Composition and the Teaching of Grammar

• Podcast: “Grammar & the Kolln/Hartwell Debate” by Mere Rhetoric
• Hartwell, Patrick. (Feb., 1985). Grammar, grammars, and the teaching of grammar. College English 47(2), 105-127.
• Hurlbert, Claude M., & McAndrew, Donald (Feb.-Dec., 1993). Teaching intentional errors in Standard English: A way to “big smart english.” English Leadership Quarterly, 15(1-4) Feb-Dec 1993.
• Discussion Questions: On Grammar
  1. Should we teach grammar?
  2. Should we handle grammar differently when working with L2 English writers?
  3. Does punctuation impact how you write?
  4. Should grammar be a focus of composition research?
  5. Do students need a meta-language (about grammar) to discuss writing?
  6. How should we teach grammar if we decide to do so?
  7. How should we evaluate grammar, if at all?
• Resolution on the Students’ Right to Their Own Language by the National Council of Teachers of English in 1974
• Students’ Right to Their Own Language–Position Statement of the Conference on College Composition and Communication (CCCC): Special Issue of College Composition and Communication, Fall, 1974, Vol. XXV
• Discussion Questions: On Students’ Languages
  1. In 1974, NCTE affirms students’ rights to their own language. NCTE wanted teachers to understand and respect different dialects. NCTE also wanted students to learn the conventions of written edited American English. This leads to several questions, including this critical one: How can we teach students standard English without disempowering them?
  2. How do we teach students to respect other dialects?
  3. How should teachers be trained to handle multiple dialects?
• Language Theory
• “In Memorium: Patrick M. Hartwell” by Don McAndrew and Jim Strickland: College Composition and Communication, Vol. 52, No. 3 (Feb., 2001), pp. 345-346