The "unorthodox" approach to composition that this course has offered was not what I expected when I registered for EH 301. However, my initial skepticism has been entirely quelled by the unfolding of this unique method of teaching students to write. I shall attempt to describe the fundamental aspects of this course as I experienced it.
From the very beginning of the course, content was emphasized over form. Given the level of mechanical competence of a college English class on the Junior level, this is a wise approach. It releases the student from the unnerving fear of the red correction pen and enables more concentration to be placed upon the honest development of the essay. The premise underlying this is that once adequate content is achieved in a student's essays then the problem of mechanics will either already be significantly overcome or the emphasis on mechanics will not then jeopardize the student's interest in writing, for the student will have acquired a vested interest in what will seem as potentially valuable content.
In order to provide the raw material for essays concerned with content, this approach to composition relied upon Jungian psychology, a subject of which I was completely ignorant prior to this course, and keeping a personal dream diary. In reading essays by Jung and others in the same school of psychology, I became familiar with an entirely new system of psychological vocabulary. The introduction to Jung's concept of the unconscious with its polar structure and collective nature required a great deal of thought on the part of each student. Indeed, the acquisition of Jungian vocabulary and concepts was a prime tool enabling each student as an individual to express subjective experience such as dreams and memories. This makes for writing filled with tremendous psychic energy and insights while relatively free of dullness, the usual problem of student writing.
Another unique ingredient of this approach was the role of the teacher. Essentially, Dr. Rockwood provided the environment that was most conducive to the student's self-development. He explained the essays by Jung and others. Class discussion was designed to clarify vague concepts by grounding their meaning with concrete examples. Furthermore, he patterned the writing assignments so that a distinct progression would be achieved in the student's essays. Perhaps the most important aspect of all in this particular approach was the positive reinforcement provided by the teacher to each student. The method of positive incentives spiced with constructive guidance will in most any teaching endeavor result in the formation among the students of a genuine desire to achieve. The teaching of composition is particulary adaptive to this as the progress of the student is inextricably tied to the student's feelings of accomplishment
In retrospect, I now see within my own collection of essays a definite progression in the use of vivid imagery and psychological understanding to the end that my skill at written communication was considerably enhanced. I attribute these results directly to the confidence I acquired through early successes with my essays. In my opinion, the overwhelming success of this approach to composition, as exhibited by our entire class, is indicative of the results that can be expected when an innovative approach concentrates on cultivating innate creativity.
© Copyright 2002 by Robert J. R. Rockwood. All rights reserved.