not only should writing be an opportunity for experimentation, the process of writing should welcome a sense of discovery, adventure, and engagement of the mind. Writing should be part of the larger process of learning. Education scholars Daniels and Bizar describe such writing as, "Writing is not just one of the language arts. It is also a form of thinking, a way of engaging and acting on information" (78).

I want my students to do the kind of writing Daniels and Bizar describe - writing that expresses how the individual student is learning, is acting on information, is connecting knowledge to life. Sometimes such learning cannot be expressed in "traditional" forms. Sometimes the student must decide what size, shape, and form her writing needs to take to fully express this learning experience. That is why I value experimentation. Students must try out different genres of writing, different styles of language, and different visual and/or alphabetic modes. The writing that is produced needs to fit the learning that occurs.

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 * As an example**, I offer my literacy narrative. Crossing genres, linking my story to history, culture, literature...this is a form of writing that has been experimental and enlightening for me.======

**In my class** students enact their "Right to Experiment" in these ways:

 * Students always reserve the right to question me and/or my assignment. I welcome students who question why I require certain genres of writing.
 * Students may propose an alternate assignment.
 * Students can rewrite any assignment, if the outcome is any way unsatisfactory to me or to them.
 * Students are required to compose in multiple modes and genres. Often when students write in "experimental" modes, it is for credit/no credit and does not affect their final course grade.
 * We hold "public" readings of our writing in the classroom; during such readings, student work (especially experiments) are celebrated rather than criticized.
 * Students are given many opportunities to "experiment" with genres and modes of writing throughout the semester during in-class and/or non-graded writings. Again, a "safe" writing environment is fostered.

Erinn J. Bentley, 12 July 2008