When people ask me why students struggle with writing, I say that teachers having too many students to work with is the number one reason and the one which should be addressed first. Right now, we're committing educational malpractice. insidehighered.com/blogs/just-vis…
The other systemic problems I address in my book, such as the use of standardized testing, are almost inextricable from the problem of overburdened labor. Standardizable curriculum is more attractive when there's too many students to work with as individuals.
Even teachers and college instructors who would like to get beyond the status quo find themselves with little time and little incentive. It requires a personal sacrifice that is often discouraged, potentially even punished. The result is burnout or worse.
Why do students struggle with writing? We don't resource the teaching and learning of it in a way that allows for the best work to happen. We can do better, particularly because we know what to do, provided we're in a position to do it. amazon.com/Why-They-Cant-…
I've been plugging my book a bunch, but let me plug another. One of my constant refrains is that we know how to teach writing, the things that stand in our way have nothing to do with what we know about pedagogy. This book articulates what we know. amazon.com/Naming-What-Kn…
