{"product_id":"why-they-cant-write-9781421427102","title":"Why They Cant Write","description":"\u003cb\u003eBook Synopsis\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003eAn important challenge to what currently masquerades as conventional wisdom regarding the teaching of writing.   There seems to be widespread agreement thatwhen it comes to the writing skills of college studentswe 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, a\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eTrade Review\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003eThat title sounds as if it will be a grumpy polemic, but it's actually an inspiring exploration of what learning to write could be, framed by an analysis of why it so often is soul-destroying for both students and their teachers.\u003cbr\u003e—Barbara Fister, \u003ci\u003eInside Higher Ed\u003c\/i\u003e\u003cbr\u003eArticulates a set of humanist values that could generate rich new classroom practices and, one hopes, encourage teachers, parents, and policymakers to rethink the whole idea of School and why it matters to a society. Warner is pragmatic, not programmatic, and hopeful without being naïve . . . I hope teachers, parents, and administrators across the United States read his trenchant book. We are the reformers we have been waiting for.\u003cbr\u003e—Ryan Boyd, University of Southern California, \u003ci\u003eLA Review of Books\u003c\/i\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003ci\u003eWhy They Can't Write\u003c\/i\u003e dissects the underlying causes of why so much writing instruction fails in the American system and it provides tested, practical solutions for doing better. The book is more than a how-to-teach guide, however. It diagnoses several important structural problems in American education, including standardized testing, the allure of educational fads, the abuses of technology-driven solutions, and cruel working conditions for teachers.\u003cbr\u003e—Danny Anderson, \u003ci\u003eSectarian Review\u003c\/i\u003e\u003cbr\u003eI wanted direction on how to better teach writing, and I got it—sample assignments that I can tweak to fit my classroom and discipline in marvelous ways. But I got so much more. I closed the book feeling energized and motivated to go back to the classroom and make changes. In fact my first reaction, as I finished, was 'I have to go write about this!' Which so perfectly encapsulates so much of what John would like to see us do as learners that I couldn't help but laugh.\u003cbr\u003e—Cate Denial, Director, Bright Institute, Knox College\u003cbr\u003eWhat \u003ci\u003eis\u003c\/i\u003e to blame for students' bad writing? According to Warner, the entire context in which it is taught. He rails against school systems that privilege shallow \"achievement\" over curiosity and learning, a culture of \"surveillance and compliance\" (including apps that track students' behaviour and report it to parents in real time), an obsession with standardized testing that is fundamentally inimical to thoughtful reading and writing, and a love of faddish psychological theories and worthless digital learning projects.\u003cbr\u003e—Irina Dumitrescu, University of Bonn, \u003ci\u003eTimes Literary Supplement\u003c\/i\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eTable of Contents\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003ePart I: Introduction\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003eOur Writing \"Crisis\"\u003cbr\u003eJohnny Could Never Write\u003cbr\u003eThe Writer's Practice\u003cbr\u003eThe Five-Paragraph Essay\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003ePart II: The Other Necessities\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003eThe Problem of Atmosphere\u003cbr\u003eThe Problem of Surveillance\u003cbr\u003eThe Problem of Assessment and Standardization\u003cbr\u003eThe Problem of Educational Fads\u003cbr\u003eThe Problem of Technology Hype\u003cbr\u003eThe Problem of Folklore\u003cbr\u003eThe Problem of Precarity\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003ePart III: A New Framework\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003eWhy School?\u003cbr\u003eIncreasing Rigor\u003cbr\u003eThe Writer's Practice\u003cbr\u003eMaking Writing Meaningful by Making Meaningful Writing\u003cbr\u003eWriting Experiences\u003cbr\u003eIncreasing Challenges\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003ePart IV: Unanswered Questions\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003eWhat about Academics?\u003cbr\u003eWhat about Grammar?\u003cbr\u003eWhat about Grades?\u003cbr\u003eWhat about the Children?\u003cbr\u003eWhat about the Teachers?\u003cbr\u003eIn Conclusion\u003cbr\u003eAcknowledgments\u003cbr\u003eAppendix\u003cbr\u003eNotes\u003cbr\u003eIndex\u003cbr\u003eAbout the Author\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Johns Hopkins University Press","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":49408127664471,"sku":"9781421427102","price":22.5,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0817\/1739\/5799\/files\/9781421427102.jpg?v=1730501685","url":"https:\/\/bookcurl.com\/products\/why-they-cant-write-9781421427102","provider":"Book Curl","version":"1.0","type":"link"}