Prey Sea # 2

A.J. Pallante
Prof. Boland
English 329
18 February 2009
Precis #2
Many times, as teachers, we forget how difficult the processes of learning can be. We may understand certain concepts, which seem simple, failing to recognize that we have been polishing our skills in that subject for years. This is the context in which many students find themselves in, having to learn from an instructor who does not teach, rather expects learning to occur. In David Bartholomae’s “Inventing the University,” such issues are addressed. He begins by making an interesting speculation regarding the manner in which “students have to appropriate (or be appropriated by) a specialized discourse, and they have to do this as though they were easily and comfortably one with their audience …” (Bartholomae 511). This endeavor to reconcile what they know with what they are expected to learn is how students often “invent the university.”
As developing thinkers\writers, Bartholomae points out that, it is difficult for students to “code switch” between the language that they are familiar with and language used in an academic setting. It is the inability to make this switch that causes students to fall short in their composition. Many teachers regard this failure to “code switch” as negative progress. However, though their wording may be imperfect, it is important to realize that they are not wrong. Error and a lack of vocabulary are two different principles. Students may understand concepts, but finding the words to express their comprehension may be a futile endeavor. Bartholomae believes that “sentences fall apart not because the writer lacks necessary syntax to glue pieces together but because he lacks the full statement within which these key words are already operating” (523). This is important to keep in mind when dealing with students who are new\developing writers.
As a student, too much responsibility is placed upon test scores and standards, while the emphasis on comprehension and literacy is null. Memorization is not the same as actual comprehension. This is a universal concept that can be applied to both reading and composition. Especially in the secondary school settings, when identities and interests are still being formed, students can face great difficulty attempting to write something that sounds academic. This is where many multi-syllabic mishaps\misuses occur. It is important for teachers to understand that students are fairly new to the concepts of what learning is, and what it is not. By remaining sensitive to the student, within reason, it is seemingly possible that the transition between “everyday” speech, and what is spoken in a specified institution, can be one free of unneeded strife.