An important challenge to what currently masquerades as conventional
wisdom regarding the teaching of writing.
There seems to be widespread agreement that--when it comes to the
writing skills of college students--we are in the midst of a crisis. In
Why They Can't Write, John Warner, who taught writing at the college
level for two decades, argues that the problem isn't caused by a lack of
rigor, or smartphones, or some generational character defect. Instead,
he asserts, we're teaching writing wrong.
Warner blames this on decades of educational reform rooted in
standardization, assessments, and accountability. We have done no more,
Warner argues, than conditioned students to perform "writing-related
simulations," which pass temporary muster but do little to help students
develop their writing abilities. This style of teaching has made
students passive and disengaged. Worse yet, it hasn't prepared them for
writing in the college classroom. Rather than making choices and
thinking critically, as writers must, undergraduates simply follow the
rules--such as the five-paragraph essay--designed to help them pass
these high-stakes assessments.
In Why They Can't Write, Warner has crafted both a diagnosis for what
ails us and a blueprint for fixing a broken system. Combining current
knowledge of what works in teaching and learning with the most enduring
philosophies of classical education, this book challenges readers to
develop the skills, attitudes, knowledge, and habits of mind of strong
writers.
