Recursive Writing, Recursive ITL: Revisiting José Bowen in 2015

Abstract

In September 2014, Dr. José Bowen visited George Mason University and delivered an excellent workshop and keynote lecture. During his presentations, Dr. Bowen emphasized the many ways in which the transmission of knowledge is different from the evaluative skills that teachers hope students will learn in their courses. Content is not enough, he emphasized, as students can "and do" seek out content knowledge online. Deep learning is the product of encouraging students to think and engage, and those abilities are something that students can develop in the classroom with faculty guidance.

According to both Dr. Bowen and the Council of Writing Program Administrators, writing is one way to encourage students to engage with material on a deeper, more meaningful level. This presentation will discuss the implementation of Dr. Bowen's workshop presentation in an ENGH 302 Multidisciplinary Advanced Writing course, including its benefits and drawbacks. The presentation will conclude by offering a research-informed consideration of writing instruction as "recursive," where "much like our students' writing work" constant revision and reworking is a way to inform our broader pedagogies. The strategies in this session can be applied to any course with a writing assignments, whether formal or informal writing.