Since I took the time to read most of the
messages that were posted, I hope members of this list won't mind my usual
complaint. (If you do, use the delete button.)
I was struck by Rebecca's description of how
she has students use tape recorders, and by the praise for her approach
sent in by other members of the list. My initial reaction is that what
she is doing is irresponsible and unethical. She may, of course, be able
to prove me wrong, but I would like to see the evidence. I don't believe
that she can effectively provide her students with a good analytical grasp
of sentence structure, no matter what textbook she uses, in a single semester
while doing what she says she does.
I note this in the context of Janet McClaskey's
article in the September issue of English Journal. Although the
article is not about grammar, McCloskey notes that two of her colleagues
had been teaching students -- for twenty years-- that "because" is a coordinating
conjunction. When one of the teachers looked it up, she was horrified by
what she had been doing. McClasky claims that she can raise students test
scores by, among other things, teaching them never to use a comma before
"because." (The teachers who had considered "because" as a coordinating
conjunction had been teaching their students to always put a comma before
"because." )
I'm sure that some members of
this list will want to argue the question of test scores, and some may
even claim that "because" IS a coordinating conjunction. My question, however,
is this:
What evidence can those of you teaching teachers (and doing what Rebecca
does) offer to show that students who pass your courses (future teachers)
do indeed have a solid, conscious command of sentence structure? Among
other things, will they know that a sentence such as "The plane crashed
five miles from here, its tail pointed at the sky" is not a comma-splice?
(Or will they mark such sentences in their students' writing as errors?)
Having taught future teachers (an entire semester devoted to grammar),
it seems to me that many of you are having a great party, but it is all
dessert and no meat, potatoes, and vegetables.
Just wondering.
Ed V.